When a chef sprinkles salt on his food, it doesn’t usually go viral. But Dubai-based chef Nusret Gökçe did it with such flair that the Internet fell in love and dubbed him “Salt Bae.” The video has gotten over 5.7 million views from people all over the world.
The dark shades, the ponytail, and his general sassiness make it clear why people love him – and his food looks delicious. The Turkish chef created Nusr-Et in the Jumeirah Four Seasons Hotel, and his restaurant also has branches in Turkey. He started butchering meat at the age of 16, according to FooDiva, a Dubai-based blog. No wonder he’s so good at it!
His look and attitude definitely make him fun to watch, but people didn’t want to just watch Salt Bae in action, they wanted to be like him. Hundreds of people from all corners of the planet took their turn doing the Salt Bae sprinkle.
vegetarian #saltbae pic.twitter.com/sbYoY0M2Sw
— Kari Sonde (@kari_sonde) January 9, 2017
These trends come and go, but he’s had more than his share of Internet fame. The meme took on proportions of its own, with Salt Bae finding himself in some odd places, like a professional hockey match.
when you add a little flair to your stop ✨ #saltbae pic.twitter.com/evdoshyEyO
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) January 12, 2017
For job hunters, you might find him somewhere more useful – giving you a helpful sprinkle on your resume.
When you add 'proficient in Microsoft Word' to your resume pic.twitter.com/Nwiz9ADp5P
— #SaltBae Memes (@SaltBaeMemes) January 12, 2017
Even Bruno Mars had something to say about the self-proclaimed king of meat.
Annndddd I'm out pic.twitter.com/jFS8aFaqN4
— Bruno Mars (@BrunoMars) January 8, 2017
The chiseled chef doesn’t seem to mind all of the attention – he thanked his fans for their support on social media and even posted a photo of a Salt Bae mural on Instagram and Twitter.
Salt Bae knows what he’s doing. As he says on Instagram, it’s meat first, then you get respect, and then you get power. In this day and age, having people want to dress up as you for Halloween is power. Something tells us this won’t be the last we see of him.
