US Food Industry's Top Chefs in Turkey

Top Chefs from the US Food Sector Visit Turkey Under the umbrella of Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri, with the participation of 6 food export associations, the "Turkish Tastes-TURQUALITY Project" supported by the Ministry of Commerce is approaching the end of the first year of its second phase, aimed at increasing preference for Turkish food products in the United States. Visits by US chefs supporting the Turkish Tastes brand to Turkey continue. Chef Reimund Pitz conducted visits to production facilities, businesses and restaurants in İzmir. Kazım Gürel, Head of Food Associations at EİB and Management Board Member of Ege Mobilya Kağıt ve Orman Ürünleri İhracatçıları Birliği, responsible for project coordination on behalf of Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri and Turkish Tastes Ambassador, and Chef Reimund Pitz held a press conference to share the latest developments regarding the project with the public. Chef Reimund Pitz also presented Kazım Gürel with the Turkey Ambassador award from the Chain des Rotisseur Honor Society. The US chef also held bilateral meetings with officials from Turkish food companies.

I will give seminars in the US about what I learned in Turkey

Chef Reimund Pitz made the following statements on the subject: "The Turkish Tastes Turquality Project has been very successful in a short time. The greatest challenge we face in the US is the lack of vegan and vegetarian options for dinner. The diversity in Turkey is so great, and it's personalized diversity. A vegetarian would not struggle at all in Turkey. Nutrition in Turkey is extremely good and balanced, and you have plant-based proteins. I learned so much in Turkey that what I saw here was incredible. I have met with masterchefs in other countries, but I will benefit from what I saw here and give seminars in the US about what I learned in Turkey. Your spices and olive oils are incredible. Chefs work both traditionally and use technology. Your olive oil is magnificent. There are different regional coasts and dishes specific to those coasts. We run different competitions in the US and select national champions. There is also a competition program for high schools. There are millions of high school students in the US. You can be part of this work in organizations like yours. Our goal is not to introduce Turkish products to the world but to present them again. Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri, I congratulate Kazım Gürel, Management Board Member of Ege Mobilya Kağıt ve Orman Ürünleri İhracatçıları Birliği, Turkish Tastes Ambassador responsible for project coordination on behalf of Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri, and Ayhan Karabulut, Turkish Tastes Turquality Project Coordinator, on their successes."

We developed a four-year promotion strategy

Kazım Gürel, Management Board Member of Ege Mobilya Kağıt ve Orman Ürünleri İhracatçıları Birliği, Turkish Tastes Ambassador responsible for project coordination on behalf of Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri, said: "As EİB, as part of our TURQUALITY project which we have been implementing since 2018 to promote our food products in the US, the world's most important consumer market, we have been carrying out various activities. Branding efforts can produce successful results when built on a roadmap that is long-term, detailed and has clearly defined objectives. In this direction, we took the first step of our work essentially through a detailed market research lasting one year starting from 2019. In April 2019, we shared the results of this market research with both you and our member companies. Within the scope of market research work, we obtained and analyzed data on our situation in the US market, current trends in the US regarding our export products, expectations for the future period, competition conditions, specific target groups within the country and product groups with the highest potential. In line with the analyses, we developed a four-year promotion strategy consisting of two main elements," he said.

Turkish Cuisine and Turkish products in the University of Las Vegas curriculum

Gürel said: "The main objective of our project was determined to be creating a 'Turkish Tastes' Community as a permanent living mechanism in the US. In this direction, while raising awareness by informing professionals leading the sector about Turkish products on one hand, we established long-term partnerships through corporate collaborations on the other hand. First, we initiated cooperation to include Turkish Cuisine and Turkish products in the curriculum of the University of Las Vegas, the world's number one Tourism and Hospitality school. Then we established a partnership with the Nevada Restaurant Association. Finally, to increase our visibility nationally, we signed partnership agreements with the American Culinary Federation and Chain des Rotisseurs, which award the Executive Chef title in the US. Following the pandemic, thanks to our increasing various activities and collaborations, we have not only laid the foundations of the Turkish Tastes Community, which was our main objective, but also made significant progress," he said.

