From celeb-favorite chef to World Cup pest, inside the amazing life of Salt Bae
LUSAIL, QATAR: Nusret Gokce, 39 shot to fame in 2017 for his unusual method of sprinkling salt on meat. The now multimillionaire Turkish-born celebrity chef who owns palaces, and private jets and has a huge fan following, initially had a hard life. His family was so poor that he had to drop off from school at the age of 10 and work from the age of 14. Nusret was born in 1983 and his father, Faik Gökçe, was a miner who worked very hard for his five children.
Nusret was hired as a butcher's apprentice and spent the following ten years working hard in Turkish steakhouses before relocating to Buenos Aires on a quest to learn more about meat. “Since I was 14, I worked more than 13 hours a day as a kitchen runner for a butcher. My life hasn’t changed now. I still keep going to work from the morning until midnight,” Nusret told NBC in a 2017 interview.
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'Sexiest Butcher'
Many people, including celebrities, took note of his Instagram post “Ottoman Steak” in which he was stripping and slicing steak and then fascinatingly salting it with a hand that looks like a hissing "cobra". Before catching Leonardo DiCaprio's attention, in 2017 he instantly shot to "Salt Bae" fame when Bruno Mars tweeted the 36-second long video titled “Ottoman Steak”. It instantly went viral and gained 2.4 million views overnight. It has now been viewed over 17 million times, as per the Sun. His memes and Gif's began flooding the internet, earning him the moniker 'Salt Bae'.
"All of my feelings are coming from inside of the meat, down to when I put the salt onto the meat,” he once explained to a news station during his early days of internet fame. At the time 'Salt Bae' told the outlet "I’m the happiest man in the world. "So far, we’ve been the conversation." It also earned him the label of "Sexiest butcher" as well.
It all started when in 2010, at the age of 27, he saved up and finally opened up his first restaurant in Istanbul with just 8 tables and 10 employees, and traveled to meat-exporting countries, “I was always wishing and wishing to open up a restaurant,” he said once. Later he traveled to Argentina to see the meat industry and he wished to visit the USA but he was denied a visa five times. But he didn't lose hope and kept applying until 2009 when he received a three-month visa to the US. Now the chef has opened over 22 restaurants across the US, UK, Greece, and Dubai.
After spending two years around the globe with celebrities including Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, DJ Khaled, and Naomi Campbell flocking his outlets, he reportedly announced to move back to Turkey where he acquired a $4,34,28,420 million famed Macka Palace in the Sisli district of Istanbul in 2019. The palace was once owned by 20th-century playwright Abdülhak Hâmid Tarhan, popularly known in Turkey as the Grand Poet. He is also known to have houses in the United States, where he is frequently seen beside a private pool in Beverly Hills and riding horses on what seems to be a ranch. His estimated fortune as per Daily Mail is $4,82,56,000
On December 18, Salt Bae was spotted on the field at Argentina's post-World Cup celebrations at the Lusail Stadium. Many onlookers criticized his appearance, believing he was interfering with the players' celebrations and 'breaking rules' by touching or kissing the World cup trophy triggering a review from FIFA as many asked how he was even allowed on the pitch. "Following a review, Fifa has been establishing how people got excessive access to the pitch following the closing ceremony at Lusail stadium on 18 December," the governing body said in a statement. "Internal action will be taken as needed," as reported by BBC.
Notably, star footballer Messi also seemed to brush him aside when they were spotted together during the world cup celebrations. However, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and David Beckham are just a few of the current and former football players that have dined at Salt Bae's establishments. He uploaded a video of himself in November, during the World Cup, hugging Fifa President Gianni Infantino. They were then seen together in the VIP section of a game with Brazilian icons Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, and Cafu as per the report. Nusrat also posted a video of Lionel Messi, hugging and exchanging an overwhelming movement after the controversy began to erupt. His action has been largely denounced with people shredding him on the internet for his undue interference in the post-World Cup celebrations.