Within the scope of the GastroTech 2025 event organised by Istanbul Gelisim University Faculty of Applied Sciences, Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, two important competitions were held to encourage creative thinking in the field of gastronomy. The poster and short film projects created by the students by combining traditional culinary culture with contemporary technologies enabled both the protection of cultural heritage and the promotion of innovative approaches.
The first GastroTech 2025 Poster Competition, with the theme ‘Algorithm of Food Culture’, asked participants to reinterpret traditional Turkish cuisine with the conceptual and visual language of the digital age. Students reinterpreted the symbols of cultural memory through graphic designs. In order to announce the winners of the poster competition and present their awards, Asst. Prof. Nevruz Berna Tatlısu took place on the stage. Ahmet Tevhid Kuzu's poster titled ‘Layer by Layer Artificial Intelligence’, which came first in the competition, treated the traditional Turkish dessert baklava as a data structure. While each layer contains historical and emotional meanings, it drew attention to how traditional values are digitalised. The process was completed in a humorous way with the phrase ‘Output: Baklava’ at the bottom layer. The poster, which has a strong visual narrative, brought two separate worlds together on a single plane by weaving gastronomy and technology layer by layer.
The second runner-up, Nihal Cemile Yıldız's ‘Flavour Coded: Tradition 4.0’ reflected a scenario in which traditional recipes are carried into the future with technology. The poster, which attracted attention with both its visual and conceptual infrastructure, emphasised the concepts of user experience, practicality and cultural continuity. Rümeysa Kaya's poster titled ‘Gastronomy and the Future’, which was selected as the third poster, was shaped around the figure of a strong female chef who blends the heritage of the past with the culinary technologies of the future. The poster built an impressive bridge between the past and the future by combining elements of Ottoman cuisine with molecular gastronomy techniques.
GastroTech 2025 Short Film Competition, which was held after the poster competition, was held under the theme of ‘100 Years of Turkish Cuisine Change with Artificial Intelligence’. Participants addressed the transformation of Turkish cuisine in the last century through cinematographic expression. In order to announce the winners of the short film competition and present their awards, Asst. Prof. Muzaffer Çakmak took place on the stage. The first prize winner Metehan Özırmak's short film titled ‘Flavours Transcending Centuries’ presented the historical journey of traditional recipes to the audience with a strong storyline. In the film, it was emphasised that recipes are not only food, but also cultural values passed down between generations. The second prize winner Tolga Karakol's film ‘The Story of a Table from 1925 to 2025’ established a link between nostalgia and modernity by reflecting the existence of a meal on the table with a temporal transition. Third place went to İrem Kaplan's ‘Time Hidden in Hands: 100 Years of Turkish Cuisine’ represented the culinary heritage through the hands of an old woman. By using hands as a narrative element that carries the wisdom of the past, it was emphasised that food is not only a physical, but also an emotional and historical value.
GastroTech-2025 went beyond being just a competition platform and turned into a multifaceted experience where students demonstrated how they can interpret technology in a cultural context. These two events, where gastronomy, art and digital technology intersect, stood out as a strong example reflecting the interdisciplinary vision of the university.
These competitions, organised within the scope of GastroTech 2025, demonstrated that gastronomy education is not only limited to culinary skills; it can also be associated with different fields such as cultural expression, visual design and technological thinking. With their works, students both drew attention to traditional values and had the opportunity to reinterpret these values with contemporary approaches. Istanbul Gelisim University continues to enable students to establish contact with different disciplines through similar activities.
These comprehensive competitions were planned in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4) and Responsible Production and Consumption (SDG 12) and contributed to the realisation of a sustainable and innovative approach in gastronomy education.
