Doha, 19 August 2022

By Ashraf Siddiqui

WITH the kick-off of the mega FIFA World Cup in Qatar just 94 days away now, Mert Duran, the Executive Chef of Hotel Hyatt Regency Oryx Doha, is as excited
as any national or resident of Qatar. The excitement reaches a high especially for sectors preparing for hosting and caring for visitors and football lovers coming to Qatar to fromall across the world.

As he talked to Qatar Tribune in this exclusive interview, this writer asked the passionate and cuisine connoisseur as what it’s like to be a chef, he replied: “It’s the job that chooses and not the person that chooses the job of a chef.”

Explaining it further, Duran said the job of a chef demands not only a natural passion for cooking and creative skills in food, “it also requirestremendous patience to worklong hours without feeling any stress, and to be a team leader, focus on food safety, and above all, the goal of generating revenue for the company”.

Duran was born in a remote village in West part of Turkey in an atmosphere where his father was loved and well known among his friends for his exquisite cooking skills.

Most probably inspired from home atmosphere, the only son of the family chose the prestigious Bolu Tourism Occupation High School to obtain his education and practical experience in food.

It was during his final year of studies when he was selected and offered a job by a team at Hotel Kempinski, Istanbul. They offered him to start work after his final high school results. “I was too fortunate to have a job offer before even finishing my studies. It was a great opportunity and I had a great start from world’s prestigious chain of hotels,” he said paying gratitude to his alma mater.

After a year or so, his inner thirst of learning more about various cuisines, he accepted a job offer from a French fine dining restaurant in Istanbul as a Commis Chef. Staying on for a year, Duran once again accepted a job offer from Swiss Hotel, Istanbul this time to move back to the mainstream hotel industry.

“It is the beauty of working in the hospitality sector that helps everyone in the industry to grow up to the level one can dream to achieve,” he noted.

Duran’s journey in the hospitality sector, that saw him flown from Istanbul to Dubai and that too to Grand Hyatt Hotel which had around 14 food outlets of diversified regions and cultures from around the world with large squads of 100 chefs, was quite an experience.

“It was indeed like a university for me, so much to be inspired and learning – I stayed five long years to learn maximum and to practice and gained rich experience,” he added.

To be a part of a preopening team of any organization is an added feather in one’s personal profile and so it was for Duran. He had been lucky enough to be chosen by the group’s top management to be part of pre-opening of properties of Grand Hyatt at Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Later, after a couple of years, it was
pre-opening of Hyatt Capital Gate in Abu Dhabi, pre-opening of Grand Hyatt in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and then for the pre-opening of Hyatt Regency
Istanbul, Atakoy.

He had no idea how joining the Grand Hyatt Regency Istanbul, Atakoy in 2016 would bring forth a major change in his life. This time, it was not a normal meeting to the hotel Pastry Chef – in routine as his job. As they say marriages are made in heaven and consummated on earth, so it was with Duran and lady Pastry chef. “It is such a blessing in life that she understands the nature of my job which requires long hours of working, so the life is moving smoothly without
any major challenges,” he said smilingly.

Duran added more feathers to his profile being part of pre-opening of Hyatt Regency Oryx Doha. This time he was accompanied by his life partner. The couple and children – a son and a daughter living peacefully and happily in Qatar – and excitement going up day by day as only 96 days remain to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

In the words of Chef Mert Duran: “We, at Hotel Hyatt Regency Oryx Rotana, are well prepared to release new exciting food menus and added food concepts to meet the taste of our guests at the hotel.

There is a great news for food lovers; the hotel will be resuming sea-food night from n