About
Sinan Hamamsarılar
Influential strategist, culinary voyager, author, cook, podcaster. Stories from the road and the table.
Since 2014
The story
My professional path crossed with food in 2014, when I took on the production of Şehirli Sofralar, the food culture series created by my wife, Nilay Örnek. The show pulled me out of a career in insurance and into the kitchen. That same year I started creating food content on social media and became one of the first people in Türkiye to do it. In 2015 I founded my own food and beverage consultancy.
Today, Anaterranean is at the heart of my work. We guide restaurant and hotel projects around the world on concept, strategy, operations and communication, and we work closely with Michelin-starred restaurants and those on the World’s 50 Best list. I am also a partner in a hotel in Bodrum.
Both of my books have been honored by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, often called the Oscars of food publishing. Since 2024, Nilay and I have been making the podcast Yemekte Bile Yemek Konuşuyoruz together.
What I do
Areas of expertise
- Restaurant and hotel conceptsConcept, strategy, operations and communication, especially for new openings. Aatish in Dubai, a new menu for Epoca.
- Food products and brandsProduct development and marketing for Karaca’s branded tomato sauce; general consultancy for Nebyan Doğal, 2015–2021.
- Japanese foodMore than 500 days in Japan; Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka guides on this site, and lists used by more than 20,000 people.
- Travelling for foodAs a partner in The Hungry Tourist, more than 750 days of travel together between 2023 and 2026.
Two books, five awards
Awards
- Best Restaurant Book in the World7 Mehmet · Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2023
- Best Mediterranean Cuisine Book in the WorldEge’den Miras Sofralar · Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2024 · ceremony: Cascais, June 2025
- Best Silk Road and Spice Route Cookbook of the Past 25 Years7 Mehmet · Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2024 · Ceremony: Riyadh, November 2023
- Best Restaurant Book in the World of the Past 30 Years7 Mehmet · Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2024 · Ceremony: Riyadh, November 2023
- Best of the Best: Mediterranean Food Culture7 Mehmet · Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2025 · Saudi Feast Food Festival, Riyadh
Projects and brand ambassadorships
Brands I have worked with
- American Express
- Anadolu Efes
- Apple
- Arkas Holding
- Aygaz
- Barry Callebaut
- BBVA
- Bosch
- Business Insider
- Diageo
- İKSV
- Kütaş
- Mastercard
- Metro
- Migros
- Nebyan Doğal
- Nescafé
- Nissan
- Norge
- Opet
- Pegasus Airlines
- PepsiCo
- Pernod Ricard
- Setur
- Sony
- Starbucks
- Tat Gıda
- Toyota
- Uber
- Unilever
- Visa
- Volvo
2017–2026
The Hungry Tourist
From 2017 to 2026, David Califa and I built up a great many memories for The Hungry Tourist. As a partner in the company from 2023 to 2026, I spent more than 750 days on the road with David. Together we traveled to fourteen destinations, from Japan to Mexico and from Sri Lanka to Norway, and did a lot of great work together. My professional journey with The Hungry Tourist ended in April 2026. Today, I focus on Anaterranean and my independent projects.
Japan · South Korea · Hong Kong · Thailand · Sri Lanka · Dubai · Israel · Türkiye · Italy · Spain · Denmark · Sweden · Norway · Mexico
In the press
Press & media
- November 2025 7 Mehmet’e Akdeniz yemek kültürü ödülü Tourism Today · in Turkish
- June 2025 Türk gastronomi yayınlarına Gourmand Awards’tan ödül yağmuru Food in Life · in Turkish
- July 2024 Tasarımcı gözüyle Ege sofraları Gazete Oksijen · in Turkish
Former names
Notes
Tat Dedektifi
For years I was known as Tat Dedektifi, “the Taste Detective.” In 2025 I left the name behind, because my goals had outgrown it. From here on, it is my own name.
Burger Haritası
Burger Haritası, “the Burger Map,” is parked for now, not closed. It may come back at any time; until then, all 22 recipes live in The Burger Handbook. If you’re planning a burger restaurant, we can work on it together at Anaterranean.