Famous chef Maksut Aşkar, who has gained worldwide recognition and has a successful working life, was born in Hatay İskenderun in 1976. Maksut completed his high school and university education in tourism and hotel management and received training in kitchen and service management. Chef Maksut Aşkar, who offers various flavors of Turkish cuisine with his unique touches, has worked as a flavor consultant and design activities for many important brands. After his graduation, Aşkar started working as a manager at Nupera, and later opened his own business and assumed the management of it. Maksut Aşkar proved his creativity and skill in the kitchen at Multi (2007-2009) and then LilBitz (2009-2012) restaurants and shared his experiences in Boğaziçi University certificate programs. Today, he teaches at the Department of Tourism and Hotel Management at Özyeğin University. In addition, he has been the founding chef of his restaurant “Neolokal” in Istanbul Salt Galata since 2014.
Successful chef Maksut Aşkar was awarded “Best Chef of the Year” by Time Out Magazine in 2014 and “Le Proche” award at the 10th anniversary of Omnivore Paris in 2015. Aşkar also took part in programs such as The Art of Taste and Maksut’s Neolocal Cuisine on 24 Kitchen.
Neolokal was awarded 1 star in the Michelin Guide 2023 Istanbul list, making it one of the most prestigious restaurants in the world. Maksut Aşkar also received the Green Michelin Star award for Neolokal Restaurant, which is given to restaurants with a more sustainable gastronomy approach that are role models and inspirations for both customers and colleagues.