Chefs beyond borders
The practice of being a chef, or in the old sense, a cook, is based on the master passing on his skills to his apprentice. Inexperienced apprentices start at the bottom, but those who are talented, enthusiastic, curious, and hardworking will eventually catch the master’s eye. The apprentice who is taken under the master’s wing eventually becomes a master, and it is now his or her turn to take others under their wing. In the world of star chefs, who are now treated like celebrities, the traditional master-apprentice chain is no longer as prevalent as it once was. While old-school master chefs can still mentor talented and determined young people, chefs today often try to make it on their own. They work in as many different kitchens as possible in hopes of gaining experience and inspiration. Their stories can be quite interesting. At a recent event, a peek back at the kitchen unveiled many stories showing how chefs can be influential to others.
Cross-border interaction
The world of gastronomy now offers a whole new way of interacting. Master chefs are coming together in the kitchen for special meals and pop-up events, inspiring each other in surprising ways. This interaction takes on a whole new dimension, creating a cultural bridge, especially when chefs from different countries come together. This multicultural interaction isn't limited to master chefs. Sometimes, the entire kitchen staff is from a different country, each with a distinct background and story. The most beautiful form of collaboration emerges from this cross-border interaction.
In today’s culinary world, meals crafted by chefs who collaborate to create tasting menus have become all the rage. While these menus may seem exciting, they can sometimes devolve into a chaotic mix of everyone playing their own tune. At other times, it becomes a feast where the chefs parade their most skillfully prepared dishes. One notable chef series this summer was the Gault&Millau Türkiye Tour. Titled "Signature Dining Experience," the series showcased the chefs' signature dishes in Urla and Bodrum. The fourth meal of the series, held at Maçakızı Bodrum, took chef collaboration to a whole new level, especially because of the multicultural and multinational nature of both the chefs and the kitchen crew.
One chef learns from another!
Aret Şahakyan, the chef at Maçakızı Ayla, was the host of the event, and the guest chefs were Thomas Bühner, a German chef, and Antonio Bachour, a Puerto Rican pastry chef. What made this meal interesting was the multicultural kitchen staff, whose stories about the influences that shaped their formation added depth. However, we must start with Aret Şahakyan, the Maçakızı chef. Originally from Istanbul, Türkiye, Şahakyan is of Armenian descent. His culinary journey began with Istanbul’s cuisine during his childhood and early youth. While studying economics in Washington, D.C., he started working at his girlfriend’s family’s Italian restaurant. At the university, he met Sahir Erozan, another Istanbulite studying there, and together, they opened The Cities restaurant and bar in Washington. In this venue, they delved into culinary traditions from across the globe, devising a concept that underwent a radical transformation with each passing season, encompassing both the ambiance and the menu. It was an instant success. There, he worked with Jean Louis Palladin, a French chef and one of the first representatives of the Nouvelle Cuisine movement in America, who was a consultant of The Cities. Şahakyan says he never intended to be a chef, but fate intervened, and with the influence of cooks and chefs he worked with, his was destined to be one.
Maçakızı: School to many
When Sahir Erozan decided to return to Türkiye to take over Maçakızı, the beach club founded by his mother Ayla Emiroğlu, Aret redirected his life to Bodrum as well. The two collaborated on the process of recreating Maçakızı, and eventually, Maçakızı became famous for its kitchen. Since then, the place is famed for its vibrant menu that shines with bright summer flavors, featuring the finest local ingredients, incorporating Aegean and Mediterranean influences while not neglecting the cornerstone dishes of Turkish cuisine.
Aret Şahakyan is often referred to as the “chef of chefs.” Many celebrated Turkish chefs began their careers at Maçakızı under Aret's apprenticeship. Indeed, many of today’s famous, award-winning chefs passed from the kitchen of Maçakızı. One of the most interesting of these chefs is Kyrkos Zisis, a Greek chef who worked as Aret’s right-hand man for years and is now the sous-chef at Ayla. Zisis now lives in Belgium, but he has not severed his ties with Maçakızı, spending his summers as a sous-chef at Ayla. Zisis is a generous teacher. Years ago, he mentored Serkan Aksoy, who is now a Michelin-starred chef in Istanbul. At the time, Aksoy was an apprentice at Maçakizi restaurant. Years later, both still mention each other. Aksoy says, “Kyrkos is the one who has shaped me,” and Kyrkos says, “He absorbed everything I taught him like a sponge, and always asked for more.”
The presence of such a mix of nationalities in one kitchen clearly indicates that kitchen interactions have reached a transnational dimension. At this event, there was another pair in the kitchen who spoke German, both linguistically and culinarily. Tolgar Mireli, who was assisting Thomas Bühner, is of mixed heritage, being Turkish with German ancestry. Mireli also received his culinary training in Germany. He undoubtedly understood Bühner's meticulousness and discipline best. While Bühner waited patiently for the lobster delivery to arrive, Mireli calmed him down, explaining how things are resolved at the last minute in Türkiye. At the end of the day, the lobster they served at dinner was as tender as a Turkish Delight laced with a dreamy vanilla sauce. It worked fantastically!
