PROPOSED FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY

Gastronomika is a cookery movement aiming to adapt Anatolian cuisine culture to modern life. Gastronomika means preferring Anatolia as a choice and the habits symbolizing it. The project of Gastronomika implements a modern Anatolian cuisine as a suggestion which adopts healthy, accessible, and sustainable values by creating a community of its own.

Gastronomika, organized public programmes within the framework of a culture-art institution named as SALT Beyoğlu for 2 years on the Istiklal Street and reintroducing Anatolian cuisine to tens of thousands of people, chooses its coordinator chefs semesterly as a prerequisite of being a community project. According to the new ritual that will start soon, each coordinator determined by the coordinators of the Gastronomika project will work for 6 months, and the project will ensure the fact that each chef can give prominence to her/his values during this period of time.

As part of the fellowship scheme supported by Hrant Dink Foundation, we are suggesting one coordinator chef to come from Armenia to Istanbul for one semester and contribute to the rediscovery and redefinition of the Anatolian cuisine, to understanding of common traditions, different and similar approaches in food cultures, and to the developing opportunities of cooperation.

In this respect, the fellow is expected to:

• Bring a new definition of Anatolian cuisine and adapt it to modern life
• Coordinate gastronomic studies and public programmes of Gastronomika within the framework of “Semester Chefs” started by Gastronomika Project remembering the roots of Anatolia, and re-embracing them with a multilingual perspective

EXPECTED PROFILE 

Gastronomika wishes to collaborate with a professional who have opened, managed her/his own restaurant, or worked as a chef or in different positions in the kitchen at prominent restaurants at her/his country; have a good command of English in addition to Armenian to transfer her/his own kitchen terminology; is open to communication and innovation; is passionate for learning and knowledge; and have a motivation for establishing personal, cultural, and gastronomic links to Anatolian geography. We think that it would bring additional value to her/his mission, if s/he is interested in the cuisine of her/his own geography, where her/his family lived in, from where migrated, if s/he knows the ingredients obtained from this geography or has ideas about them, if s/he is interested in discovery or reinterpretation of them.

CONDITIONS OF THE FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY

We foresee a programme for 5 days/week, approx. 9 hours/day of work. The practice will take place at the kitchen, the desk, online platforms or at bazaars, yards, gardens, field, on a fishery boat, or a restaurant according to the season. The fellow as the semester chef is expected to take the responsibility as well as the moral responsibility as the guest and representative of the Gastronomika Project. Gastronomika team fully composed of young people will assist the semester chef in every respect and do their bests to smoothen the cooperation.

PROPOSED TIME FOR THE FELLOWSHIP (JANAURY – JUNE 2017)

From January to June 2017