Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Faculty of Tourism, Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department students and Tower Training and Practice Restaurant team participated in the 20th International Istanbul Gastronomy Days Competition organized by Cooks and Chefs Federation of Turkey (TASFED) on 13-16 December, 2023 in Istanbul. The EMU students and team won the biggest prize titled the Grand Prix award along with the Turkish Golden Chef of the Year cup and total of 24 medals; 15 golden, 7 silver and, 2 bronze.
Supervised by the EMU Faculty of Tourism academic staff member and World Association of Chefs’ Societies (WACS) member Chef Kurtuluş Özbaşar, EMU team consisted of Research Assistant Fatma Öztunç, Part-time academic staff member Hatice Kumaş and, Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department students Günseli Kafa, Batuhan Yiğit Bayram, Nujin Dilba Karakulak, Alikaan Yeğilmez and Hasan Çatal.
Making a statement on the topic, EMU Faculty of Tourism Vice Dean Assist. Prof. Dr. M. Güven Ardahan noted that the achievement of the team is not a coincidence but is a result of experienced teaching staff, physical infrastructure as well as the support provided by the university. Moreover, Vice Dean Assist. Prof. Dr. M. Ardahan expressed pride in the continuation of the high performance the team had shown in the previous competitions they participated in.
EMU Faculty of Tourism Dean Prof. Dr. Ali Öztüren also made a statement and said: “The event, which is Turkey’s largest gastronomy competition and festival, has been held in collaboration with the World Association of Chefs’ Societies (WACS) for 20 years, hosting the international gastronomy community in Turkey. The event, held in partnership with federations and associations of leading countries in the world of gastronomy, was organized with intense interest this year, as in previous years. The festival, which has played a significant role in the integration of Turkish cuisine with world cuisine, brought global flavors to Istanbul. International Istanbul Gastronomy Days, recently awarded with the title of “Intercontinental” by the World Association of Chefs’ Societies (WACS) through successful previous events, has provided an opportunity for competition at the international level for students in the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Departments in both Turkey and Northern Cyprus, as well as for young chefs.”.
Prof. Dr. Öztüren thanked Research Assistant Fatma Öztunç and Part-time academic staff member Hatice Kumaş who have made great contributions in the team’s preparation process and who also participated during the competition along with the team members. Moreover, Prof. Dr. Öztüren also thanked academic staff member Kurtuluş Özbaşar who supervised the team during the process and expressed that the success achieved by the team is a sign of quality in education. Finally, Prof. Dr. Öztüren thanked EMU Rector’s Office who have always provided support and, all the other individuals for their contributions.
Record Breaking Number of Medals and Cups
According to the competition results, Fatma Öztunç, Hatice Kumaş, and Nujin Dilba Karakulak from SPT1 - Grand Prix Chefs Team secured a gold medal and a cup. Additionally, Fatma Öztunç won a gold medal and a cup in SP6 - Golden Turkish Chef of the Year category, a silver medal in SP3 - Master Fish category, and a gold medal in SP10 - Restaurant Dessert Plate category.
Additionally, Nujin Dilba Karakulak won silver medals in JP6 - Restaurant Dessert category, and JP7 - Fish Competition and a gold medal in JP7II - Golden Young Chef of the Year categories, while Alikaan Yeğilmez won silver medals in JP8 - Pasta Competition and JP6 - Restaurant Dessert categories. Hasan Çatal secured a silver medal in JP8 - Pasta Competition and Hatice Kumaş won a gold medal SP11 - Modern Turkish Cuisine.
Günseli Kafa won a bronze medal in JP6 - Restaurant Dessert, a silver medal in JP9 - Main Course and a gold medal in JP7 - Fish Competition categories. Batuhan Yiğit Bayram earned a bronze medal in JP7 - Fish Competition and a gold medal in JP9 - Main Course category. Finally, Alikaan Yegilmez, Batuhan Yiğit Bayram, and Hasan Çatal claimed gold medals in JPT1 - Practical Team Competition and JPT2 - Best University Team of the Year Competition.
On the other hand, EMU Faculty of Tourism, Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department students and Tower Training and Practice Restaurant team members returned to the island with their medals and trophies on Sunday, 17 December, 2023. EMU Faculty of Tourism Dean Prof. Dr. Ali Öztüren greeted and congratulated the students and team members at Ercan Airport.
