Hello, my name is Leyla. I live in Istanbul. I have two daughters as tall as me. I have loved animals since I was little. We now have two dogs and two cats. I studied sociology and got a master’s degree in corporate communication. I loved working on corporate communication and usability. I took the opportunity to spend time with my daughters. I stopped working. I especially love classical music and rock.

When I was little, I was very cautious about food. My family traveled a lot because my father was a sportswriter, and my mother, who was a good cook, cooked the food of other countries at home and often included me in her travels. I secretly have a taste for different foods. I was working at a financial magazine, and while chatting with my boss about cooking (I was in my 20s), he said, “Look, Leyla, learn the dishes of your own family, don’t forget them, they will be very meaningful in the future and make you special.” And so it was. I enjoyed cooking, improving myself, learning the dishes of my Albanian family. Most importantly, I was attracted to creativity in the kitchen. When I went to the professional cooking course at MSA, the academic sense I was used to fell into place. Now I say food forever, “Food Forever” and the one thing I will never give up for the sake of image is flavor.