Doğan Anapa is the Executive Chef of Mare Gastro, in the garden of Didi Otel in Sapanca. Here is what to know about where he cooks today, his approach and his signature dishes. Updated 24 October 2026.
Quick Answer: Who Is Doğan Anapa?
Doğan Anapa is the Executive Chef of Mare Gastro, located in the garden of Didi Otel in Sapanca, Turkey. He leads a seafood-focused Aegean-Mediterranean fine dining kitchen built on fresh, seasonal produce, and is known for a storytelling approach shaped by his background in cinema.
Doğan Anapa at a Glance
| Role | Executive Chef, Mare Gastro |
| Restaurant | Mare Gastro — Didi Otel garden, Sapanca/Sakarya |
| Cuisine | Aegean-Mediterranean, seafood-focused, seasonal fine dining |
| Background | Comes to cooking with a narrative eye shaped by cinema |
| Follow | @chefdogananapa · Mare Gastro on YouTube |
Which Restaurant Is Doğan Anapa Chef At Today?
Doğan Anapa runs the kitchen of Mare Gastro, in the garden of Didi Otel by Lake Sapanca. He cooks an à la carte menu that, as of October 2026, lists 13 starters, 8 warm small plates and 8 main courses. The concept was created within Didi Otel by Kadir Çiçek.
What Is Doğan Anapa's Cooking Philosophy?
His kitchen rests on three principles: fresh local produce, seasonality and simple but striking presentation. He takes inspiration from regional food traditions and turns them into fine dining plates. The Mare Special Grilled Baby Calamari, for example, is inspired by Adapazarı's ıslama köfte tradition: grilled baby calamari on bread soaked in fish stock.
What Are Doğan Anapa's Signature Dishes?
- Mare Special Meagre Fish: 200 g meagre, roasted baby potatoes, charred green pepper sauce, charred tomato, beurre blanc.
- Mare Special Grilled Baby Calamari: three grilled baby calamari, mint and mustard sauce, diced tomato.
- Seafood Wheat Risotto: jumbo shrimp and clams in garlic butter, aged Thracian kashar cheese.
- Bonito Carpaccio: garlic vinaigrette, red and spring onion, capers, parsley, dill.
- A Walk in the Forest: chocolate mousse, crispy choux pastry, house-made vanilla ice cream, strawberry.
The chef walks through his signature plate pairing sea bass with Karasu asparagus:
See the current versions on our current menu. Guests mention the chef's recommendations in their reviews too:
"We came for dinner on my wife's birthday. Being at the table looked after by our waiter Muhammed added as much to our evening as the food did. We chose the chef's interpretation dishes and have no regrets at all."
Ardata Girgin · Google review (translated from Turkish)
Doğan Anapa's Culinary Journey
Doğan Anapa's view of food is shaped by his background in cinema: he composes each plate like a scene and each menu like a story. Read the full story in Chef Doğan Anapa: From Cinema to the Kitchen.
To taste his dishes, book a table through the reservation form.
