Hande Bozdoğan - training tomorrow’s top chefs
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Gul Demir and Niki Gamm
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 27, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Turkish cuisine is one of the richest cuisines in the world. It owes this to the large geography of the Ottoman Empire and the different ethnic identities within it. Also, we live in a very lucky climate with four seasons and many delicious ingredients. Given all of this, there is so much to do and to improve.
The Istanbul Culinary Institute has been steadily gaining in reputation and influence since it was founded by Hande Bozdoğan to spread knowledge and experience in cooking Turkish dishes, to train first-rate chefs and to help amateur cooks.
In an interview with the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Bozdoğan talked about her background and how she became interested in the culinary arts.
Originally an economics student, Bozdoğan went to New York to get her master’s degree. "There I had the opportunity to see the world of gastronomy, which was quite dormant in Turkey at that time," she said. "Getting familiar with different cuisines and ingredients opened up a new world for me. I always enjoyed cooking, but seeing it as a profession took me some time." She took courses in hotel and restaurant management in New York University, receiving a degree, and then a certificate in baking and patisserie from the Culinary Institute of America in Poughkeepsie.
Bozdoğan then got married and moved to London, where, she said, "I discovered another world of gastronomy." She attended the Bath School of Cookery and became familiar with the kitchen, visiting restaurants, studying menus and returning to Istanbul to start her own catering company in 1995.
"I did that for three years, catering lunch to companies and catering private events," Bozdoğan said. "Then I got an offer to join the group starting the Dunkin’ Donuts franchise in Turkey. Although not very fond of fast food, I am always intrigued by good coffee, so I took that offer and opened a central kitchen and 12 branches in three years. It was valuable business experience."
Bozdoğan then transferred the donut business and returned to New York to study at the French Culinary Institute, where she received her chef’s diploma in 2001.
"I think there are rare times in life when you have the time and the money to do the things that you want to do, and you should hold on to it," she said. "I was planning to stay longer, but things were different after 9/11, so I came back to Istanbul and started working on the book project ’Flavors of the Street, Turkey.’ I had the idea of making this book when I was in New York, where I realized that some of my colleagues did not know anything about seasonality, whereas everything is seasonal, and therefore delicious, in Turkey."
With a photographer friend, Bozdoğan toured the country for two years documenting Turkey’s street foods. The book was published in Singapore in 2004 and received the Gourmand Award. After this, she began the two-year process of starting up the Istanbul Culinary Institute, or ICI.
Turkish cooking with a contemporary twist
The ICI is described as offering Turkish cooking with a contemporary twist. "Our objective at the institute is to teach and offer traditional dishes and tastes with contemporary cooking techniques, presentations and sometimes modifications," Bozdoğan said. "By this, I mean that we try to give the students knowledge of ingredients, to improve their palates and to equip them with the appropriate techniques so that they can do any recipe and create their own versions. Once you master the basics, then you can do many things."
In a typical class of 12 students, Bozdoğan said, "everyone has the same ingredients and materials, but the outcome is all different." The institute has a library where it encourages students to browse and do research; it also hosts educational workshops to broaden their horizons.
"Some months ago, we had a workshop with the Alain Ducasse Formation, the educational branch of the group," Bozdoğan said. "The chef prepared a dish with red mullet. It was very simple, a very basic dish, but you could feel the expertise the moment you looked at the plate. It had a basic tomato sauce, but it took the chef two days to prepare. Red mullet is a delicious fish the way we are used to eating it, but seeing different versions is very important. There is no limit in this discipline."
Despite all the culinary cultures she has experienced, Bozdoğan remains a big fan of the food of her own country. "Turkish cuisine is one of the richest cuisines in the world," she said. "It owes this to the large geography of the Ottoman Empire and the different ethnic identities within it. Also, we live in a very lucky climate with four seasons and many delicious ingredients. Given all of this, there is so much to do and to improve."
Bozdoğan attributes particular importance to the Chefschool the institute has set up with Istanbul Bilgi University, describing it as a good partnership in which the university provides all administrative services and its expertise. The joint certificate program includes theory courses on team building and motivation offered by the university’s faculty.
