Nusret Gökçe, nicknamed Salt Bae, is a Turkish butcher, chef, food entertainer and restaurateur, best known for his technique for preparing and seasoning meat which became an internet meme in January 2017.
He runs Nusr-Et, which is a chain of luxury steak houses that has branches in Turkey, Greece, the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia as of 2021. The name of his restaurant chain comes from his name and the Turkish word "Et”, which means “meat.”
How did Salt Bae become famous?
Gökçe worked in local restaurants for free in several countries including Argentina and the United States, between 2007 and 2010. He opened a restaurant in Istanbul in 2010 and another in the United Arab Emirates in the same year. A series of viral Internet videos and memes that showed Salt Bae cutting meat and sprinkling salt, such as 'Ottoman Steak', made him more widely known in January 2017.”
He was called Salt Bae because of his strange way of sprinkling salt: dropping it from his fingertips to his forearm and then onto the dish, which was seen 10 million times. Since this post, Gökçe's profile has greatly expanded, and he has served many celebrities and politicians from around the world.
Gökçe has also been subjected to criticism, which has only served to increase his popularity. He was criticized in December 2017 for a photo he took in 2016 that mimicked a photo of former President Fidel Castro of Cuba. Týnuš Třešničková, a Czech internet personality, suffered 35% total body surface area burns in a failed fire show in September 2018. Several other guests also faced less serious body burns.
During the same month, Gökçe was criticized by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and the Miami city council after President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela had a meal at his restaurant in Istanbul. In November 2019, four former employees accused Gökçe of taking a share of their tips. When they attempted to ask questions about the tips, they alleged that they were laid off from his New York restaurant.
Gökçe reached a settlement with his former employees and paid them $230,000, after a trial was set to take place to investigate the issue. The reason for his dismissal was that he was not satisfied with the performance of the four employees. Since they were laid off, they acted like they were going to do something about it and made these tip claims.
Public health officials ordered his restaurant to close several days after it opened in late September 2020 due to violations of COVID-19 safety standards. It reopened in early October 2020. Gökçe was under scrutiny from the British media over a £37,000 bill for a meal at one of his UK restaurants in October 2021.
Gökçe was the focus of online criticism after he joined the Argentine players on the field after the World Cup final and handed the trophy to the winner in December 2022. Therefore, FIFA initiated an investigation into Gökçe's actions during the final.
What is Salt Bae's net worth?
Salt Bae has a net worth of $50 million to $70 million according to different sources.
FAQs
Q. What restaurant chain does Salt Bae own?
A. Salt Bae runs Nusr-Et, which is a chain of luxury steak houses.
Q. Where is Salt Bae from?
A. Salt Bae was born and raised in Turkey.
Q. Who is Salt Bae's wife?
A. Salt Bae is currently unmarried according to numerous sources
Q. How much is Salt Bae’s net worth?
A. Salt Bae has a net worth of between $50 million to $70 million.
