Ulfet was born in Istanbul, Turkey where she started to learn and develop her cooking skills specializing in Mediterranean cuisine. Ulfet has BA in Public Relations, “it is very important to communicate and socialize with your clients and business associates to promote a successful career” says Ulfet. She has her Certification in Baking and Pastry from The Art Institute of Atlanta. After her relocation to Charleston, new Food and Wine destination, she enrolled at Culinary Institute of Charleston to study under many talented chefs to sharpen her skills. Ulfet likes to take advantage of using hydrocolloids to create interesting deconstructed dishes and to experiment in finding new ways to plate usual ingredients in unusual format. She was fortunate enough to study under David Arnold and Nils Noren at French Culinary Institute of NY to apply hydrocolloids to her daily life.

Ulfet won a silver medal at ACF junior competition. She is the team captain of the ACF Junior Team at CIC and president of BCA (www.bcaglobal.org), a national non-profit organization who promotes diversity in the kitchen. Ulfet has had the privilege to work with a James Beard award winner, Chef Sean Brock. She has also worked with Top Chef Richard Blais, Top Chef Eli Kirschner, Food Network star Tyler Florence and currently working under Chef Robert Carter at Peninsula Grill to master her cooking skills.

Ulfet owns a personal chef and entertainment cooking services business, UR The Cook (www.urthecok.com, http://web.me.com/chefulfie/Site/Hot_Chefs/Entries/2010/2/28_Who_we_are.html, www.facebook.com/pages/UR-The-Cook). UR The Cook’s goal is to bring good food to Charleston’s families home, educate them about healthy eating habits while promoting local farmers, organic produce, sustainable sea food for greener tomorrow. Her favorite quote from Eric Ripert is “ Chef only is a title, I am a cook, that’s what I do, I cook”.