Ahmet Dede is the chef and owner of Dede, a one Michelin star restaurant in Baltimore, Ireland.
The chef's eponymous establishment is located in Customs House, a mere walk from the previous restaurant where he held a star, Mews. Dede is the culmination of years of experience alongside the world's most revered chefs as well as his strong foundation in Turkish cuisine.
Biography
Born and raised in Turkey, Ahmet moved to Ireland with his then wife 10 years ago.
Having worked at his uncle's restaurant in Turkey before he left, Ahmed enrolled on an eight-week course with the local tourism authority and got a job in a pizza restaurant while he waited for it to start.
While he was there, Irish chef JJ Healey spotted his talent and recommended he pursue it further, and so the chef began a culinary arts course at the Dublin Institute of Technology, all the while working at Michelin-starred Chapter One for chef Ross Lewis.
Two years later, the chef moved on to work attwo Michelin star Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, then worked with Mickael Viljanen at two-star restaurant The Greenhouse in Dublin for two years before heading to The Netherlands to work at two Michelin-starred &Moshik.
He then spent a brief period working under Jordan Bailey at Maeemo in Norway before returning to Ireland for his first head chef position at Mews.
Within a year, Ahmet and his team had earned a Michelin star for the Baltimore restaurant. Sadly, in January 2020, the owners decided to close the restaurant, and the chef was left to his own devices.
Thankfully, one of his stagiaire's at Mews, Maria Archer, had just bought a new site with her partner in view of opening a café and deli. They offered to house his restaurant in exchange for formal training.
Undeterred by the pandemic, the team opened the restaurant in July 2020, and, evidently on the guide's radar, received a Michelin star in the 2021 Guide.
Success continued in 2023 when Ahmet Dede's restaurant went on to win a second Michelin star, one of three restaurants including Brett Graham's The Ledbury and Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal
Dede
Drawing on his high-end classical training, the food at Dede is a mariage of the chef's roots to that of his Irish home, where West Cork ingredients meet wood-fire oven, barbecue cooking and Turkish herbs and spices. All at the Michelin-star level the chef is used to working at.
And of course, Ahmet makes good use of his network of local suppliers from his time at Mews.
Michelin classes the following three dishes as stand-out: West Cork blue lobster kebab with isot pepper bisque; Wild Irish venison, buckwheat and orange; Hazelnut baklava.
The interiors are described by Michelin as "calm and contemporary," with fresh flowers and candles giving the space a bright and light feeling. Additionally, the restaurant has an outdoor area which is covered and kitted out with heaters, as well as an outdoor kitchen, barbecue and wood-fired oven.
