Hakki Akdeniz
 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (November 2022) |
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Hakki Akdeniz | |
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| Born | February 1, 1984 |
| Occupation(s) | Restaurateur, pizza chef |
Hakki Akdeniz (born 1984, February 1) is an American restaurateur. He is owner and founder of the pizzeria chain Champion Pizza in New York City.[1][2][3][4]
Biography
In 1997, Hakki moved to Montreal, Canada and worked at his brother’s pizzeria. He was homeless when he moved to New York in 2001[5] and started working at a pizzeria until 2005. In December 2009, he founded his first pizza shop in lower Manhattan, which was later named Champion Pizza.[6] In 2019, the chain had seven locations.[1]
The New York Times reported that, "Along the way, 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."[1] Akdeniz received media attention by his charity works in support of homeless.[6]
Awards and honors
In 2019, he received twelve awards during the Beacon Awards ceremony, co-hosted by the Ellis Island Honor Society.[7][8] His February 2022 TED talk at Rutgers University, entitled "Homeless Not Hopeless", has received over two million views as of June 2024.[9]
References
- ^ a b c 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. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
- ^ Nelson, Anna (December 22, 2019). "From Homeless to Millionaire: The Story of a Kurdish Pizza". Voice of America. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
- ^ Schapiro, Rich (February 1, 2017). "NYC pizzeria owner who came to U.S. as refugee offers 100". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
- ^ Yvonne Ergil, Leyla (January 9, 2020). "The newest food achievements by Turks abroad". Daily Sabah. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
- ^ Roberts, Nina (2023-04-28). "Is It T.M.I. for Entrepreneurs to Air Their Private Business?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
- ^ a b 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. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
- ^ Kasmik, Nick. "Champion Pizza's Hakki Akdeniz: A Business Mogul with a Heart of Gold". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
- ^ Yuruk, Betul (November 1, 2019). "US: Turkish pizza maker awarded for immigration success". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
- ^ Akdeniz, Hakki (2022-05-31). Homeless But Not Hopeless. Retrieved 2024-05-18 – via www.ted.com.