Why did you become a Chef?
Chef Zeki was born in 1974 in the town of Elbistan, Kahramanmaraş. Deciding to follow his father’s footsteps in his professional life at an early age, he started working as a busboy with his father. Afterwards, he worked in various places in Izmir and Aydın in 1991 and 1992 to improve himself. He worked as a cook for a while at the Side Kleopatra Hotel in Antalya between 1993-1994. He worked as a cook for a while on a private boat in Kemer Marina, which is his next stop. He founded his own restaurants and continued his “Zeki ZİNCİKIRAN” profession in his own businesses. He completed his military service as a chef in Hasköy district of Muş between 1994 and 1996. He came to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in March 1996 and became the “Onar Village Holiday Village”. He worked as a cook at the “Jas mine Court Hotel”, “Dedeman Olive Tree Hotel”, “Merit Crystal Cove Hotel”, “Serifali Hotel”, “Rocks Hotel”, “Girne Teacher’s House” and “Polar Restaurant”. He continued his duties as a cook and a chef. Experienced chef “Zeki ZİNCİKIRAN”, who adopts the principle of “your pot is delicious, your ladle is love and your ceiling is tolerance”, has been continuing his profession as “Kitchen Chef” in a public institution that still serves high-level protocol since 2002.
What is your favourite thing to create?
I am creative and constantly researching, how can I prepare better and more delicious plates, the smiles on people’s faces while they eat my meals make me happy, making my guests happy gives me energy and happiness, and I think healthier and display wonderful plates.
What cuisine do you find the most challenging to replicate?
In fact, if you do your job right, no kitchen is difficult and it is not difficult to copy it. Knowing the cuisine and my opinion in cuisines with culture will be discussed in two weeks. I am of this opinion and I have full confidence to succeed means to take a step towards success.
As a Chef what would be your ultimate goal?
The invisible side of the iceberg. If you’re about to change your life and decide to become a cook, be sure to work somewhere before making this radical decision. If necessary, do not charge any fees during this process. Cooking is a profession that looks quite enjoyable from the outside, but you can only realize its difficulties after you enter. Long working hours, an extremely stressful environment, an antisocial lifestyle are the first ones waiting for you. Consider whether this job is for you or not. Love your job and listen to criticism.
Cooking is a craft. Pay attention to what your masters say. Especially in the first years of cooking, you are criticized a lot. Don’t let this break you. Listen to criticism and push yourself to get better at your job. And love your job. If you don’t like it, difficult conditions will become even more unbearable for you. Never forget that every meal is demanding, the length of the working hours, the fact that cooking is one of the most anti-social professions in the world, and that a job only has value when done with passion.
What frustrates you about the Hospitality industry?
If the undisciplined staff does not follow the work, the work is disrupted and the hygienic environment is not provided, it makes me angry.
What is the most challenging time you have had as a Chef?
Dancing with flames in the summer heat. It’s not much of a problem in the winter, but in those hot summer months, cooking over intense fire can turn into torture. Even the word sweat is often insufficient.
Yes, I have told about the negativities experienced by the cooks so far, but there is something like cooking is a love, the flavor that comes out at the end of that plate will take you around in the gardens of paradise, you will be the most popular among your friends, when people learn about your profession, they will tear themselves apart to chat with you and you will not need money for the rest of your life.
I hope that people who want to be a chef will not be affected by these negativities and continue to follow their dreams.
Don’t forget to be a cook is to be crazy.
How should a chef be?
Actually, it is not my place to tell you this because there are chefs more experienced than me. But since such a corner has been given to me, then I will do my best.
The biggest problem in the kitchen in Turkey is development. Turkey is getting richer, now the consumer is traveling around the world. He eats everywhere, in short, his worldview is increasing, of course, the culture of eating and drinking. This development is happening very fast. However, kitchen workers stop keeping up with this development, it goes further back. Of course, there are many reasons for this: The first reason is that the father of the kitchen, his teacher, the chef of everything, does not accept to keep up with this development. First the chef will learn, then he will teach his cooks, then those cooks will become chefs and this is how the order will work. So the chief needs to be open to development, this is the first rule.
Our main job is to cook
The second rule is that chefs have to quit being an artist. He must not forget that our main job is to cook. The chef must have developed himself and reached the top in his work before acting as an artist. But most of the chefs in Turkey are very cool, they are still walking around with 40 medals on their chest, giving them boiled vegetables next to the battered steak. What was it then, it was necessary to restrain the egos and try to be a little more modest.
Heart is necessary
The chief must be brave, courageous, able to fight windmills like Don Quixote if necessary. He should move forward without thinking about who will say what. He must be brave enough to start his own business. In fact, he is brave enough to admit that his own business will fail, depending on the situation. So the goal of every chief should be to have his own place, and for this he must have courage and courage! Then he must have a strong authority in his kitchen. Authority is not established by intimidating or threatening. You think you’ve set it up, but you always have to look behind you, the chief who always looks behind cannot see ahead. He must establish such a sweet authority that even with the chef’s coat hanging in the kitchen, the cooks should work with respect and love.
As I said, power should be appreciated. It must be emotional, reminiscent of going to the funeral of a chief he has never seen or met just because he is a colleague.
Let’s sum it up like this: A self-improving, humble, brave and caring person becomes a man before he becomes a chief. Now where do I stay when I put myself in this template? Oooo, I have a long way to go to become a chef. Now put yourself, where are you?
If you could give advice to young Chefs what would it be?
I must say that I am looking forward to seeing the majority of those who want to be a cook in the future or who are curious about the business life of cooks. I think being a chef is the most enjoyable and delicious job in the world, but being a professional chef is not easy, there are so many things you need to remove from your life.
Note: The cookery I have mentioned is valid for those who want to be a chef who has mastered the world cuisine and those who are curious.
1. Time taken to fully learn to use a knife. You have to practice so much that now your hands will get callused from chopping carrots into julienne, but once you learn it fully, you will enjoy fast and safe chopping.
2. Longing for social life. Holidays, Christmas, special days etc. For normal people it means vacation, but it corresponds to the times when you have to work the hardest.
Such a rich and full life of experience. Thank you for sharing your thoughts Chef Zeki
It’s always inspiring to hear the thoughts of our chefs and leasers from WAMC. If you think you would like to share your story with us reach out and let us know at membership@wamc1950.com.au