"The campus is very nice and students participate in many activities there," Bozdoğan said, noting that all other classes are held in the institute’s building in Tepebaşı. The ICI and Bilgi also have a third partner, the Institute of Culinary Education, or ICE, in New York, with which they offer a parallel curriculum for two months and exchange visiting chef instructors from time to time. "After two months, they focus on world cuisine and we focus on Turkish cuisine," Bozdoğan said. "When students graduate, they can continue their education at ICE and get their diploma as well. This is a unique advantage of our program."
More courses on the way
The ICI is adding another floor for amateur courses that will be ready in the fall; though the school has always offered classes for nonprofessional cooks, Bozdoğan said the new facility would allow the institute to increase the variety of its offerings.
But the Chefschool remains the institute’s, and Bozdoğan’s, highest priority, with its first graduates expected in three weeks. "They are having apprenticeships in various five-star hotels, in addition to our restaurant at the institute, and we are getting very good critiques from their supervisors," she said. "This is the biggest reward and the most important criteria for the success of the program. When our graduates are preferred among others, this means we are doing it right."
Bozdoğan, a slender brunette, is a person who sets her mind to accomplish something and does just that. It’s easy to see that she is very busy and it is not surprising to learn that she is involved in a whole series of projects. One aims to "make the Chefschool affordable to some young people who have the will and the talent, but not the financial means," she said. To make this happen, Bozdoğan, supported by some individuals and companies, is trying to raise funds so the institute can offer scholarships. "I see this essential for the success of the program," she said.
Another current endeavor is a new book project about the contemporary gastronomy scene in Istanbul, "Turkey Season in France," a collaboration with her friend Lale Apa that is being supported by the Istanbul Culture and Arts Foundation, or IKSV. The book will be published first in French, in the fall, and then in English and Turkish. "We have more than 30 chefs, food writers and researchers contributing with their own recipes. I hope it will give an idea about the broad geography that our cuisine draws from," Bozdoğan said. "There are recipes from centuries ago, from the cuisine of the empire, there are recipes from the hottest chefs today, with a new look and presentation of traditional dishes. It is a very exciting project."
Bozdoğan is also working on a series of lectures and demonstrations with Marianna Yerasimos, who has been studying the recipes of Evliya Celebi for years. "She is about to conclude her work and in the fall, we will have the opportunity to learn about it at the institute," Bozdoğan said. "I am very excited about such projects because I continue learning and this is refreshing."
Another learning opportunity is the institute’s occasional culinary tours. A group traveled recently to Syria; the next one, in October, will be a gastronomic trip to Lebanon with Anissa Helou.
The ICI has also received permission from the Ministry of Agriculture for the products, including homemade jams and sweets, sold in its restaurant shop. "I love this line of products, as they are totally hormone- and chemical-free, with no preservatives," Bozdoğan said. "We grew up with what we would call ’organic’ today without knowing how lucky we were."
Bozdoğan has an interest in the regulations that Turkey has to meet before entering the European Union, which generally deal with controlling the environment in which food is produced and applying hygiene and sanitation standards, but she says she is personally more concerned by new regulations that allow genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, in food.
"Genetically modified agriculture is a delicate issue and has to be observed very carefully," she said. "I understand the population issues and the need for nutrition for the masses, but the quality of the food is vital and there are many problematic issues."
Quality material
The Istanbul Culinary Institute, she says, is very dedicated to using quality material, growing its own fruits and vegetables on a 15-acre property with more than 500 fruit trees at Saros Bay, and preparing daily menus according to what is brought in from the farm. "We prepare our own tomato pastes, sauces and never buy tomatoes in winter," she said. "At our restaurant, Enstitu, we do not serve shepherd’s salad with tomatoes in winter when the greens are at their best season."
Eating locally is a priority for Bozdoğan. "I personally support the new understanding that ingredients for food should not travel for more than half a day," she said. "You should eat what is good and healthy in your climate. If mangos do not grow here, we can be without mangos. I would not eat fruits that were picked three weeks ago, half ripe and sprayed for transportation."
Food, Bozdoğan says, is important not just for its taste, but also for the way it brings people together. "People are discovering this now and attending courses to learn different things," she said. "Cooking with or for friends and relatives and eating healthy food at a big table are the biggest sources of happiness for me. The ICI is a place for all who think alike and I would like to have more exciting projects so we can share this feeling."
