Chef Ebru Baybara Demir, the winner of the Basque Culinary World Prize (BCWP) 2023, known as the Nobel of the gastronomy world, has become the first chef to bring this award to Turkey. She was honored with this award for her projects in the field of social gastronomy, which she has been implementing for over 20 years. Her work addresses various societal needs, such as the socio-economic consequences of the migration crisis, the impact of climate change on soil regeneration, and local development, by offering gastronomic perspectives and solutions. Chef Baybara Demir achieved recognition even before winning the first-place award at the Basque Culinary World Prize, where she was among the world's top 10 chefs for two consecutive years. After completing her undergraduate degree in Tourism Guidance at Marmara University, Chef Baybara Demir moved to Mardin in 1999 with a vision of introducing tourism to the region. Alongside 21 women who believed in her, she opened Cercis Murat Konağı, the city's first touristic establishment, marking a significant transformation. Conducting extensive research on Anatolian cuisine for over 15 years, Demir believes that the flavor of a dish comes from the land it originates and the lives it benefits. This philosophy goes beyond being just a chef and involves initiating various social gastronomy projects, especially in Mardin and the surrounding region. During this journey, her projects have earned her numerous national and international awards. Demir has represented Turkey through her project presentations at the World Gastronomy Tourism Forum organized by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the 5th Food on the Edge Summit in Ireland, where global authorities in social gastronomy converge. With measurable results in social gastronomy, Demir emphasizes the importance of preserving the natural balance of seeds, soil, and water, creating sustainable local economies, and enabling everyone involved in the process, from the earth to the consumer, to generate a livelihood. She also continues her efforts to establish an ideal cooperative model that brings together local products, local cuisine, and local human resources on both national and international stages, through various initiatives under the Agricultural Development Cooperative "From Soil to Plate." Ebru Baybara Demir initiated the Biodegradable Waste Management Project in Diyarbakır, which has now spread to many cities across Turkey, under the slogan "We're Improving Life." The "From Soil to Soil Biodegradable Waste Management Project" involves the conversion of biodegradable food waste collected at markets into compost to improve the soil, support farmers, and contribute to healthy food production. In addition, perfectly edible food collected at the markets is inspected under the supervision of a food engineer, and it undergoes a two-stage production process of "Canned and Packaged Products" and "Hot Meal Production" at soup kitchens. Ebru Baybara Demir is the only Turkish chef featured in the documentary "The World's 12 Zero Waste Chefs" by the American online content platform HBO Max. In January 2023, she was awarded the Aenne Burda Creative Leadership Award at the DLD Munich Conference. Demir was the first person to bring this award, presented to courageous, optimistic, innovative, creative, and inspiring women since 2006, to Turkey.