Chefs Compete at Istanbul Gastronomy Festival

Istanbul Gastronomy Festival, held at TUYAP Beylikduzu Exhibition Center between 14-17 December, brought about 1,000 local and foreign chefs together to compete at over 100 categories.

Organized by Ekin Group in collaboration with The Culinary Federation and the support of Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry, the festival welcomed chefs from Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Israel, Italy, TRNC, Korea, Malta, Egypt, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.

At the final of the competition, Chef Ilker Ciftci has been awarded with the Golden Chef of the year award. Musa Sener came second and Hasan Huseyin Erdem came third. Omer Faruk Yilmaz has been awarded with the Young Chef of the year award.

On the last day of the event, chefs walked at Istanbul streets from Gezi Hotel, Taksim to Istanbul Convention and Exhibition Centre (ICEC) to present their appreciation for the organization. On the same day's night chefs who ranked first at their categories received their awards at the gala dinner held at ICEC.

Istanbul Culture and Tourism Director; Ass. Prof. Ahmet Emre Bilgili, Advisor of Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor; Prof Dr. Erman Tuncer, All Chefs Federation (TAF) President; Yalcin Manav, Chefs Association President; Ahmet Yavuz, TURES President; Ramazan Bingol and special guests attended the gala dinner.

Speaking at the night, Manav said Istanbul needs a Culinary School operating with full equipment and with an international level of education program.

You can find more about Istanbul Gastronomy Festival, list of award winners and photos at www.mutfakgunleri.com