Refika Birgül

Who Is Refika Birgül?
Refika Birgül was born on May 19, 1980 in İstanbul. She graduated from Robert College and then studied Psychology at Koç University. She received leadership training at the London Business School. After graduating, she worked in production for the IF Istanbul Independent Film Festival and the Istanbul Arts and Culture Foundation. She then became a high-level executive and general manager for Özel Doğan Hospital for six years before finally listening to her heart and founding Refika’s Kitchen.
Refika is renowned for her unique practical and contemporary take on Turkish cuisine that advocates for seasonality, local ingredients and respect for traditional techniques. She describes part of her vision as witnessing the joy of a time when it will become totally ordinary for a French cook to make lahmacun for dinner at home.
In February 2017, she founded the Turkish-language Youtube channel “Refika’nin Yemek Okulu” (Refika’s Culinary School) which now has more than 2.4 million followers. The channel’s goal is to make culinary knowledge easy and accessible to everyone for free.
In 2020 she launched the English-language global version, “Refika’s Kitchen”, on YouTube.
In addition to her Youtube presence, as a food writer, Refika Birgul has published five cooking books and produced three TV shows over the past decade.
In 2013, she became a founding partner in the “Refika’dan” cookware brand, designed to showcase the original designs and work of craftspeople devoted to preserving their art as well as her own designs.
She is also a founding partner in “Borek Productions”, the company behind her Turkish and English-language Youtube channels as well as the TV show Refika’yla Öze Dönüş (Back to Essentials with Refika) and food-focused video and photography productions for various brands.