We are working to enter a strong branding process

Gürel said: "Now we have slowly begun taking steps to increase both the diversity of products exported to the US and their value. In this scope, we have positioned 12 member companies as, if you will, ice-breakers and integrated them into our project. The most important problem we face in the market is unfortunately related to awareness. Many of our companies export to the US in almost all sub-sectors, but unfortunately both intermediaries and end consumers do not know that the products consumed come from Turkey. We are first working to solve this awareness problem and then to enter a strong branding process. Our selected companies have a great task ahead. We believe that the impact of the promotional activities we conduct with the participation of our companies will make important contributions to achieving results," he stated.

US students will not only learn Turkish products early in their careers but also begin using them in their recipes

Providing information about two important activities they recently launched, Kazım Gürel said: "The first is related to educational activities, which we attach great importance to. We started educational activities at the university level with UNLV cooperation 2 years ago, but we are not stopping there. Now we are collaborating within the prostart program launched by our partner Nevada Restaurant Association with high schools to contribute to the future of the sector, entering the curriculum in 14 high schools providing culinary education. Thus, students participating in the program will not only learn about products from the lands where the Mediterranean diet, the world's healthiest eating style, originated early in their careers, but also begin using them in their recipes. For us, by getting the opportunity to introduce ourselves to the professionals of the future from now on, we will have achieved important gains not only in the short term but also in the long term. After conducting successful work here, our goal is to expand nationwide to all of the US, as with all our efforts. I wish all parties well," he said.  

We are creating Turkish Tastes Corners in the US HoReCa sector

Gürel said: "The second subject is work that could actually be a separate project in itself. In this work, we have good news closely related to our commercialization goals. To increase the diversity in the market and our total exports, it is very important that we increase awareness among end consumers. We have developed such an activity that while increasing awareness among end consumers on one hand, we will increase demand for our products on the other hand. We are creating Turkish Tastes Corners in the HoReCa sector in the US. Within the program framework, our partners who directly serve end consumers, such as select restaurants, cafes, country clubs and catering companies with whom we have developed cooperation, will create menus from all the world's cuisines with Turkish Tastes products and serve them to their guests. In this way, we will have offered end consumers the opportunity to experience that our products can be used not only in Turkish cuisine but in all the world's recipes," he said.

We are growing the Turkish Tastes family

Gürel said: "In addition, distributors supplying products to these venues will also be encouraged to demand more Turkish Tastes products. In this direction, we started our pilot work last week in Las Vegas at the restaurant of one of our chefs, one of the first participants in the Turkish Tastes Community. After settling the work in all its aspects, we will expand it nationwide with the support of our partners. We view this work as a separate project in itself. As I mentioned at the beginning, since 2018 we have been conducting work in the US in line with the goals I mentioned and growing the Turkish Tastes family. Now it was time to show the Community what we have been telling our partners at the source. For this reason, we invited 3 major names who are part of our Community and have made great contributions to Turkey to introduce our production facilities, our businesses and our chef restaurants hosting guests with these products at the source," he said.

Top chefs from the US food sector visit Turkey

Gürel said: "First, Thomas Macrina, who served as president of the American Culinary Federation for 2 terms and is Corporate Chef at US Foods, the US food sector's second largest company, visited our country in September. Next week we will be hosting Greg Matchett, a member of the American Culinary Federation Board of Directors and Corporate Chef at Shamrock Foods. This week, we are honored to host Chef Reimund Pitz, whose career is filled with so many successes and titles that they cannot be summarized. The chef served as president of the American Culinary Federation for 2 terms and is President of Chain des Rotisseurs USA, of which I am a new member. I thank him once again for the support he has provided to date and the honor he has bestowed with his visit," he stated.