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Faculty and Guest Lecturers

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Hande Bozdoğan

Hande is the founder of Istanbul Culinary Institute. After receiving her degree in Economics from Bosphorus University, her passion for the culinary arts has driven her to certificate courses in cooking and baking at the Bath School of Cookery in UK and the Culinary Institute of America in Poughkeepsie. In 2001, she graduated with distinction from the French Culinary Institute in New York,obtaining her chef diploma. Since then, she has traveled extensively across the globe studying culinary cultures of the world. Her first book, Flavours of the Street, Turkey (2005) has won the prestigious Gourmand award and her more recent Istanbul: Contemporary Cuisine (2010), the book that she co-edited with Lale Apa, has receieved the Gourmand special jury prize in Paris.

Banu Özden

After her graduation from Clark University with a degree in Business Administration, Banu has worked at Bertucci’s Brick Oven Ristorante in Boston as a kitchen manager for over five years. During this time she has assumed responsibility for all kitchen operations, assisted the executive chef in menu design and taught sanitation classes to the restaurant staff. She holds a Basic Kitchen Training certificate from the Culinary Institute of America and a Serve Safe Certificate of food hygiene from the National Restaurant Association of the U.S., as well as a Certificate on Gastronomy and Wine from the Association of Tourist Guides. Banu leads our culinary walking tours.

Fehmi Samancı

Fehmi holds a degree in economics from the Marmara University. He has studied Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts in the North Virginia Community College and integrated his business experience with his passion for cooking. He also holds a Serve Safe Certificate from the Virginia State Department of Health. After working for many years in the States and gaining experience in international cuisines, he has turned to Ottoman and Turkish cuisine, with successful careers in Kanyon Konyalı Restaurant and Istanbul Marriott Hotel Asia. Since May 2008, Fehmi has joined the Istanbul Culinary Institute staff as a chef instructor.

Bülent Metin

Born in 1978 Bolu, Mengen, Bulent is a third generation chef in his family of cooks. With many years of experience in the tourism sector, Bulent has worked for Ülker Chocolate Factory in Istanbul, İstanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical School, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Lacivert Restaurant, Galatasaray Island, Kırıntı Restaurant in Nişantaşı and more recently, Harvey Nichols Gilt Bar & Brasserie, specializing in both Turkish and world cuisines. Part of the Istanbul Culinary Institute staff since its inception, Bulent has started as a sous-chef, now working as the kitchen chef of the Enstitu Restaurant.

Feyza Bayrakcıoğlu

After graduating of computer engineering in 2003, Feyza worked in Honeywell Company as a project engineer.In the summer of 2005, with a sudden desire for career change, she receieved her degree in Culinary Arts from Miami Johnson and Wales University. After completing her internship at Istanbul Ritz Carlton Hotel, she continued working at Four Seasons Miami, Fratelli Lyon Lyon Lyon Catering and other fine dining places, gaining invaluable experiences and specializing in desserts.Since 2008, she works as the pastry chef of the Enstitu Restaurant and teaches workshops like Introduction to Pastry and Some Like it Sweet.

Allen Smith

A native Texan, Allen holds a degree in Restaurant Management from Dallas Community College and a Grand Diplome from La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in Paris. He is also an IACP certified educator, currently working as a lead instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York City. Earlier in his career, he has consulted as a chef/food stylist for NBC’s Today Show and has lived in Santa Fe New Mexico during 1998 – 2004, teaching at Santa Fe Community College and the Santa Fe School of Cooking. He has also worked in Europe, notably as Chef de Cuisine for the Nigerian Embassy in Paris and private chef at Rossenarra House in Kilkenny, Ireland. Allen is a past chairman of the certification committee of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP).

