Istanbul Gelisim University Students Win Gold Medal at the International Gastronomy Festival!

Students of Istanbul Gelisim University (IGU) achieved a significant success at the 22nd International Istanbul Gastronomy Festival, one of Turkey’s longest-standing and most prestigious organizations in the field of gastronomy. Competing in the “JPT 2 – Best University Team of the Year Competition,” IGU teams earned gold medals with their outstanding performance. In addition, the students who won the gold medal were presented with certificates of appreciation by Abdülkadir Gayretli, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Istanbul Gelisim University.

An International Meeting Point of the Gastronomy World

Held between December 17–20, 2025, at the Bahçelievler Congress Center, the International Istanbul Gastronomy Festival was organized by the Turkish Chefs and Cooks Federation (TAŞFED) in cooperation with the World Association of Chefs’ Societies (WACS). The festival aimed to promote sectoral knowledge sharing and international interaction by bringing together professional chefs, academics, gastronomy students, and young talents on the same platform.
One of the festival’s most prominent competitions, JPT 2 – Best University Team of the Year, was held as a prestigious event showcasing universities’ practical skills and teamwork in gastronomy. In the competition, teams were evaluated based on technical proficiency, taste, presentation, and time management, as they prepared original menus within a specified time.

Outstanding Performance by IGU Students

The first team representing Istanbul Gelisim University consisted of Mevlüt Ubeyde Can, Onurcan Öceş, and Emine Toraman. The team presented a menu featuring Malkara lentils with shrimp sautéed in butter as the appetizer, sous vide duck with potato pavé as the main course, and caramelized quince dessert with tahini ganache for dessert.
The second IGU team was composed of Emrullah Saraç, Umutcan Yılmaz, and Şeyma Nur Bayrak. Their menu included sea bass ceviche as the appetizer, turbot fish with Jerusalem artichoke purée as the main course, and crème citron with forest fruits for dessert.

International Success of Practice-Oriented Education

The gold medal won by IGU students at the International Istanbul Gastronomy Festival was evaluated as a concrete outcome of the university’s practice-oriented educational approach in gastronomy. This achievement once again demonstrated not only the students’ professional competencies, but also IGU’s industry-responsive education model and its international competitiveness.