To learn more about the institute’s amateur workshops and other activities, visit http://www.istanbulculinary.com/tr/ and submit your e-mail address to join the mailing list.
In an interview with the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Bozdoğan talked about her background and how she became interested in the culinary arts.
Originally an economics student, Bozdoğan went to New York to get her master’s degree. "There I had the opportunity to see the world of gastronomy, which was quite dormant in Turkey at that time," she said. "Getting familiar with different cuisines and ingredients opened up a new world for me. I always enjoyed cooking, but seeing it as a profession took me some time." She took courses in hotel and restaurant management in New York University, receiving a degree, and then a certificate in baking and patisserie from the Culinary Institute of America in Poughkeepsie.
Bozdoğan then got married and moved to London, where, she said, "I discovered another world of gastronomy." She attended the Bath School of Cookery and became familiar with the kitchen, visiting restaurants, studying menus and returning to Istanbul to start her own catering company in 1995.
"I did that for three years, catering lunch to companies and catering private events," Bozdoğan said. "Then I got an offer to join the group starting the Dunkin’ Donuts franchise in Turkey. Although not very fond of fast food, I am always intrigued by good coffee, so I took that offer and opened a central kitchen and 12 branches in three years. It was valuable business experience."
Bozdoğan then transferred the donut business and returned to New York to study at the French Culinary Institute, where she received her chef’s diploma in 2001.
"I think there are rare times in life when you have the time and the money to do the things that you want to do, and you should hold on to it," she said. "I was planning to stay longer, but things were different after 9/11, so I came back to Istanbul and started working on the book project ’Flavors of the Street, Turkey.’ I had the idea of making this book when I was in New York, where I realized that some of my colleagues did not know anything about seasonality, whereas everything is seasonal, and therefore delicious, in Turkey."
With a photographer friend, Bozdoğan toured the country for two years documenting Turkey’s street foods. The book was published in Singapore in 2004 and received the Gourmand Award. After this, she began the two-year process of starting up the Istanbul Culinary Institute, or ICI.
Turkish cooking with a contemporary twist
The ICI is described as offering Turkish cooking with a contemporary twist. "Our objective at the institute is to teach and offer traditional dishes and tastes with contemporary cooking techniques, presentations and sometimes modifications," Bozdoğan said. "By this, I mean that we try to give the students knowledge of ingredients, to improve their palates and to equip them with the appropriate techniques so that they can do any recipe and create their own versions. Once you master the basics, then you can do many things."
In a typical class of 12 students, Bozdoğan said, "everyone has the same ingredients and materials, but the outcome is all different." The institute has a library where it encourages students to browse and do research; it also hosts educational workshops to broaden their horizons.
"Some months ago, we had a workshop with the Alain Ducasse Formation, the educational branch of the group," Bozdoğan said. "The chef prepared a dish with red mullet. It was very simple, a very basic dish, but you could feel the expertise the moment you looked at the plate. It had a basic tomato sauce, but it took the chef two days to prepare. Red mullet is a delicious fish the way we are used to eating it, but seeing different versions is very important. There is no limit in this discipline."
Despite all the culinary cultures she has experienced, Bozdoğan remains a big fan of the food of her own country. "Turkish cuisine is one of the richest cuisines in the world," she said. "It owes this to the large geography of the Ottoman Empire and the different ethnic identities within it. Also, we live in a very lucky climate with four seasons and many delicious ingredients. Given all of this, there is so much to do and to improve."
Bozdoğan attributes particular importance to the Chefschool the institute has set up with Istanbul Bilgi University, describing it as a good partnership in which the university provides all administrative services and its expertise. The joint certificate program includes theory courses on team building and motivation offered by the university’s faculty.
"The campus is very nice and students participate in many activities there," Bozdoğan said, noting that all other classes are held in the institute’s building in Tepebaşı. The ICI and Bilgi also have a third partner, the Institute of Culinary Education, or ICE, in New York, with which they offer a parallel curriculum for two months and exchange visiting chef instructors from time to time. "After two months, they focus on world cuisine and we focus on Turkish cuisine," Bozdoğan said. "When students graduate, they can continue their education at ICE and get their diploma as well. This is a unique advantage of our program."
