Tourism and Hotel Management Wins Gastronomy Bronze Medal
The İstanbul Gastronomy Festival, organized under The World Association of Chefs' Societies (WACS), took place February 18 to 21 in İstanbul with approximately 1500 competitors from 21 countries. WACS, representing 8 million chefs worldwide from 82 countries, was founded as a non-profit association in 1928 in Paris. WACS is dedicated to maintaining and improving the culinary standards of global cuisines through education, training, and professional development of its international membership.
Turkey, as one of the member countries of WACS, has organized a gastronomy festival for the last 9 years. The İstanbul Gastronomy Festival became a huge event this year with 20 live kitchens and displays in 83 categories, including the Handicapped Chefs Competition.
In this year's festival, a team of Bilkent students from the department of Tourism and Hotel Management competed in the segment titled the Senior Practical Team. The Bilkent Gastronomy Group members included fourth year students, Barış Ak, Nihat B. Tanık, M. Yavuz Cüneytoğlu, service instructor Ali Ünal and was headed by the team captain, Chef Zeki Polatkesen, the chef instructor at the practice restaurant, Bilkent Le Piment Rouge.
The international jury awarded the bronze medal to the Bilkent Gastronomy Group. The success was the result of hard work of more than two months of preparation. The evaluation criteria included cutting and cooking techniques, presentation skills, and conformity with the HACCP (hygiene) standards.
The award winning menu included: Trio Salmon, Salmon Mousse with sliced cucumbers, salmon caviar, and beetroot sauce, Salmon Carpaccio with caper berry and lemon dressing, Salmon Tartare with, poached beet root and dill sauce as the starter; Pan Roasted Loin of Lamb Stuffed with Quince, sautéed cubed vegetables, and saffron flavored hollandaise sauce as the main course; and White and Black Chocolate Mousse with whipped cream, sliced strawberries, and blackberry sauce as the dessert.
The bronze medal menu will be served to Bilkent personnel on April 21, 2011.