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{{short description|Kurdish chef}} |
{{short description|Kurdish pizza chef}} |
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{{infobox person |
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'''Hakki Akdeniz''' (born February 1, 1984) is an [[United States|American]] [[restaurateur]]. He is owner and founder of the Champion Pizza [[pizzeria]] chain in [[New York City]]. |
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'''Hakki Akdeniz''' (born 1984, February 1) is an [[United States|American]] [[restaurateur]]. He is owner and founder of the [[pizzeria]] chain Champion Pizza in [[New York City]].<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |last=Wilson |first=Michael |date=October 11, 2019 |title='I Know the Struggle': Why a Pizza Mogul Left Pies at Memorials to 4 Homeless Men |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/11/nyregion/homeless-murders-nyc-hakki-akdeniz.html |access-date=July 2, 2022}}</ref><ref name="voanews">{{cite news |last=Nelson |first=Anna |date=December 22, 2019 |title=From Homeless to Millionaire: The Story of a Kurdish Pizza |work=[[Voice of America]] |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/episode_homeless-millionaire-story-kurdish-pizza-king-4129346/6106680.html |access-date=July 2, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Schapiro |first=Rich |date=February 1, 2017 |title=NYC pizzeria owner who came to U.S. as refugee offers 100 |work=[[New York Daily News]] |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/nyc-pizzeria-owner-offers-100-jobs-immigrants-article-1.2961884 |access-date=July 2, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Yvonne Ergil |first=Leyla |date=January 9, 2020 |title=The newest food achievements by Turks abroad |work=[[Daily Sabah]] |url=https://www.dailysabah.com/expat-corner/2020/01/09/the-newest-food-achievements-by-turks-abroad |access-date=July 2, 2022}}</ref> |
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==Biography== |
==Biography== |
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[[File:Hakki_Akdeniz2.jpg|thumb|right| |
[[File:Hakki_Akdeniz2.jpg|thumb|right|Hakki Akdeniz spinning a flaming pizza]] |
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Akdeniz was born in 1984 in [[Turkey]] to a large [[Kurdish population|Kurdish]] family with sixteen other children.<ref name="Krawitz-2024" /> He worked in restaurants, learning to make [[Lahmacun|lahmajoun]] flatbreads, before moving to [[Montreal|Montreal, Canada]] in 1997 and working at his brother's pizzeria.<ref name="Roberts-2023" /> In 2001, when his [[Travel visa|tourist visa]] expired and he was threatened with [[deportation]], he moved to [[New York City|New York]] as an [[Asylum seeker|asylum-seeker]]. He planned to live with a friend, but became homeless when that arrangement fell through.<ref name="voanews">{{cite news |last=Nelson |first=Anna |date=December 22, 2019 |title=From Homeless to Millionaire: The Story of a Kurdish Pizza |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/episode_homeless-millionaire-story-kurdish-pizza-king-4129346/6106680.html |access-date=July 2, 2022 |work=[[Voice of America]] |archive-date=July 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717071844/https://www.voanews.com/a/episode_homeless-millionaire-story-kurdish-pizza-king-4129346/6106680.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Roberts-2023" /> He slept in a cheap hotel, in [[Grand Central Terminal|Grand Central Station]], and in the [[The Bowery Mission|Bowery Mission]] shelter for three months.<ref name="Krawitz-2024" /><ref name="voanews" /> He continued working in restaurants, washing dishes and then making pizzas, saving money to open his own restaurant.<ref name="Roberts-2023">{{Cite news |last=Roberts |first=Nina |date=April 28, 2023 |title=Is It T.M.I. for Entrepreneurs to Air Their Private Business? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/28/business/small-business-owners-champion-pizza-rethink-ice-cream.html |access-date=May 18, 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518032740/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/28/business/small-business-owners-champion-pizza-rethink-ice-cream.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2009 he started his first pizza shop in lower [[Manhattan]].<ref name="Roberts-2023" /><ref name="Romine-2019" /> |
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In 1997, Hakki moved to [[Montreal|Montreal, Canada]] and worked at his brother’s pizzeria. He moved to [[New York City|New York]] in 2001 and started working at a pizzeria until 2005. In 2009, he founded his first pizza shop in the lower east side of [[Manhattan]], which was later named Champion Pizza. Soon later, he was featured in a cover article in PMQ Pizza Magazine with thousands of copies in print.<ref name="nyt"/> As a pizza chef, he is known for his flashy acrobatics in tossing and twirling dough, flaming or otherwise and for building giant pizzas. Akdeniz received media attention by his charity works in support of homeless.<ref>{{cite news |last=Romine |first=Taylor |date=October 14, 2019 |title=He used to be homeless. Now, he's trying to support the New York homeless community after a crisis |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/10/11/us/pizza-guy-homeless-chinatown-trnd/index.html |access-date=July 2, 2022}}</ref> |
