Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Faculty of Tourism, Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department students and Tower Education and Practice Restaurant team attended the 18th Istanbul International Gastronomy Days Competition, organized by the Cooks and Chefs Federation of Turkey (TASFED) between 22 and 25 December 2021 and returned home with a total of 19 awards including, 3 trophies, 16 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze medals, and the Grand Prix first prize, which is called the biggest award, from Turkey.
Mustafa Kocabaşoğlu, Damla Lisaniler, Başak Doğan, Buket Bürüncük, Ecem Okçu, Akın Sarıyıldız and Şerafettin Bartu, who participated in the competition under the supervision of EMU Tourism Faculty academic staff member Chef Kurtuluş Özbaşar, showed that their success in different fields where universities competed is not a coincidence.
The organization, which has the quality of being Turkey's largest gastronomy competition and festival, has been held in cooperation with the World Association of Chefs' Societies (WACS) for 17 years, hosting the international gastronomy world in Turkey. The organization in question, which was held with the federations and associations of the world's leading countries in the field of gastronomy, garnered great interest this year, as in the previous years. The festival, which caught a great achievement in the integration of Turkish cuisine with the world cuisine, brought world flavors to Istanbul. International Istanbul Culinary Days, which received the title of "Continental" by the WACS with successful organizations in the past, provided the students of the gastronomy and Culinary Arts Departments and young chefs in both Turkey and the TRNC with the opportunity to compete at an international level.
In a statement on the subject, EMU Tourism Faculty Dean Prof. Dr. Hasan Kılıç said that the International Istanbul Culinary Days, which has reached the point of opening to the world and constitutes a great promotion point for national and international gastronomy brands both in Turkey and in the TRNC. Stating that new products were introduced especially for Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Departments of universities, Prof. Dr. Kılıç pointed out that the competition is, therefore, extremely important. Pointing out that the achievements are an important indicator of the quality achieved in education, Prof. Dr. Kılıç expressed his gratitude to EMU Rector’s Office and all those who contributed.
Medals
University-level Student Chef Dessert Plate: Ecem Okcu, Altın Madalya, Buket Bürüncük (Silver Medal)
University-level Student Main Course Competition: Akın Sarıyıldız (Gold Medal)
University-level Student Chef Fish Competition: Şerafettin Bartu Gürvardar (Gold Medal)
Pasta Competition: Mustafa Kocabaşoğlu (Gold Medal)
Best University Team of the Year Competition: Akın Sarıyıldız, Şerafettin Bartu Gürvardar, Ecem Okcu (Gold Medal)
University-level Medern Turkish Cuisine Team Competition: Akın Sarıyıldız, Şerafettin Bartu Gürvardar, Ecem Okcu (Gold Medal)
University-level Chef Pasta Competition: Buket Bürüncük (Silver Medal), Başak Doğan (Bronze Medal)
Practical University Team Competition: Akın Sarıyıldız, Buket Bürüncük, Başak Doğan (Gold Medal)
Grand Prix Master Chefs Team Competition (Tower Education and Practice Restaurant): Damla Lisaniler, Mustafa Kocabaşoğlu, Başak Doğan (Gold Medal)
Trophies
Grand Prix Master Chefs Team Competition (Tower Education and Practice Restaurant): Damla Lisaniler, Mustafa Kocabaşoğlu, Başak Doğan (First-place Trophy)
University-level Modern Turkish Cuisine Competition: Akın Sarıyıldız, Ecem Okcu, Şerafettin Bartu Gürvardar (Third-place Trophy)
Best University Team of the Year Competition: Akın Sarıyıldız, Şerafettin Bartu Gürvardar, Ecem Okcu (Second-place Trophy)
