Gastronomy Festival was organized with the coordination of Istanbul Gelişim University (IGU) Gastronomy Departments.
The Gastronomy Festival, organized under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Aslı Albayrak, Head of the Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts at the Faculty of Fine Arts, in collaboration with the efforts of the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts (TR-ENG) Faculty of Applied Sciences and the Culinary, Pastry, and Bakery Departments of the Vocational School, was held for the first time this year.
The festival, which took place on May 15, brought the festive atmosphere to the campus with GastroTalks interviews with academy and industry leaders, a fairground where food and beverages were served, music accompanied by a DJ, and a career area where leading companies in the sector interacted with students.
The event began with an opening speech by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Serdar Egeli, Secretary General of Istanbul Gelişim University (IGU) and coordinator of the Gastronomy Departments. Following this, IGU Rector Prof. Dr. Bahri Şahin, IGU Board of Trustees Chairman Abdülkadir Gayretli, and our guest of honor Chef Mehmet Yalçınkaya were invited to the stage for their opening speeches. After the speeches, a band performance took place.
At the end of the performance, the speakers took their places for the first session. In the first session, guest speakers from companies like Ekol Food, Koza Gıda, Öztiryakiler, and Karaköy Güllüoğulları Baklavaları, including Nadir Güllü, shared their success stories.
The second session featured success stories from chefs working at hotels and restaurants such as Sheraton Levent, Swissotel Bosphorus, Bigchefs, and Hilton Hotel.
After the Q&A sessions, the festival continued with food presentations and career interviews by participating companies. This was followed by food presentations prepared in the IGU Gastronomy kitchens, served to the participants. A total of 85,000 products were offered to the guests at the festival.
The festival opened its doors not only to the approximately 1,300 students studying Gastronomy, Culinary Arts, and Pastry at our institution but also to high school, associate degree, and undergraduate students from outside our institution. It provided participants the opportunity to discover themselves, raise awareness about their fields, meet industry leaders, and have an enjoyable time. It also allowed high school students studying in this field to meet undergraduate students and industry leaders.
We extend our thanks to all the companies, professors, and students who contributed to the event, which ended with enjoyable moments accompanied by a DJ.
