Sezener opened Od Urla in 2018, stepping out of İstanbul’s charming culinary scene and attracting people to the region to try his dishes when Urla’s popularity was very low. In 2021, he strengthened his influence on the Aegean shores by opening Kitchen in Bodrum. This experience makes him one of the rarest chefs who gained the MICHELIN star with his two distinct establishments, as well as a Green Star, which is awarded to fewer than 500 restaurants worldwide. But it is perhaps Ristorante Pizzeria Venedik, a family-run business in İzmir, that is responsible for his extraordinary success.
Ristorante Pizzeria Venedik, founded by Ahmet Günter Sezener, father of Osman Sezener, is known by all locals, gaining a place in the city’s memory with its over 40 years past. Since İzmir still has a Levantine community of Italian origin, it is no surprise that a restaurant serving authentic Italian food like crispy pizzas and delicious ravioli would be very popular. Still, attracting people who already know these dishes from their homes can be challenging. Precisely because it has been able to achieve this, Venedik has stood the test of time for so many years. Furthermore, the restaurant creates a fusion of two cultures with some unique dishes such as “al dente mantı” stuffed with shrimp, which is no longer on the menu and replaced by “ravioli stuffed with shrimp” now, and the alla turca pizza, which is still served today. Osman Sezener is a chef who grew up in his deep-rooted family restaurant. He was raised “from within” and immersed in culinary arts and the “Turkish tradition of craftsmanship” from a young age. With a business background in Bilkent University Tourism and Hotel Management and culinary arts training in New York French Culinary, he combined traditional learning methods with modern education.
After spending a lot of time and effort learning across diverse cuisines and gaining experience, Sezener’s Od Urla is a story of a “return to the roots.” Growing up in İzmir and being familiar with the region and local ingredients, Sezener knows first-hand that a good meal starts with good ingredients. That’s why he established Od Urla on extensive land, with its vineyard garden, farm, separate kitchens, and cellar, collaborating with gardening and plant experts from day one. With a zero-waste, low carbon footprint philosophy, Sezener uses animals he has bred himself, olive oil he has pressed himself, fruit and vegetables he has grown himself, and supplies what he does not produce only from the nearby region. He continues to invest in the agricultural side of the business to produce more varieties of the ingredients used in his restaurants. He always prefers to source seasonal ingredients and updates the menu each season. Thus, he shows us how to earn a Green Star by creating a self-sustaining restaurant ecosystem.
Sezener’s focus on ingredients may seem “natural” in a way : A skilled chef, of course, cares about using good ingredients and often prefers to select them personally. However, it’s only in recent years that great chefs have begun taking control of ingredient production by dedicating the necessary time and effort to ensure the quality of their materials. The truth is that food production is torn from “nature” when culinary practices become more industrialized. The rise of the farm-to-table movement isn’t accidental : At a time when the quality of ingredients is gradually declining, agricultural products are being ‘standardized’ in the worst sense of the word, and renowned chefs are stepping away from the kitchen, this trend is almost a celebration of the “old school,” the “traditional.”
Chefs like Sezener who are committed to this approach see it not just as a “way of running a restaurant” but as a way of changing their lives and raising consumer awareness by spotlighting the issue and transforming the ambiance and character of restaurants, which perhaps is the one thing we are least aware of. Once upon a time, “good food” was only served in exquisite, glamorous places where you might even feel uncomfortable entering. Now, excellent food can be served in very different environments. Od Urla, for example, welcomes you with a stroll through olive trees, aromatic herbs, tomatoes, and pepper plants. The restaurant, which is open during the day as well as in the evening and welcomes children until 6:00 pm, has a very modest ambiance because the “ornament” of the place is the nature that surrounds it outside and a large, magnificent stone oven inside. You also have the option to sit at the bar in this open kitchen area and watch the food being prepared and experience Sezener’s tasting menu named “Chef’s Journey.” Local ingredients such as Urla’s blue tail shrimp, mastic artichokes, and Ödemiş potatoes are featured on the varied Od Urla menu. And don’t miss the lavash with beef tail, slow-cooked over a 12-hour wood fire. If you are a vegetarian/vegan, this is one of the last places to worry. Od Urla’s menu offers too many choices, reflecting the rich variety of Aegean herbs and vegetables.
A standout feature of Od Urla is its vast wine cellar. The extensive wine list includes selections from countries such as France, Italy, Argentina, and Australia. It also represents a wide variety of local wine producers in Urla Vineyard Route. You can either have a wine pairing or choose from a more extensive than usual selection of wines by the glass. Additionally, the cocktail menu is also not to be missed while immersed in the wine list, as the cocktails, made with aromatic herbs freshly harvested from the garden and the exquisite citrus fruits of the Aegean Sea, offer an experience beyond expectation.
Osman Sezener’s experience at Od Urla and his attitude toward culinary choices resonates in his other restaurant, Kitchen in Bodrum. Located within The Bodrum Edition Hotel with a magnificent bay view in Yalıkavak, Kitchen mirrors Od Urla’s elegance and simplicity. In this regard, the restaurant and the hotel are in harmony. What The Bodrum Edition esentially aims to do is to offer exceptional service in a minimalistic ambiance that emphasizes serenity and simplicity. Everything is in harmony with the Aegean spirit and nature, from the choice of materials to the paint colors in the rooms and villas. The hotel offers a real "quiet luxury" with an approach that reveals and even enhances the bay's beauty. Likewise, Chef Sezener’s approach here is to emphasize the view, which is the “natural ornament” of the place, and the ingredients in his simple dishes. The chef finds and uses precious local ingredients, so it is not surprising to see North Aegean octopus, Bodrum sea bream, or Bargilya shrimp on the menu. Kitchen provides an array of choices for vegetarians and vegans, including the classic caramelized pear and goat’s cheese ravioli, along with various dishes featuring local mushrooms and artichokes. The menus are available in three versions for omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans. And, of course, an extensive wine and cocktail list accompanies each meal.
For an enchanting experience with local ingredients, natural flavors, and exceptional culinary skills, try the dishes of Osman Sezener, who made his name at a young age in İzmir and Bodrum, two famous gastronomic spots on the Aegean shores. Who knows, perhaps from now on, Sezener will be one of those chefs you follow closely.
Hero Image : Chef Osman Sezener
