You may be familiar with Salt Bae due to the countless memes created with his face featured on it. But, do you know where he is from, his age, and his net worth? If not, then you might be interested to know that he is more than just a meme. He actually has a high net worth and an even more interesting life. Let’s get to know him more!
Who Is Salt Bae?
The real name of Salt Bae, a Turkish chef and butcher, is Nusret Gökçe. He is a famous restaurateur who owns a steak house chain, Nusr-Et. The first restaurant launched in 2010 and today, is located in six international places across the US, Turkey, Dubai, Qatar, and Greece. Salt Bae has become an internet sensation due to the way he prepares and seasons meat.
Personal Life
Nusret Gökçe is 37 years old this year. He came to this world in January 1983 in Erzurum, Turkey and was of Kurdish origin. He is 1.68 m tall and weighs 65 kg. He had four siblings and grew up in the town of Darica. His father works in the mines. Unfortunately, the family’s financial problems caused him to stop school in his 6th grade. After that, he had to work as an apprentice of a butcher in Kadiköy District in Istanbul.
Working at an early age enhanced his talents that allowed him to travel to different parts of the world, such as New York and Argentina. Although he is not married yet, he is rumored to be dating Candy Denat, a beautiful model from Dubai.
Not everyone knows this, but Salt Bae is a philanthropist and is involved in many charities. This includes constructing a school in Eruzum, his hometown.
Salt Bae began sharing videos on the internet, many of which became viral and had countless shares on social media platforms. He shows his highly-skilled method of cutting meat and his unique way of putting salt on his steaks. “Ottoman Steak,” one of his viral videos, became so famous, which was posted on his restaurant’s Twitter. It was released on January 7, 2017, and had more than 10 million views.
How Did He Earn His Name?
Norset earned the name “Salt Bae” after he became an internet meme by sprinkling salt to a steak. After the meme went viral and had countless shares, he was then referred to Salt Bae. In addition, his remarkable knife skills have earned him a famous attraction in many restaurants, particularly in Dubai. His unique pose of salt sprinkling is what attracts customers to visit and eat at his steak restaurant.
Career
As already mentioned, Gökce had been to various countries, including the US and Argentina. This was between 2007 and 2010, when he worked in several local restaurants. Because of his dedication, he did it all for free. His aim was to get enough experience and become an excellent chef and restaurateur. When he returned to Turkey, he launched his first restaurant in 2010, which was located in Istanbul. A branch was then built in Dubai just four years after.
Things were not always smooth-sailing for Salt Bae. He received many criticisms in 2017 for a photo he took in 2016 in front of Fidel Castro’s image. He even received more negative comments after Nicolas Maduro, the president of Valenzuela, came to his restaurant in Istanbul. The negative feedbacks were rooted in observed insensitivity to the shortages and problems in Valenzuela.
Today, Salt Bae has various branches of his restaurant chain in Istanbul, Marmaris, Ankara, Bodrum, Doha, Abu Dhabi, and the United Arab Emirates. He just recently added new branches in New York, Miami, Mykonos, and Jeddah.
On a separate note, the food served at Nusr-Et is known to be overpriced and is named as “Public Rip-off No.1” in New York by Steve Cuozzo. Nevertheless, the internet sensation continues to attract customers to all of his restaurants. He also received many positive comments from the public.
Net Worth of Salt Bae in 2020
It is believed that the net worth of Salt Bae as of March 2020 is $60 million. He made a fortune from the restaurants he had built over the course of 10 years. His restaurant, Nusr-Et, has branches in many essential locations across the globe. Because of his viral meme, his restaurants even got more famous, attracting more guests and earnings.
Salt Bae is surely one of those celebrities that will stay with us for a long time. Although his meme is no longer shared as much as it was before, he is well-known across the globe. Because of his resilience and of course, his viral meme, Salt Bae has earned $60 million. He continues to operate his many restaurants and will most likely continue to have more customers. It is then safe to say that Salt Bae’s net worth will even grow in the future.