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For years, Akdeniz entered pizza-making competitions, and in late 2010 he won the New York Pizza Showcase, performing tricks like spinning dough while it was on fire.<ref name="Krawitz-2024" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 24, 2010 |title=Meet The Team: Hakki Akdeniz |url=https://www.pmq.com/meet-the-team-hakki-akdeniz/ |access-date=June 23, 2024 |website=PMQ Pizza |language=en-US}}</ref> He became the cover story of an issue of ''PMQ'', a pizza magazine, which he distributed locally to promote his shop.<ref name="nyt" /> Winning helped him to get an [[EB-1 visa|EB-1]] green card and according to ''[[The New York Times]]'', "he became something of a pizza celebrity, known for his flashy acrobatics in tossing and twirling dough, flaming or otherwise, and for building giant pizzas."<ref name="Roberts-2023" /><ref name="nyt">{{cite news |last=Wilson |first=Michael |date=October 11, 2019 |title='I Know the Struggle': Why a Pizza Mogul Left Pies at Memorials to 4 Homeless Men |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/11/nyregion/homeless-murders-nyc-hakki-akdeniz.html |access-date=July 2, 2022 |work=[[The New York Times]] |archive-date=August 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817232729/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/11/nyregion/homeless-murders-nyc-hakki-akdeniz.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He remained involved with homeless charities and activities, donating pizza and other services to shelters and other groups.<ref name="Krawitz-2024" /><ref name="Romine-2019">{{cite news |last=Romine |first=Taylor |date=October 14, 2019 |title=He used to be homeless. Now, he's trying to support the New York homeless community after a crisis |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/10/11/us/pizza-guy-homeless-chinatown-trnd/index.html |access-date=July 2, 2022 |archive-date=July 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702190649/https://edition.cnn.com/2019/10/11/us/pizza-guy-homeless-chinatown-trnd/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Roberts-2023" /> In 2019, he received a Beacon Award from the Ellis Island Honors Society and American Immigrant Society, and in 2022 a [[Carnegie Corporation of New York]] [[Great Immigrants Award|Great Immigrant Award]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hakki Akdeniz |url=https://www.carnegie.org/awards/honoree/hakki-akdeniz/ |access-date=June 12, 2024 |website=Carnegie Corporation of New York |archive-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228214120/https://www.carnegie.org/awards/honoree/hakki-akdeniz/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Carnegie Corporation of New York Honors 34 Distinguished Immigrants Whose Contributions to Our Democracy Inspire Us All |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220629005058/en/Carnegie-Corporation-of-New-York-Honors-34-Distinguished-Immigrants-Whose-Contributions-to-Our-Democracy-Inspire-Us-All |access-date=June 18, 2024 |website=Carnegie Corporation of New York |archive-date=June 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240618192523/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220629005058/en/Carnegie-Corporation-of-New-York-Honors-34-Distinguished-Immigrants-Whose-Contributions-to-Our-Democracy-Inspire-Us-All |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Yuruk |first=Betul |date=November 1, 2019 |title=US: Turkish pizza maker awarded for immigration success |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/life/us-turkish-pizza-maker-awarded-for-immigration-success/1362016 |access-date=July 2, 2022 |work=[[Anadolu Agency]] |archive-date=July 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702190558/https://www.aa.com.tr/en/life/us-turkish-pizza-maker-awarded-for-immigration-success/1362016 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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== Champion Pizza == |
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Akdeniz opened his first pizzeria on [[Essex Street]] in Lower Manhattan at the end of 2009.<ref name="Romine-2019" /> The business struggled until he won the 2010 New York Pizza Showcase, receiving press attention. The nickname he received became the name of the pizzeria, Champion Pizza, and he made his story a prominent part of the business's identity.<ref name="voanews" /><ref name="Roberts-2023" /> By 2024, there were 15 locations.<ref name="Krawitz-2024">{{Cite web |last=Krawitz |first=Alan |date=April 20, 2024 |title=Champion Pizza: From Zero To Success – Hakki Akdeniz' American Dream |url=https://www.longislandpress.com/2024/04/20/champion-pizza-042024/ |access-date=June 22, 2024 |website=www.longislandpress.com |language=en-US |archive-date=June 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240614080456/https://www.longislandpress.com/2024/04/20/champion-pizza-042024/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As of 2024, locations are concentrated in New York City but include stores in Texas and Florida. |
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The pizza uses a thin crust and a variety of toppings, and is sold both through the pizzerias and frozen at retailers.<ref name="Krawitz-2024" /> |
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==Awards and honors== |
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He received a total of 12 awards. In 2019, he received the Beacon Award from The American Immigrant Society. |
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In February 2022, he gave a TED talk at Rutgers University titled Homeless Not Hopeless; it has received over 1.3 million views as of August 2022. |
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<ref>{{cite news |last=Yuruk |first=Betul |date=November 1, 2019 |title=US: Turkish pizza maker awarded for immigration success |work=[[Anadolu Agency]] |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/life/us-turkish-pizza-maker-awarded-for-immigration-success/1362016 |access-date=July 2, 2022}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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[[Category:American chefs]] |
[[Category:American chefs]] |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category:1984 births]] |
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Latest revision as of 09:39, 13 July 2024
Hakki Akdeniz | |
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| Born | February 1, 1984 |
| Occupation(s) | Restaurateur, pizza chef |
Hakki Akdeniz (born February 1, 1984) is an American restaurateur. He is owner and founder of the Champion Pizza pizzeria chain in New York City.
