Nusret Gökçe

Nusret Gökçe — Biography

A butcher and chef of Kurdish descent, Nusret Gökçe was born on August 9, 1983 in Erzurum. Financial hardship forced him to leave school early, and he began his career as an apprentice in a butcher's market in Bostancı, working roughly 18-hour days. To sharpen his craft he traveled to Argentina to study meat preparation firsthand, then worked without pay at several restaurants in New York to prove himself.

After opening Nusret Steakhouse in Etiler with Mithat Erdem in 2010, he partnered with Ferit Şahenk, head of the Doğuş Group, to grow the Nusr-Et brand into an international chain with branches eventually reaching Greece, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

In January 2017, a distinctive way of salting meat that he performed went viral online, earning him the nickname "Salt Bae" and turning him into a globally recognized internet personality; his restaurants have since drawn numerous well-known figures from sports, politics and entertainment.