The King of Meze

Since he took over, the restaurant's business has grown sevenfold compared to when he first started. Chef Gezer is known for his mezes, and he always recommends his customers to try his signature Adana Special. On average, a party of two can enjoy a meal with a spending range of $70-100.

He describes his passion for meze as follows: "I started in my uncle's restaurant, working in the catering department. We used to prepare mezes for special events. For example, we would individually peel the chickpeas by hand. My mentors were the masters of that craft. When I started working in hotels, I focused on the cold meze section, as it felt more glamorous to me. I learned everything that came out of the kitchen, from kebabs to desserts. As you progress in your career and become a chef, you need to understand every department."

Ada is open seven days a week and the delivery and take-out options have further boosted its business during the pandemic. The restaurant employs twelve people. Two of his employees have opened a restaurant called Azure in Morristown, which was made possible through Gezer's support. Gezer aims to expand Ada to different locations with different concepts under various names. When asked if he would sell Ada, he replies, "I would never sell it. This place is my first love."

Gezer, originally from Bingöl, migrated to Osmaniye with his family in 1998. After the earthquake that occurred in Turkey on February 6, resulting in the death of more than 50 thousand people, he stayed in the region for one month. He volunteered to prepare meals for 15-20 thousand people daily at the restaurants opened in Osmaniye and Hatay. He also found containers for his relatives in need of housing.