Sweet Baker By Chef Nilay

                                                                               I grew up with Mediterranean and Aegean Sea(*) cuisine on the west cost of Turkey                                                                                      where I graduated from Tourism and Hotel Management. My passion for food started in                                                                                my parent’s kitchen baking sponge cake with my dad every Sunday, when I was 9 years                                                                                old. Rich virgin Olive oil, citrus fruits, apricots, peaches, figs, plums, cheese, fish,                                                                                            seafood, fresh local farm grown vegetables, fresh baked breads and lamb are big in our                                                                                  cuisine.

 

                                                                               Food and family gatherings were daily celebrations in my childhood years. Big feasts in                                                                                  our  family summer house was a fun tradition for my family. My dad and uncle would go fishing for hours and come back with 5-6 kilos of Seabream at least twice a week and it was my job to clean half of it and the other half would go to my sister. I would wait by the shore to grab the fish basket and start cleaning right away to finish my job before sunset... My mom and aunt would prepare 10 types of hot and cold mezes (*) and 3-4 main dishes. Our table would have 25-30 people. We would talk, laugh, eat and drink for hours and hours to celebrate life and family.

 

Work Experience:

I worked as an executive chef and manager for catering companies in Toronto and as a line and pastry cook in fine dining restaurants.

Working as a food stylist at the Food Network Canada gave me the opportunity to host my own magazine and food show for a multicultural television station.

This experience brought me to manage the Prep Kitchen at Food Network Canada working with shows like,

Canadian Living Cooks,

Christine Cushing Live,

Martin Yan's China Town,

Sugar and

Cook Like a Chef.

 

Food styling for magazines, restaurants and websites is an ongoing project for me.

Having this career has brought me to the kitchens of celebrities. I have cooked for Andy Garcia, Tom Green, politicians and the Weston family. I heard Mr. Green was a big fan of my Moroccan lamb meatballs with cucumber mint gazpacho.

 

Currently, I am working part-time as a freelance chef and raising my 2 wonderful children who are 6 and 9 and working on my first Turkish cookbook where I also incorporate my childhood memories.

Baking and cooking is my passion and it is an endless experience for me.

 

 

(*) What is The Aegean Region Cuisine?

 The Aegean region is the area bordering Turkey's western coastline.  Aegean region is olive country with many dishes made with olives and olive oil. The warm climate and long growing season also mean fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits are plentiful almost all year round.That's why you get the most fantastic selection of starters, or 'meze,' in the country. There are many local greens called "Aegean greens" in this area and they are usually lightly boiled and served with lemon juice and virgin olive oil as a side dish with fish. Aegean people are famous with their green salads and vegeterian dishes made with olive oil.

Endless mixtures of artichoke bottoms, baby peas, fava beans and other vegetable delicacies are cooked in olive oil and served cold. Aegean meals often feature fish and seafood, as well as classic Turkish lamb and beef. Allspice, dillweed, oregano and mint are the most common spices here. 

 

What is Meze?

 A word with its roots in antiquity, the word and usage came from Turkey. A meze is not a meal course like an appetizer (although meze dishes can be served as appetizers), but rather a dish, hot or cold, spicy or savory, often salty, that is served, alone or with other mezes, as a separate eating experience.

The purpose of the meze is two-fold: to complement and enhance the taste of the drink (wines, ouzo, raki, etc.), and to provide the backdrop for a social gathering. Unlike appetizers which are intended to whet the appetite for the meal to come, it is common for groups of family and friends to gather or go out for mezes, share several of these delightful dishes, a drink, conversation, and laughter. The little plates are shared by everyone at the table, which not only provides a wonderful variety of flavor and texture sensations, but also creates the kind of happy, convivial (perhaps noisy)atmosphere for which Mediterraneans and Aegean people are well known.