Salt Bae (Chef) Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Salt Bae

• Salt Bae is a Turkish butcher and chef who is widely popular for his signature method of preparing and seasoning meat. He is the owner of the restaurant Nusr-Et Steakhouse, which is known to draw A-List celebrities all over the world.

• In January 2017, he rose to fame after a video of him, while preparing and seasoning steak, went viral and became an iconic meme.

• When he was two years old, his family migrated from Erzurum to Darıca. Given the poor financial conditions at home, his parents had to force him to quit school. In an Instagram post, he revealed that he went to school for five years only.
  

  A childhood image of Nusret Gokce

• To sustain his family, he worked odd jobs such as being a butcher’s apprentice and used to wash dishes. He used to work actively for 18 hours a day. In an interview, while talking about what got him interested in meat, he said,
  

  I needed a job to help my family growing up in Turkey. So I became a butcher. And I loved it. So here we are.​”

  

  Young Nusret Gokce working in a kitchen during his early days

• Later, he worked in many restaurants in other countries including Argentina and the United States between 2007 and 2010. By 2010, according to him, he had a good vision of what it takes to be a good chef.

• He worked at restaurants for free because he wanted to gain experience.

• Nusret visited many butchers and restaurants in Argentina with the last money in his pocket and 7000 Turkish Liras ( 1 TL = 4.38 INR) from his credit card to get an idea about the meat mincing business.

• He managed to obtain a three-month U.S. visa under many difficulties and later, he worked in four of New York’s best-known restaurants without getting paid. While he was working at one of New York’s restaurants, his menu was published in the New York Times.

• In 2010, at the age of 23, he went to Turkey and launched his own restaurant Nusr-Et in Istanbul, whose prefix stands for his real name and the suffix ‘et’ means meat in the Turkish language. The restaurant operates several branches of luxury steak houses in many countries including Greece, the United States, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.

• In the beginning, the Turkish businessman Ferit Sahenk helped Nusret financially, which helped him open several chains of his restaurant in cities such as Ankara, Dubai, and Doha.

• On 7 January 2017, he rose to fame after a video of him dedicatedly mincing meat and sprinkling salt on it in an iconic way went viral. In the video ‘Ottoman Steak,’ he caught the attention of more than 10 million viewers on Instagram, and it was at that moment he was nicknamed “Salt Bae.” Later, he became a household meme.

• Several celebrities including DJ Khaled, David Beckham, and Leonardo DiCaprio have visited his restaurant and spoken highly of Nusret’s menu.
  

  Salt Bae doing sprinkling salt in his signature style for Leonardo DiCaprio
• On 21 December 2022, during the 2023 U.S. Open Cup Final, Nusret (Salt Bae) approached Lionel Messi to get his picture clicked while the whole team of Argentina players was celebrating their win. ^[1]Mint Several videos went viral which captured Nusret intruding into their victory. He posed with other Argentina players while holding the FIFA World Cup Trophy, which violated the FIFA World Cup’s code of conduct. Later that day, the U.S. Open Cup tweeted,
  

  Salt Bae is hereby banned from the 2023 @opencup Final.”

  

  Salt Bae and Lionel Messi during the 2023 U.S. Open Cup Final

• In September 2018, Týnuš Třešničková, a Czech internet personality, became a victim of a failed fire show in the Nusr-Et steakhouse in Istanbul, resulting in 35% total body surface area burns; four other guests faced minor body burns.

• Nusret is a fitness enthusiast and he follows a strict diet plan. He once shared his daily diet chart on social media.
  

  Salt Bae’s daily diet chart

• He often shares his fitness regimen on social media. In an interview, while talking about his daily workout, he revealed that he preferred boxing and body-weight work and said,
  

  It gives me the definition and core strength I want. A lot of jumping rope, ropes, anything to not only stimulate muscle but also keep me quick. I have to be fast in the kitchen.”

  

  A picture of Salt Bae while working out

• Salt Bae is often seen smoking cigars in his social media photographs and videos.
  

  Salt Bae smoking a cigar in 2022

•  On 18 November 2022, he posted a picture of the bill at his own restaurant Nusr-Et Steakhouse, Abu Dhabi.
  

  Salt Bae’s Instagram post of a bill at his own restaurant

• In 2022, he worked on a new concept for a gym at Park Hyatt Istanbul. ^[2]Instagram – Salt Bae