More courses on the way
The ICI is adding another floor for amateur courses that will be ready in the fall; though the school has always offered classes for nonprofessional cooks, Bozdoğan said the new facility would allow the institute to increase the variety of its offerings.
But the Chefschool remains the institute’s, and Bozdoğan’s, highest priority, with its first graduates expected in three weeks. "They are having apprenticeships in various five-star hotels, in addition to our restaurant at the institute, and we are getting very good critiques from their supervisors," she said. "This is the biggest reward and the most important criteria for the success of the program. When our graduates are preferred among others, this means we are doing it right."
Bozdoğan, a slender brunette, is a person who sets her mind to accomplish something and does just that. It’s easy to see that she is very busy and it is not surprising to learn that she is involved in a whole series of projects. One aims to "make the Chefschool affordable to some young people who have the will and the talent, but not the financial means," she said. To make this happen, Bozdoğan, supported by some individuals and companies, is trying to raise funds so the institute can offer scholarships. "I see this essential for the success of the program," she said.
Another current endeavor is a new book project about the contemporary gastronomy scene in Istanbul, "Turkey Season in France," a collaboration with her friend Lale Apa that is being supported by the Istanbul Culture and Arts Foundation, or IKSV. The book will be published first in French, in the fall, and then in English and Turkish. "We have more than 30 chefs, food writers and researchers contributing with their own recipes. I hope it will give an idea about the broad geography that our cuisine draws from," Bozdoğan said. "There are recipes from centuries ago, from the cuisine of the empire, there are recipes from the hottest chefs today, with a new look and presentation of traditional dishes. It is a very exciting project."
Bozdoğan is also working on a series of lectures and demonstrations with Marianna Yerasimos, who has been studying the recipes of Evliya Celebi for years. "She is about to conclude her work and in the fall, we will have the opportunity to learn about it at the institute," Bozdoğan said. "I am very excited about such projects because I continue learning and this is refreshing."
Another learning opportunity is the institute’s occasional culinary tours. A group traveled recently to Syria; the next one, in October, will be a gastronomic trip to Lebanon with Anissa Helou.
The ICI has also received permission from the Ministry of Agriculture for the products, including homemade jams and sweets, sold in its restaurant shop. "I love this line of products, as they are totally hormone- and chemical-free, with no preservatives," Bozdoğan said. "We grew up with what we would call ’organic’ today without knowing how lucky we were."
Bozdoğan has an interest in the regulations that Turkey has to meet before entering the European Union, which generally deal with controlling the environment in which food is produced and applying hygiene and sanitation standards, but she says she is personally more concerned by new regulations that allow genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, in food.
"Genetically modified agriculture is a delicate issue and has to be observed very carefully," she said. "I understand the population issues and the need for nutrition for the masses, but the quality of the food is vital and there are many problematic issues."
Quality material
The Istanbul Culinary Institute, she says, is very dedicated to using quality material, growing its own fruits and vegetables on a 15-acre property with more than 500 fruit trees at Saros Bay, and preparing daily menus according to what is brought in from the farm. "We prepare our own tomato pastes, sauces and never buy tomatoes in winter," she said. "At our restaurant, Enstitu, we do not serve shepherd’s salad with tomatoes in winter when the greens are at their best season."
Eating locally is a priority for Bozdoğan. "I personally support the new understanding that ingredients for food should not travel for more than half a day," she said. "You should eat what is good and healthy in your climate. If mangos do not grow here, we can be without mangos. I would not eat fruits that were picked three weeks ago, half ripe and sprayed for transportation."
Food, Bozdoğan says, is important not just for its taste, but also for the way it brings people together. "People are discovering this now and attending courses to learn different things," she said. "Cooking with or for friends and relatives and eating healthy food at a big table are the biggest sources of happiness for me. The ICI is a place for all who think alike and I would like to have more exciting projects so we can share this feeling."
To learn more about the institute’s amateur workshops and other activities, visit http://www.istanbulculinary.com/tr/ and submit your e-mail address to join the mailing list.