Laura Ozyilmaz

The Path

Laura Ozyilmaz’s background runs through a set of kitchens and schools that reward precision: Ambrosía Centro Culinario, The Culinary Institute of America, and Basque Culinary Center. That training, paired with work as Executive Chef at Saison in San Francisco, places technique and discipline at the center of her profile rather than ornament. Her early path moved through prep work for caterers in Guerrero, Mexico, then into Boulud Sud in New York as an extern and Café Boulud in New York as a post-graduate cook. A staging chef role at Mugaritz in Spain followed, then cooking at Eleven Madison Park in New York and later chef at Saison in San Francisco. Each step extended the same trade language: service, repetition, and the standards of closely watched kitchens. By 2019, Laura had become owner and Executive Chef at Noosh in San Francisco, then moved into Dalida as owner and Executive Chef. The progression is less about reinvention than about carrying experience into new rooms, with control over both the menu and the dining room’s terms.

The Work Today

At Dalida, the cooking is built around hospitality, culture, fresh ingredients and familiar flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean, as Laura said. That frame matters: the food is positioned to read as generous and direct, with technique serving recognizability rather than distance. Middle Eastern ingredients sit inside that approach, giving the kitchen a specific register without pushing it into abstraction. The result is food that draws on familiarity while still asking for exact execution, the kind of balance that only comes from long practice in demanding kitchens.

Signature

Laura's signature dishes include Lamb Kebab and hop-infused rice pudding. The pairing shows range within a tight frame: one dish anchored in savory structure, the other using aroma and sweetness to shift the register without abandoning clarity.

In Their Words “But I have been preparing for 16 years, cooking in some of the most highly regarded kitchens in the world, including Michelin-starred restaurants Mugaritz, Eleven Madison Park, Café Boulud, and Saison.” “We built Dalida on the hospitality, culture, fresh ingredients and familiar flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean.”

Acclaim

Laura's honors include StarChefs San Francisco Rising Stars Award (2019).