Recipient of the 2024 Michelin Young Chef Award, Ulaş Durmaz brought his contemporary take on Turkish cuisine to Faralya in June — and let the garden, the coop and the coastline rewrite his menu the moment he arrived. Transcreated from his words on film.
His evening in June was part of a weekend Perdue shared with Mercedes-Benz Türkiye and Travel+Leisure — but what stayed with him was simpler than any programme.
“What makes Perdue different is this: I had never cooked so close to nature. Nature is the greatest source of inspiration there is — for anything at all.”
“The moment you walk in, this incredible scent of nature meets you. There are flowers everywhere.”
“Right away I saw the chicken coop. Then the vegetables, the fruit — and flowers I could use to dress the plates. I used every one of them.”
“I’m close to this part of the world — I’m from Ayvalık. These are ingredients I grew up with, a landscape I know well.”
“But the view here is a legend of its own. That is something else entirely.” Memories of the Aegean, its produce and its tables, ran through every course he served.
“I had designed a menu in advance, and once I got here I changed parts of it. I have always loved being shaped by the place I’m in — creativity comes through more when you let a place shape you.”
“We cooked a beautiful fish course, and we used plenty of what grows here.”
“What I want people to feel is something from every sense — and for the evening to leave a trace.”
“For me, food is bound up with every emotion I have, and I put that straight onto the plate. So cooking here, as someone who draws so much from beauty, is something else altogether.”
“I want every sense to take something from the table — and to leave a trace.”Ulaş Durmaz · Under the Stars at Perdue