Istanbul Gelisim University Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Departments hosted more than 30 companies and expert chefs, especially the Guest of Honor Chef Mehmet Yalçınkaya, at the Gastronomy Festival, which was organized for the first time at IGU Tower Garden on May 15, 2024. The Gastronomy Festival brought a festive atmosphere to the campus with talks with academic and sector leaders, and food and beverage treats served with music. Among the businesses that set up stands at the festival were Kimbo Kahve, Pınar Süt, White Uniform, C2M, Veggy, Ekol Food, Koza Gıda, Öztiryakiler, Güllüoğlu Baklavaları, Snerji, Harmony Green Village, BEcs Macaron, Bigchefs, Andros Meyve Püreleri, Aplus Acıbadem, Barry Callebaut, Lipton, MEK Gıda, Indomie and Pastavilla. At the festival, success stories in the gastronomy sector, use of artificial intelligence, current investment trends in coffee and bakery businesses, innovative technologies, growth trends in the sector, iconic restaurants and restaurant rankings were evaluated.
In the first session of the festival consisting of two sessions, Nadir Güllüoğlu from Karaköy Güllüoğlu Baklavaları, Hasan Fehmi Peker from Öztiryakiler, Osman Sekban from Koza Gıda and Önder Bilen from Ekol Food shared their success stories. In the second session of the festival, Chef Muhittin Fidan from Sheraton İstanbul Levent, Chef Arif Madakbaş from Rönesans Polat İstanbul, Chef Gökhan Özcan from Hilton Hotel, Chef Okan Aydemir from Raffles Hotel, Chef Soner Kesgin from Swiss Hotel, Chef Mehmet Faruk Yardımcı from Marriott Marmara Sea Hotel, Chef Şenol Demirtaş from Big Chef and Chef Emre Karakafa from Harmony Green Village shared their sectoral experiences. After the sessions, students had fun accompanied by a DJ and a band and had the opportunity to taste at the stands.
Aiming to bring together both sectoral and academic experience, the festival provided students with the opportunity to meet with leading chefs and companies in the sector and exchange ideas on career planning. They also met with companies and received information about internship and job opportunities. Istanbul Gelişim University Gastronomy Department Coordinator Assoc. Prof. Serdar Egeli, emphasizing the importance IGU gives to gastronomy departments, stated that the festival will also benefit young people who want to improve themselves in the field of gastronomy. Students who participated in the festival had the opportunity to discover themselves and meet with industry leaders. The gastronomy festival ended after plaques were presented to participating speakers and companies.
On behalf of our students, we would like to thank all our instructors who were part of the festival organization committee.
