The opening ceremony of the GastroANTEP Culture Road Festival, organized in cooperation with Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality (GBB) and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, started with a grand feast. There was great interest in the flavor festival, which was held with the participation of famous chefs.
The opening ceremony of the GastroANTEP Culture Road Festival, organized in cooperation with Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, was held with a great feast. The festival, which will include taste, culture, art and entertainment, started with the opening ceremony held at the Zeugma Mosaic Museum with the participation of the Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.
GASTROANTEP HAS STARTED: IT HOSTS TWO FESTIVALS
GastroANTEP, which will be held for the 5th time between 16-24 September to introduce the local flavors of the Gazi city coming from the sun, soil and history to the whole world, is within the scope of Culture Road Festivals and includes two festivals this year.
GastroANTEP Culture Road Festival, where history and culture turn into art with taste, will host concerts, theaters and exhibitions for 8 days, while interviews and workshops will be held with the most famous and Michelin Star Chefs of the gastronomy world. There will be panels with industry representatives and authors. The heart of gastronomy will beat in Gaziantep once again.
THE FIRST WORKSHOP WAS BUILT WITHIN THE SCOPE OF GASTROANTEP FESTIVAL
Within the scope of the GastroANTEP Culture Road Festival, organized in cooperation with Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality (GBB) and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the “Gastro Diplomacy: Turkish World” workshop was held with the participation of famous chefs of the Turkish world.
Chefs from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan participated in the program, which was held interactively in the workshop and panel area in the newly opened Festival Park, and introduced the food cultures of their own countries with their recipes.
“WE DISCOVER THE PAST AGAIN WITH EVERY MEAL WE EAT”
Speaking at the festival, where local dishes specific to the Turkish world and different dishes from the Gaziantep region were presented, GBB Deputy Chairman Erdem Güzelbey said the following: “I would like to thank all of you, our valued teachers, chefs, and all those who have contributed to this field in Gaziantep, for coming. I wish you to see the new values and innovations created here. We are actually rediscovering the past in every meal we eat here. We are building a bridge with the past. We are building this bridge with the chefs who come here.” We are taking it further.”
7 FESTIVALS IN 5 CITIES
Stating that they started the project in Istanbul Beyoğlu in 2021 and organized 7 festivals in 5 cities including Istanbul, Ankara, Çanakkale, Konya and Diyarbakır, Ersoy said, “We stood behind our promises and continued on our way by calculating step by step with the same sensitivities and today it is called Turkey Culture Road Festivals.” “We are pleased to have included 11 different cities in the success story we wrote below,” he said.
“THERE IS NO SECOND FESTIVAL SERIES OF THIS SIZE IN THE WORLD”
Ersoy, “With the additional contract we signed this year, the Michelin Guide has included Izmir and Bodrum in its selection in Turkey. The restaurant selection, which will be held for the first time for Izmir and Bodrum, will take place in Istanbul on November 9, 2023, together with the guide’s second selection in Istanbul. In addition, within the scope of the contract signed with Michelin, the evaluations of the Michelin Guide covering Istanbul, Izmir and Bodrum will continue for 5 years and the guide will be updated every year. On the other hand, Gaziantep, Hatay and Bodrum, which are included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of gastronomy, will continue for 5 years. Afyonkarahisar, on the one hand, Istanbul, Izmir and Bodrum, which take their place in the Michelin Guide. We continue to reveal and promote the richness of Turkish culture at the highest level in the international arena and to diversify our tourism by integrating it into our steps in tourism in the strongest way. Culture Road Festivals are the most exceptional example of this approach. “There is no other festival series of this size, richness and prevalence in the world.”He said:
“THERE IS A GREAT RICHNESS ON OUR TABLE”
Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin stated that the project they are involved in is very valuable and that it will bring millions of people to the city. “Our dear guests, welcome to our city, the apple of the world’s eye. Now, the more culture you have, the richer you are. There is great wealth on our table. You have made great efforts to introduce us to the world. We have our story on this table. This city is a city of civilization. It is a city that reads the world well.” “We are the children of this land, we have to bread a lot. We have to work hard. This city will bring millions of people here, God willing.”said.
HAVARA CAFE CREATED FROM WASTE WAS OPENED
Panorama Havara Book Cafe and Restaurant, whose architectural concept was completed by Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality and created entirely by utilizing waste, was one of the parts that attracted attention and raised awareness within the scope of GastroANTEP events.
Havara Cafe, which aims to support women in gaining economic freedom through their participation in business life and to bring a more female perspective to social life, was opened by Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin, Gaziantep Governor Kemal Çeber, AK Party TBMM Group Deputy Chairman Abdülhamit. It was held with the participation of Gül and the provincial protocol.
Havara Cafe, which presents Gaziantep home cuisine as a sustainable tourism identity, aims to highlight the values hidden in the home kitchen, with its business model prepared within the principles of sustainability, from its architectural concept to the dishes put on the plates, based on waste evaluation and resource conservation management.
24 female cooks will work in the cafe’s kitchen on a rotating basis, 16 part-time female cooks on weekdays and 8 female chefs on weekends.
