Serdar Çakır discovered his love for cooking at a very young age, trailing behind his parents while they were at work in their restaurant. He started off his career at the Ceylan Hotel in Istanbul, but has been working as chocolate chef at the Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus Hotel for the past two years. Çakır’s open-minded approach towards chocolate and pastry is what really sets him apart from his colleagues. His main driving force to compete in the 2015 World Chocolate Masters was to measure his strength with the world’s best chocolatiers and pastry chefs, and to be discovered by renowned master chefs.

Çakır’s long-term goal is to continue building up experience until his 30^th birthday, after which he wants to open up his own pastry shop.

Where does my passion for chocolate stem from?

My chocolate passion comes from my family. We had a pastry shop and when I was still a child, I always stayed in our chocolate preparation room. They produced plenty of chocolates and I was always watching them. I graduated with a degree in Media & Communication, but I never sought work in it. I preferred to pursue my one true passion, which is chocolate, and now I’m here to compete in World Chocolate Masters.

Why do I participate in the World Chocolate Masters?

I have been following the World Chocolate Masters for as long as it exists and I’d very much like to be part of the World Chocolate Masters family. I wish to fulfil my lifelong chocolate dream and this experience is one I’ve been wishing for my entire life.

How do I prepare for the World Chocolate Masters?

Firstly, I got to know more about who my competitors are and what they are doing. Then I chose my recipes, which are carefully selected, and spent almost all my time mastering and perfecting them. I gave the World Chocolate Masters all my focus.

How do I plan on convincing the jury members?

I did my very best on each recipe. I combined the competition theme with my innovative and creative products to convince the jury members.

What do I hope to learn from this experience?

I know I need more time, but in the future I hope this experience will make me into a well-known chocolatier all over the world.