Omur Akkor, a gourmet chef, was born in Kilis, Turkey, a town known with its rich cuisine. He researches the local and forgotten cuisines of Turkey and has visited hundreds of cities and towns within Turkey as part of his study of historical and contemporary recipes from Turkish cuisine. His book, The Cuisine of Bursa, won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award and the Best Local Cuisine Book Award in 2009. Akkor also won the Gourmand Cookbook Award for Best Culinary History Cookbook in 2012, and the Best Corporate Book in 2014. He lives in Istanbul, Turkey.