Karen Bornarth

Karen works as the instructional coordinator of the bread program at The French Culinary Institute in New York City.  A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Karen has worked at Amy’s Bread in New York City and taught at the Artisanal Bread Making Center in Queens.  She has been actively involved with the Bread Bakers Guild of America as a columnist and also writes regularly for Martha Stewart magazines. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

KATKIDA BULUNANLAR

After completing her degree in Nuitrition and Diet in Melbourne, Australia, Sharon has moved to London. She trained as a chef at Leith’s School of Food and Wine in London and has offered nutrition and diet courses in Kings College. Whenever she visits Istanbul to teach courses on Turkish cuisine and nutrition at the Yeditepe University, Sharon shares her expertise with us at the Institute.
A graduate of the University of Milan, Faruk Dak founded the Metropolitan Coffee Company in 1997. Having grown up in a house where everyone drank Turkish coffee, his education in coffee has started at a very young age. Importing coffee beans from various continents and researching coffee production across the globe, he has effectively solidified his stature in the industry. Today Metropolitan Coffee is the leading coffee importer in Turkey while Omer Bey enjoys teaching proper techniques of coffee brewing and continues to share his love and knowledge with other coffee enthusiasts.
Dr.Nevin Halıcı, internationally acclaimed food writer and researcher of culinary cultures, uncovers the hidden treasures of Anatolian Turkish cuisine through extensive field work and interviews with local women, compiling her findings with remarkable devotion and meticulous attention to detail. As one of the few people who can speak authoritatively on Turkish culinary culture, she is a distinguished cultural envoy for Turkey and for her native Konya. Her Türk Yemekleri Kitabı (Turkish Cookbook) has been published in Europe in English and German editions. Most notable among her other publications are Türk Mutfagı (Turkish Cuisine), Siniden Tepsiye (“from baking pan to serving tray”) and above all, Mevlevi Mutfağı (Sufi Cuisine), the product of 20 years of research, which was published in English.
Aysun holds an Economics degree from Istanbul University. After working in textiles industry for 12 years, she has invested on a dairyfarm and embarked upon a career in cattle husbandry. Since 2000 she and her husband/partner manage their 200-milking cow capacity farm and offer top quality heifers and raw milk.Her herd is the very first herd in Istanbul to receieve the “Free of Disease Certificate” from the Ministry of Agriculture. She is also the founding president of Tüsedad (Turkish Milk,Beef and Breeding Cattle Association) and has played an active role in the establishment of Istanbul Cattle Breeder’s Union. She has received scholarships and attended cattle breeding programs in Pennstate (USA) and Harper Adams (UK).
Michelangelo De Lauretis was born in Rome and has been living in Istanbul since 2001. He teaches Italian language at Sabancı University and at the Italian Consulate in Istanbul. He has studied Liberal Arts at the University of Rome and receieved a masters degree in Cultural Antropology. From a young age Michelangelo has shown interest in the cuisines and kitchen cultures of the world. He has attanded many professional and amateur cooking courses. Following in the footsteps of his mother, an experienced chef, Michelangelo has worked in a restaurant in Venice and has subsequently brought his experiences to Istanbul where he teaches Italian cooking.
Pierre has been working in professional kitchens since 1975. He has started his career as an apprentice for three years in Ozoir-la-Ferriere, France near Paris. After working in France for 11 years, he has taken up jobs in Switzerland, Sweden, China, and Turkey, absorbing the different culinary cultures of these countries and combining them with his knowledge of French cuisine. He loves to create new dishes relying on naturally and locally grown products. Since 2004 he has been living in Turkey and has worked for the Ulus 29 Concepts. An avid traveller, he is constantly searching for new tastes and food experiences.
Born in 1953 in Bolu, Chef Turkan has started his career at Istanbul Hilton and Buyuk Tarabya Hotels as an apprentice. He is a graduate of CNEC in Paris and holds degrees from J.Drouan School of Hospitality Management and from the Paris Chambre des Metier CAP specializing on international cuisine. Chef Turkan is in charge of the culinary division in Mengen’s Izzet Baysal University. He is the author of many text books and cook books
Chef Yuksel has received his professional training in Tekirdağ Anadolu Vocational High School of Hospitality and Tourism and graduated in 1992 with a first place in the cooking contest among all vocational schools. He has completed his training in Eskişehir Graduate School of Hospitality and Tourism and earned the top prize in the nation-wide culinary contest of 1997, joining Turkey’s national team of professional chefs. Having participated in numerous international events and competitions in Germany, England, Malta and Russia among other places, Mr.Yüksel’s career is adorned with many prestigous awards and certificates. Currently working as the Executive Chef of Sheraton Istanbul, Chef Yuksel has taken active part in the establishment of All Cooks’ Federation. He is also a member of the Association of Kitchen Professionals and the captain of the national team of Turkish cooks. He continues to pursue his research interest under the project title “Creative Turkish Kitchen.”