Today we’d like to introduce you to Mert Seran.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Mert. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am from Istanbul, Turkey. After I’ve studied American culture and literature at University, I have decided to study culinary arts and I moved to Cape Town, South Africa, to study at Silwood Kitchens, Cordon Bleu. After three years of studying and working with great chefs in Cape Town, I graduated with a Grande Diploma. Later, my work and travel life started with London/UK, Almaty/Kazakhstan, Dubai/UAE, Nevis/Caribbean, Istanbul/Turkey, Miami, Boston and now in Frisco/TX.
After staying two years in Nevis, I moved to Istanbul and became Corporate Executive Chef for Group 29, which was the high-end restaurant group. I became a partner the second year and we had opened six fine dining restaurants before we sold it to the d.ream hospitality group in 2013. Since then, I am working as a Corporate Executive Chef for d.ream, which is a global name in the hospitality business by owning 200 fine dining restaurants and hotels around the world. When the company decided to expand in the USA, I have moved to Frisco to open new locations.
In this long journey, we received numerous awards, such as Michelin guide, best chef of Turkey, five-diamond awards in all locations, best restaurant, best design, best bar, the best club from local and international magazines, companies.
Has it been a smooth road?
It was a fun road for sure, but it was not very smooth at all. Whoever is in the hospitality business knows that you have to sacrifice a lot to achieve your goals and those goals constantly change. Long hours, stress, demanding schedules, heat, cuts, lack of balance in family and work life, keeping up with trends, always searching for better, egos in the kitchen and dining room. Keeping up with those can be difficult sometimes. And after writing this, Corona-19 hit hard, and all the restaurants are closed! This will be the hardest struggle for all of us.
Tell us about your company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
I work as a Corporate Chef in a global restaurant company called d.ream. The company has close to 45 different concepts with close to 200 fine dining restaurants around the world. I create different cuisine concepts, design kitchens and operate. In Frisco, I am running a fine-dining Italian restaurant, which serves real traditional recipes. I have known for making everything scratch, from bread to pasta, canned tuna to gelato and sorbets. I like keeping things simple and let the product show itself and I cook old recipes with a twist and serve in an elevated ambiance. I am proud of what we have achieved in a couple of years. We recognized in EATER Dallas, as the best new Italian Restaurant in Dallas two times in a row, the best Italian restaurant by Open Table.
What sets us apart is, we cook traditional Italian dishes. I use only the best available product during the seasons. We use Italian DOP mozzarella and Burrata, DOP San Marzano tomatoes. We preserve our tuna for salads, we make real Neapolitan pizza in the wood-fired oven, use Italian pizza and pasta flour, cured meats made in Italy and only the finest quality. I am proud of all of these.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Research and development. I buy all sorts of cookbooks, read and do my research on different cuisines, cooking techniques and chefs. I travel and eat, try different cuisines from street food to high-end restaurants in those cultures. I follow and read different chefs, restaurant profiles and see, try to understand what they do, and how they do. I am always open to new ideas and always trying new things with no shortcuts. I think all those things helped my success along the way.
Pricing:
- Wood fired Neapolitan pizza with Italian sausage, Calabrese Chilies, Mozzarella from Campania $16
- House made Cappellacci pasta with butternut squash and sage brown butter $17
- Buffala Ricotta Gnocchi with five meat rags $21
- Affettati Misti, cured meats with gnocco fritto $24
- Focaccia di Recco $13
- Veal Milanese 14oz $49
- Desserts & Gelato-Sorbetti $12
Contact Info:
- Address: Da Mario at the Star
6655 Winning Dr
Frisco, TX 75034 - Website: https://www.damariorestaurant.com/#menu
- Phone: 9723243055
- Email: damario@damariorestaurant.us
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mertseran/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/da-mario-frisco-2
- Other: https://www.google.com/?client=safari&channel=iphone_bm
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