While attending Tourism and Hotel Management Department of Bilkent University, Cem Erol discovered his biggest ambition in life – culinary. Having practiced culinary terminology, classic techniques and basic know-how through culinary lectures in college, Erol continued his education at Johnson & Wales College, in the USA. After graduating, he gained experience working in some of the USA’s best hotels and clubs. He returned to Turkey in 2004 and specialized in Ottoman and Turkish cuisine in Hotel Les Ottoman as Sous Chef. Later, taking the helm of Banyan Restaurants serving Asian cuisine. Having worked there two years, he continued his career at W Hotel Istanbul as the executive chef. There he was responsible for the whole kitchen operation including the management of W Kitchen concept and Spice Market designed by world famous chef Jean Georges Vongerichten. Cem Erol joined MSA as executive instructor chef in January 2010.

What is your idea of perfect happiness? Good health, good food, good people, good music.

What is the purest thing you have ever tasted? Kobe beef carpaccio.

What is the best thing you can do with your hands? Playing a first-person shooter game on the computer.

What do you love most about what you do? Clean heart, honesty.

What do you consider the most overrated ingredient? Kopi Luwak coffee.

What’s the best thing you’ve ever been taught? How To Cook For Real by Chef Jean Georges Vongerichten, until then I realized I didn’t know how to cook!

Are there any mentors or food heroes you would like to thank? Jean Georges Vongerichten and Justin Bazdarich.

What are your favourite books or cookbooks? All of Thomas Keller’s books, Momofuku cookbook by David Chang, modernist cuisine.

What is the dish on your own menu that most engages you? It’s a breakfast item. A savoury brioche-like bun, topped with braised short-ribs and a poached egg, served with triple-cooked french fries.

What do you make from scratch? Literally everything at our restaurant including our bresaola, fresh mozzarella, ice cream and bread.

What would you be doing if you weren’t doing what you are doing? I’d be a computer programmer or a soccer player.

How do you like to spend your day off? Spend the day with my family, day tripping, chillin’.

What does success mean to you? To achieve the goals you set, which is a never-ending process until you stop setting your goals.

What is your current obsession, the thing you think about at 3am? Check the price of bitcoin.

Which three words best describe your cooking style? Clean, neat, real.

If you could eat only one thing today, what would it be? Boneless fried chicken wings.

What do you see when you think of the cuisine of your own country? Very much undervalued, soon to boom all around the world.

Which producer or supplier really brightens your day? The artichoke guy – he peels a whole artichoke in fifteen seconds.

What do you think the food of the future will look like? More and more vegetables, alternative protein sources, no red meat, reasonable fish, more superfoods.

Cem Erol, executive instructor chef, MSA