Gastromasa is getting bigger – TyrkiaNytt.no
Two weeks ago, at the SCWC Science and Food World Congress in Barcelona, it was a powerful speech given by Selassie Atadika, an African-American chef, but she cannot be considered just a chef, but an important opinion leader.
Atadika is a figure far outside the star chef profile we are used to. She worked for years as a humanitarian aid worker in Africa with the UN and founded a non-profit organization in Ghana called Midunu which highlights African products and dishes.
She fights for Africa to go further than just being a supplier of raw materials, she says, «We must be able to say African chocolate, not African cocoa.» For her, the intersection between culture, society and food is important.
When I later approached her to congratulate her after she had finished her speech, she told me with great joy that she is going to Istanbul soon for Gastromasa. Just as we are talking, I get a message from Denmark. Hardeep Rehal, one of the world’s leading mixologists, writes that he will soon be in Istanbul again, this time for the Gastromasa conference. I knew him from the world-class bartending competition in London, he is based in Copenhagen, is of Indian origin, and has previously been to Istanbul for the Gastro-economy conference.
Good news, I tell myself, we will meet again. At the congress in Barcelona, the Slovenian chef Ana Roš was presented with the Sferic award this year. After we celebrate her premiere, she and her assistant Manca Istinič leave quickly and say we will see you soon at Gastromasa. The same happens with Juan Roca, who has been in Gastromasa before. So, one might ask, what is this Gastromasa? But for many star chefs in the world, it is now like a brand name, a meeting of world chefs, an event that connects people all over the world for a series of inspired lectures. There is also a large exhibition area attached to the event, where Turkish brands show off their products, everything from mats to kitchen equipment and crockery. This year, maybe just because I have been to two other international gastronomy events right before Gastromasa, I hear a lot of people talking about the event. It is a flattering feeling when people, including famous chefs, say goodbye and add that we will meet soon in Istanbul.
This year we see that the profile of Gastromasa, which usually brings together well-known chefs, has gone a little further.
Gökmen Sözen, the founder and organizer of the event, spread the speech over to days this year and arranged increased in three parallel orders.