About Us

Atlantica is a Private Chef agency.

It connects professional chefs with clients requesting small, medium or large events.

From family gatherings to business dinings, special occasions to themed celebrations and a romantic dinner to events showcasing local cuisine, as well as long-term chef placements for your home; Atlantica operates with the mission of bringing together its clients with the right chef with solutions tailored to their demands and needs.

Atlantica serves you a wide range of professional chefs, from award-winning chefs to renowned restaurant chefs, from professional chefs in a culinary specialty to family chefs.

We provide chef placement services under 4 categories:

  • Long-term chef placement
  • Short-term chef placement
  • Private dining
  • Professional events/corporate dinings

For detailed information, please see Terms and Fees.

Atlantica aims to raise the standards of both private chefs and clients to the highest possible level with a vision shaped by Deniz Kurt, the founder of Atlantica who has more than 10 years of private chef and superyacht chef experience.

Founder & Owner

DENIZ KURT

Deniz Kurt has built an international career over more than 10 years as a private chef and superyacht chef before founding Atlantico Crew Consultancy.

After completing her culinary education at MSA Culinary Arts Academy in Istanbul, she continued her studies in Italian cuisine at Alma La Scuola Internazionale di Cucina Italiana, one of Italy’s most respected culinary institutions, where she obtained her Professional Italian Chef Diploma.

Her culinary career in Italy included Michelin-level restaurant experience at Ristorante Il Marchesino inside Milan’s iconic La Scala Theatre, founded by legendary chef Gualtiero Marchesi, as well as Armani Nobu Milano, part of Nobu Matsuhisa’s internationally renowned restaurant group. She also worked at the historic two Michelin-starred restaurant Antica Corona Reale in Turin / Italy.

After her restaurant career, Deniz Kurt combined her culinary background with her passion for the sea, progressing from 24-meter yachts to Head Chef positions on superyachts up to 75 meters. Throughout her yachting career, she has sailed more than 50,000 nautical miles worldwide, including six Atlantic crossings, with extensive voyages through the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Pacific, the Galapagos Islands and the North Sea.

In 2018, she founded Atlantico Crew Consultancy, focusing exclusively on interior, galley and yacht crew consultancy with a more selective and personal approach to recruitment.

Alongside her consultancy work, Deniz Kurt has developed and led Professional Superyacht Chef Training programs in collaboration with MSA Culinary Arts Academy, training chefs for the international yachting sectors. The program later received international accreditation under the AIMA Guest umbrella.

Her work in gastronomy and yachting has also extended into television and publishing. In 2022, she hosted a 26-episode food and travel television program exploring gastronomy and maritime culture across Mediterranean. She is also the author of Islak Menü (Wet Menu), a culinary travel book shaped by her experiences across Europe, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Deniz Kurt has written for publications including NAVIGA, CEYMS and AKTÜEL, and currently contributes columns to YACHT Türkiye and T24.She currently appears weekly alongside journalist Cüneyt Özdemir on Turkey’s leading digital news platform, discussing gastronomy and food culture.

She currently continues her work between yacht crew consultancy, chef training, gastronomy and media projects.

Founder & Owner