Renan was born and raised in Istanbul and the nearby island of Buyukada, where cooking and eating were the most important part of family life. She has had a diverse career in culinary arts, having worked with chef Kenji Kume in a Japanese restaurant in Istanbul while she was studying film and television at Bilgi University. After university, Renan worked in the restaurants of several five-star hotels in Istanbul, where she developed her organizational skills in the kitchen. Thereafter, she joined a new Anatolian restaurant to help with its launch, an experience that broadened her knowledge of the many food traditions of Turkey. She also joined the production company of a popular documentary on Turkish cuisine called "Sultans of the Kitchen" as a production coordinator. Today, Renan lives on the Asian side of Istanbul, where she regularly visits Kadikoy Market for fresh vegetables and for her young daughter.