Biography
[edit]
Akdeniz was born in 1984 in Turkey to a large Kurdish family with sixteen other children.[1] He worked in restaurants, learning to make lahmajoun flatbreads, before moving to Montreal, Canada in 1997 and working at his brother's pizzeria.[2] In 2001, when his tourist visa expired and he was threatened with deportation, he moved to New York as an asylum-seeker. He planned to live with a friend, but became homeless when that arrangement fell through.[3][2] He slept in a cheap hotel, in Grand Central Station, and in the Bowery Mission shelter for three months.[1][3] He continued working in restaurants, washing dishes and then making pizzas, saving money to open his own restaurant.[2] In 2009 he started his first pizza shop in lower Manhattan.[2][4]
For years, Akdeniz entered pizza-making competitions, and in late 2010 he won the New York Pizza Showcase, performing tricks like spinning dough while it was on fire.[1][5] He became the cover story of an issue of PMQ, a pizza magazine, which he distributed locally to promote his shop.[6] Winning helped him to get an EB-1 green card and according to The New York Times, "he became something of a pizza celebrity, known for his flashy acrobatics in tossing and twirling dough, flaming or otherwise, and for building giant pizzas."[2][6] He remained involved with homeless charities and activities, donating pizza and other services to shelters and other groups.[1][4][2] In 2019, he received a Beacon Award from the Ellis Island Honors Society and American Immigrant Society, and in 2022 a Carnegie Corporation of New York Great Immigrant Award.[7][8][9]
Champion Pizza
[edit]Akdeniz opened his first pizzeria on Essex Street in Lower Manhattan at the end of 2009.[4] The business struggled until he won the 2010 New York Pizza Showcase, receiving press attention. The nickname he received became the name of the pizzeria, Champion Pizza, and he made his story a prominent part of the business's identity.[3][2] By 2024, there were 15 locations.[1] As of 2024, locations are concentrated in New York City but include stores in Texas and Florida.
The pizza uses a thin crust and a variety of toppings, and is sold both through the pizzerias and frozen at retailers.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Krawitz, Alan (April 20, 2024). "Champion Pizza: From Zero To Success – Hakki Akdeniz' American Dream". www.longislandpress.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Roberts, Nina (April 28, 2023). "Is It T.M.I. for Entrepreneurs to Air Their Private Business?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c Nelson, Anna (December 22, 2019). "From Homeless to Millionaire: The Story of a Kurdish Pizza". Voice of America. Archived from the original on July 17, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
- ^ a b c Romine, Taylor (October 14, 2019). "He used to be homeless. Now, he's trying to support the New York homeless community after a crisis". CNN. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
- ^ "Meet The Team: Hakki Akdeniz". PMQ Pizza. March 24, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ a b Wilson, Michael (October 11, 2019). "'I Know the Struggle': Why a Pizza Mogul Left Pies at Memorials to 4 Homeless Men". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
- ^ "Hakki Akdeniz". Carnegie Corporation of New York. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ "Carnegie Corporation of New York Honors 34 Distinguished Immigrants Whose Contributions to Our Democracy Inspire Us All". Carnegie Corporation of New York. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ Yuruk, Betul (November 1, 2019). "US: Turkish pizza maker awarded for immigration success". Anadolu Agency. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.