- Salt Bae has always thrilled his fans with sumptuous barbecue
- He made a name for himself on social media over his dramatic salt-sprinkling technique
- He is now on the firing line over the World Cup Trophy
He has always thrilled his fans with sumptuous barbecue, but this time around, football fans are angry with Dubai-based Turkish celebrity chef Salt Bae for disrespecting the World Cup trophy.
Born Nusret Gökçe in Turkey, Salt Bae made a name for himself on social media over his dramatic salt-sprinkling technique. However, World Cup finals on Sunday between Argentina and France put him in the firing line with football fans worldwide.
Pictures of Salt Bae, posing with the World Cup trophy earlier this week went viral. The restaurateur from Dubai shared a number of pictures and videos on social media of himself on the field during the Argentina post-game celebrations.
In some, he was seen ogling the prized trophy, while in others, in a throwback to his signature tactic, he was seen appearing to sprinkle salt on the prize. He even bit their medals in a few of his pictures with the players.
Salt Bae with World Cup trophy. Photo by Khaleej Times
Football supporters were enraged by this and took to social media to express their outrage. They castigated him, saying that he was breaking a FIFA norm. Besides, Salt Bae could frequently be seen requesting players like Messi to pose with him for a photo in viral videos, which infuriated viewers just as much.
FIFA states about the World Cup trophy: “Its current design dates back to 1974. As one of the most recognised sports symbols in the world and a priceless icon, the original FIFA World Cup Trophy can only be touched and held by a very select group of people, which includes former winners of the FIFA World Cup and heads of state.”
However, he seems unbothered by all of this. The social media sensation recently shared a throwback video of Messi visiting his Dubai restaurant in 2018, seemingly in retaliation to his critics.
He owns Nusr-Et, a chain of steak houses with eateries in Dubai, the United States, Greece, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. The Dubai location of Nusr-Et is at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel in the Business Bay neighbourhood.
The restaurant serves a variety of meats, including steaks, lamb, chicken, and fish, as well as sides and desserts. It has received mixed reviews from diners, with some praising the food and service and others finding it overpriced and underwhelming.
Salt Bae salt sprinkling. Photo by Eater
Salt Bae’s gained online due to his famed seasoning and cooking of meat in 2017. He amassed a huge following and eventually opened the upscale steakhouse brand Nusr-Et. His name and the Turkish word for meat, “Et,” were combined to create the name of his chain of restaurants.
Faik, his father, worked as a miner. He had to drop out of school in the sixth grade aged 11 because of the family’s financial situation to work as an apprentice butcher in Istanbul’s Kadköy neighbourhood.
Between 2007 and 2010, he travelled to a number of nations, including Argentina and the United States, where he gained expertise as a cook and a restaurateur by doing free labour at local restaurants.
In 2010 after returning to Turkey, Gökçe built his first restaurant. In 2014, he opened a second restaurant in Dubai.
Through a number of popular Internet videos and memes that feature him “suavely” carving meat and sprinkling salt, he gained additional popularity in January 2017 and adopted the moniker “Salt Bae.”
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