Turkish chefs Salt Bae and Czn Burak among those pledging support for earthquake relief

Dinner for a cause, mobile kitchens and profit sharing: several chefs and restaurants in the UAE are pledging support for victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Here are some of the projects to know about.

Celebrity chefs in action

Turkish chefs Nusret “Salt Bae” Gokce and Burak “Czn Burak” Ozdemir, both of whom have restaurants in the UAE, have been vocal about their support for their country.

Gokce has deployed mobile kitchens in various parts of Turkey to provide people with hot food.

“It will be the most important and meaningful service in the world for us,” he said on Instagram on Sunday, showing a video of the mobile kitchen departing from a warehouse.

The chef said the aim is to serve 5,000 people daily through the mobile kitchen.

Meanwhile, Ozdemir said his team have transported supplies to various regions in Turkey, including Hatay, one of the most severely hit areas of the earthquake.

“We are doing our best in a co-ordinated manner with my friends. Thanks to everyone who contributed according to the need,” the chef said on Instagram on Sunday.

Ozdemir also took to social media to express his grief over the tragedy on the day the earthquake hit. “I can't describe my sadness. I can't explain how sad I am for this disaster. May God have mercy on those who lost their lives,” he said. “We will try to do whatever we can.”

Stronger Together for Syria & Turkey

Dubai diners can also sign up for a meal on February 19 with all proceeds being donated to the Emirates Red Crescent.

Led by the Rikas Hospitality Group, the Stronger Together for Syria & Turkey initiative will take the form of three meals being served by 10 chefs. The dinners will take place at French restaurant and bar La Cantine du Faubourg, Japanese restaurant Gohan, and Ninive, a rooftop venue that serves Middle Eastern cuisine.

The participating chefs are: Gilles Bosquet of Rikas, Yunus Emre Aydin of Marea, Sara Aqel of Dara by Sara Aqel and Gregoire Berger of Ossiano, who will all come together for the meal being served at La Cantine.

Over at Gohan, Reif Othman of Reif Japanese Kushiyaki, Hadrien Villedieu of Rikas and Soleman Haddad of Moonrise will create an Asian-inspired menu. Salam Dakkak of Bait Maryam and Mohamed Orfali of Orfali Bros Bistro will be at Ninive, together with the restaurant's in-house chef Ahmad Ali.

All three venues are at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, and each dinner costs Dh750 per person, and starts at 8pm.

Food delivery platforms Deliveroo and Talabat are also taking part in Emirates Red Crescent's efforts to raise funds. Customers ordering through the platforms will have an easy option to donate money to ERC.

Elsewhere, Turkish restaurant ZouZou has said it is donating 10 per cent of its February profits to affected communities. “We express our deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in this earthquake. We wish for the full recovery of all injured citizens,” the restaurant posted on Instagram.