Mehmet Gürs (born 13 December 1969) is a Finnish celebrity

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

, television personality,

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...

and consultant. He is considered to be

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

's most recognizable chef.

Biography

Gürs was born in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

to a Turkish father and a Finnish-Swedish mother and grew up in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

and

. He spent eight years training and working as a chef in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

; from 1990 to 1993 he studied Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management at

Johnson & Wales University Johnson & Wales University (JWU) is a private university with its main campus in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded as a business school in 1914 by Gertrude I. Johnson and Mary T. Wales, JWU enrolled 7,357 students across its cam ...

. In the mid 1990s, he returned to

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

to start his first restaurant called Downtown; six years later he opened Lokanta and then

Mikla Mikla is a contemporary restaurant in Istanbul, known for its "New Anatolian Kitchens". Opened in October 2005, Mikla is on the top two floors of The Marmara Pera Hotel located in the historical Pera region, with its view of Istanbul. The restau ...

in 2005. Gürs's Istanbul Food & Beverage Group now consists of Mikla, the numnum café & restaurant, Trattoria Enzo, Kronotrop,

Terra Kitchen Terra may often refer to: * Terra (mythology), primeval Roman goddess * An alternate name for planet Earth, as well as the Latin name for the planet Terra may also refer to: Geography Astronomy * Terra (satellite), a multi-national NASA scient ...

chain and the group's research lab, the workshop.

Awards

*2001: Best Restaurant/ Downtown - TimeOut Istanbul *2002: Best Bar/ NuTeras - TimeOut Istanbul *2003: Best Chef/Mehmet Gürs - TimeOut Istanbul *2004: Best Bar/ NuTeras - TimeOut Istanbul *2006: Best Restaurant/ Mikla - TimeOut Istanbul

Personal life

Gürs has one child. He speaks

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

, Turkish,

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

, and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gurs, Mehmet Turkish television chefs Turkish people of Finnish descent Johnson & Wales University alumni Living people 1969 births Finnish television chefs Finnish expatriates in Sweden Finnish expatriates in the United States Finnish people of Turkish descent Turkish expatriates in Sweden Turkish expatriates in the United States