On March 10 and 11, a culinary workshop took place at Le Piment Rouge, the practice restaurant of the Department of Tourism and Hotel Management. Held in collaboration with the Embassy of Peru in Ankara, the workshop celebrated the Peruvian cuisine and culture. A luncheon for ambassadors of Latin American countries followed the March 10 session, while the March 11 session welcomed İDV Bilkent High School Culinary Club members as a reward for their achievement in the MasterChef Turkey junior competition.
For the luncheon, an open buffet with a selection of traditional Peruvian dishes was prepared and served by THM students under the supervision of Le Piment Rouge chef Elif Denizci, department instructor and chef Bülent Karaoğlu and service instructor Ali Ünal, joined for the occasion by two Peruvian chefs currently working in Turkey: Bruno Santa Cruz, executive chef at the Swissotel İstanbul, and Jean Carlo Milla, executive chef at the embassy. The workshop provided students an opportunity to work with these chefs in a professional environment, preparing menus they had devised for the occasion featuring special ingredients provided courtesy of the embassy.
Guests at the luncheon included ambassadors from a number of countries – Alberto Campana Boluarte (Peru), Jorge Alejandro Mastropietro (Argentina), Armin Andereya (Chile), Julio Aníbal Riaño Velandia (Colombia), Gustavo Campos Fallas (Costa Rica), Jairo David Estrada Barrios (Guatemala), Cristóbal Sarmiento (Panama), Ceferino Valdez (Paraguay) and José Luis Martínez y Hernández (Mexico) – along with Bilkent Rector Abdullah Atalar, Provost Adnan Akay, Vice Rector Kürşat Aydoğan, School of Applied Technology and Management Director Kamer Rodoplu and Department of Tourism and Hotel Management Acting Chair Eda Gürel.