‘Chef Talk’ event organized by the Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Social and Cultural Activities Directorate, Gastronomy Club took place at the Business and Economics Faculty, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Tahiroğlu Hall in front of a large audience.
Speaking at the start of the event, EMU Tourism Faculty Dean Prof. Dr. Hasan Kılıç stated that the primary goal of this event is to bring together professionals working in the sector and EMU students. Indicating that their aim is for students to graduate fully-equipped Prof. Dr. Kılıç thanked EMU Tourism Faculty, Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts “New Trends in Gastronomy” course convener and Food in Life Magazine Editor in Chief Gökmen Sözen for his contributions in the organization of the event.
Important Advice for Students from Famous Chefs
The Chef Talk event included the participation of famous cuisine chefs and chefs that own their own restaurants. The moderator of the talk which lasted for approximately two hours was Gökmen Sözen. A rising star amongst new generation female chefs and owner of Araka Restaurant in İstanbul Pınar Taşdemir, Mürver Restaurant chef Yılmaz Öztürk who made a name for himself with his modern take on Anatolian Cuisine, young rising-star chef and Alaf Kuruçeşme restaurant owner Murat Deniz Temel and İstanbul Food and Beverage Group (which incorporates Mikla, Num Num, Trattoria Enzo, Kronotrop and Terra Kitchen) Operations Director Cihan Çetinkaya shared their experiences with those in attendance before answering questions from the audience.
“Constantly Work and Learn New Things”
The common opinion of the chefs was that the future will be bright for students who are constantly working on themselves and learning new things. The chefs also underlined that local ingredients are important because of short supply time, leading to the use of high quality ingredients. When local ingredients are used, the expenditure stays low and the local economy is supported. At the end of the event, students rejoiced after hearing that the chefs are open to providing students internship or job opportunities after graduation.
