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Things you didn't know about the famous Burak !
You do not need to be a fan of Turkish food to fall in love with his kitchen skills. He is not your regular chef, and he stands out for preparing abnormally large Middle Eastern dishes and his spine-chilling signature smile.
You may have probably come across the cooking videos that have surfaced the internet and would want to know him beyond the kitchen.
Here are some intriguing details about him that you did not know.
1. Started cooking at a young age
the renowned chef started working in the kitchen at the age of thirteen. He worked in a small family-owned restaurant. He relocated to Aksaray in 2009, where he planned to open up a new business.
2. Owns a restaurant
Burak is the proprietor of Hatay Medeniyetler Sofrasi Aksaray, a restaurant located in Istanbul.it serves different cuisines, including the Mediterranean, Barbecue, Turkish, and Middle Eastern dishes.
The restaurant was named the winner of the prestigious Certificate of Excellence in the year 2017 in Istanbul.
3. He is Philanthropic
Besides Burak’s fabulous recipes and skills in the kitchen, he is warm-hearted and expresses his desire to promote the welfare of the less fortunate. He often shares his cooking videos via Instagram, but his routine took a turn when he shared his charitable action to a disabled Turkish man.
4. Has cooked for celebrities
The viral cooking videos have also caught the attention of many celebrities.
He got recognized by fellow star and Lebanese songstress, Nancy Ajram, who invited him to her home in new Seyayleh. Burak gave the family a taste of his recipes, and after the beautiful experience and great company they had, Özdemir took his gratitude to his Instagram.
He posted a picture of himself and Nancy’s family with a caption “Thanks a lot, big Star Nancy and her family for their kind invitation.”
5. Has a huge fanbase on Instagram
Through his extraordinary large dishes and a creepy smile, Burak has made a name for himself among Instagram users and amassed a vast number of followers. Burak Özdemir’s Instagram profile has a staggering 16.6 million followers while he follows a meager 130.
His Instagram account has grown tremendously over time, with over a thousand posts so far.
6. He met the UFC champion
Chef Burak Özdemir’s dishes have earned visits and invitations from celebrated personalities.
Who would have guessed that UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedev was his ardent follower? After the Boxing champion had arrived in Istanbul, he went to meet Burak at his restaurant.
The two had a light moment; while at the restaurant, Burak pretended to be spilling tea from an empty cup before going ahead to make a meal with the UFC champion’s name engraved on it.
Burak’s recipes have been influential in Khabib’s diet, and the lightweight champion took to his Instagram to confess how Özdemir’s dishes helped him during his weight cutting days.
He also appreciated Burak for the delicious food and fun-filled experience he was offered during his stay at the restaurant.
7. He is also known as CZNBurak
Burak is nicknamed “CZNBurak,” and he seems to be fond of the name. He uses the name as both his TikTok and Instagram handles. Moreover, he always has the name embroidered on his aprons.
8. Has been awarded the most successful content producer in Turkey
TikTok organized an event in Turkey to celebrate and reward successful content producers in the categories of sports, comedy, fashion food, and many others. Burak Özdemir beat all other contestants to clinch the most coveted award, the Most Successful Content producer in Turkey. Burak, as of 2019, had 10.9 million TikTok followers making him top the list, followed by Nursi with 4.7 million followers, and in third place was Ezgize with 3.5 million users.
9. His father was also a chef
Burak stands to be the embodiment of the saying, “like father like son.” While growing up in a family that ran a restaurant business, Burak followed his father’s steps to be a chef. However, he did not want to be known as or ordinary; thus, the 25-year old Turk added a little bit of flair that includes a creepy smile and outrageously big dishes to his cooking.
That extra edge has worked in earning him celebrity status.
