A social entrepreneur and lecturer, Elif Ovalı teaches entrepreneurship and community service at Mustafa Kemal University and is actively involved in social responsibility projects. Her family has been farming for generations in the Fertile Crescent that is the heart of humanity’s first agricultural practices and permanent settlements in the world. She still passionately follows this family tradition by producing traditional food products unique to Hatay under her own brand, Teofarm Antakya. Additionally, she pursues academic studies and organizes workshops to preserve Anatolian Culture and Tastes. She aims to transfer the historical and cultural heritage of Hatay, a gastronomy city, to future generations and to raise social awareness. She is the author of two books: A research book, “Antakya Bridge: The Crown of the Queen of the East” and a cookbook entitled “Chefs of Our Hearts: Anatolia.”

At the 2016 Ateşbaz-ı Veli Cuisine Culture Days, Ovalı won an award for her book “Chefs of Our Hearts: Anatolia” in the Anatolian Cuisine Research category.

She is a married mother-of-three.