Elif Yılmaz
Head Chef & Menu Consultant
- Based
- İzmir
- Works across
- 2 regions
- Languages
- Turkish, English, Greek
- Experience
- 14 years
Yılmaz built her reputation on Aegean produce and short supply chains — 80% of her menu at Rüzgâr came from within 60km, which made it both a sustainability story and a margin story. She now splits her time between running a 90-cover kitchen and menu consultancy for hotel groups along the Turkish coast, where seasonality is usually claimed and rarely practised.
“Local sourcing is not a marketing line. It is the only reason my food cost survived 2023.”
Chef Score
Scored from verified history.
Seven axes, each built from confirmed employment, scope and references — not from self-assessment. The composite is the mean of the seven, shown for comparison rather than ranking.
87
/ 100
- Culinary
- 91
- Leadership
- 84
- F&B Management
- 80
- Cost Control
- 88
- Menu Development
- 95
- Pre-Opening
- 78
- Sustainability
- 96
Expertise
What Elif is brought in for.
Every tag here is a filter in the directory, so a business searching for exactly this work will find this profile.
Cuisines
- Turkish
- Mediterranean
- Modern European
Specialities
- Menu Development
- Menu Engineering
- Sustainability
- Zero Waste
- Concept Development
Positions
- Head Chef
- Chef de Cuisine
Available for
- Menu Consulting
- Culinary Consulting
- Brand Collaboration
- Events
- Product Development
Locations
- İzmir
- Bodrum
- Athens
Services
Engage Elif directly.
Seasonal Menu Programme
Six-menu annual cycle built around a mapped local supply base, with costings that hold through the season.
from €7,800 / year
Sustainability & Waste Audit
Waste-stream measurement, trim utilisation and supplier consolidation, with a costed 90-day plan.
from €4,600
Career
Where the score comes from.
- 2020
PresentHead Chef
Rüzgâr
Alaçatı, Turkey
90 covers, seasonal menu changing six times a year
- 2016
2019Chef de Partie
Funky Gourmet
Athens, Greece
Recognition
- 2024Best Aegean RestaurantGault&Millau Türkiye
- 2023Green StarMichelin Guide Türkiye
What we confirmed
Rüzgâr, Alaçatı
Head Chef · 2020–Present
Position confirmed with owner and trade licence
Employment is confirmed with the employer directly rather than with a contact supplied by the candidate, and qualifications with the awarding institution.
Work
Similar expertise
