Ebru Baybara Demir

Ebru Baybara Demir is committed to finding innovative solutions to societal challenges. She founded Cercis Murat Konağı in Mardin, Turkey, in 2000 as a way to celebrate and elevate traditional Mardin cuisine. This restaurant, which has become a cornerstone of the tourism industry in Mardin, is unique in is commitment to empowering women in an industry that has traditionally favored men.

A leader of the From Soil to Plate Cooperative, Chef Ebru has been a champion for heritage ingredients and has helped to create an e-commerce platform to local farmers. She also implemented a biodegradable waste management project nationwide. Following the devasting earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria earthquake on February 6, 2023, she established Gönül Mutfağı, a soup kitchen that provided over 20 million hot meals to victims with the help of 4,000 volunteers, private organizations, and public institutions.

Chef Ebru’s extensive list of over 20 awards includes "Aenne Burda Creative Leadership Award" (2023), World Book Best of the Year Award "Culture of Gastronomy Endeavour Award" (2022), "Business Woman Making a Difference" award of the year by Bursa Is Kadinlari (2022).

On February 10, 2025, Chef Ebru delivered a lecture, "Food is a Tool for Change": A Chef's Commitment to Transforming Communities and Cultivating Sustainability in Turkey, at MacMillan's Luce Hall, which was immediately followed by a reception at the Schwarzman Center's The Well.