Sinem Özler graduated from Istanbul University’s Department of Advertising and Desktop Publishing. She began her professional career in the advertising industry and spent nearly ten years in a managerial role in the client relations department of an advertising agency, gaining strong experience in communication, organization, team management, and crisis resolution. She later moved into the food and beverage sector, transferring her managerial expertise to gastronomy.
Her meeting with Doğan Yıldırım, the founder of the Seraf brand, in 2015 marked a defining turning point in her career. Joining Seraf as a manager, Özler gradually took on responsibility for the kitchen as well. Although she had no professional kitchen background, she quickly learned the production processes, successfully organized her team, and brought a strong sense of leadership to kitchen operations. During this period, Doğan Yıldırım’s support and guidance played an important role in the development of Özler’s culinary approach.
When creating Seraf’s menu, Özler draws on Doğan Yıldırım’s founding vision—one rooted in the heritage of Anatolian cuisine and aimed at making this legacy visible again through a contemporary interpretation. In line with this approach, she places great importance on traveling across different regions of Anatolia to gain firsthand knowledge of local ingredients, cooking techniques, and culinary culture. This field experience has been instrumental not only in shaping Seraf’s culinary language, but also in deepening Özler’s own gastronomic perspective.
This accumulated experience is clearly reflected in Seraf’s gastronomic approach. Nourished by the roots of Anatolian cuisine yet interpreted through a contemporary lens, this approach has made Seraf one of the most notable representatives of Türkiye’s local-cuisine movement in recent years, thanks to its strong connection to traditional recipes, local ingredients, and regional cooking techniques. Seraf’s culinary philosophy treats the influence of Anatolia’s multilayered history and cultural heritage on food culture not merely as a source of inspiration, but as a value that must be preserved and carried into the future. Accordingly, seasonality forms the basis of its menus, methods are developed to reduce waste in the kitchen, and forgotten recipes are brought back into view, contributing to Türkiye’s culinary culture.
This vision has also been recognized by national and international gastronomic circles. In 2022, Seraf Restaurant’s Mahmutbey branch was included among the restaurants recommended by the Michelin Guide; in 2023, both its Vadi and Mahmutbey branches continued this success. In 2025, Seraf Vadi was awarded three toques in the Table Remarquable category of the Gault & Millau selection, while in the İncili Gastronomy Guide it received the highest rating of five pearls. In the same year, Sinem Özler received the “Best Chef” One Knife Award.
Özler also takes an active role in social and professional solidarity initiatives. She is a member of KAGİDER, which supports the empowerment of women through entrepreneurship in Türkiye; she contributes to the TURYİD Sustainability Workshop, is involved in the Slow Food Balcony Garden Alliance, and supports the Responsible Restaurant Movement through Seraf Vadi’s waste management and recycling-focused initiatives.
