In 2010, Birgül published her first bilingual cookbook, Refika’nın Mutfağı/Cooking New Istanbul Style.
Early life
Birgül was born in Istanbul into a large family dominated by medical professionals. Her mother is a Turkish Cypriot who is a native of Cyprus, and her father a native of Nevşehir. She was diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age; however, she exhibited a talent for adding large sums in her head, leading to a passion for mathematics (alongside black-and-white photography).
Birgül completed her undergraduate studies at Robert College, and has since studied psychology at Koç University and leadership education at London Business School.
