The why
As the early Covid-19 waves hit and the ‘stay at home’ started, the kitchener started to lose purpose to exist. We exist to serve, and all lose meaning when the team cannot be, and the guest is not there to enjoy. I had a fear of becoming useless, the same uselessness I suspected all kitcheners to feel. We cook lobster for you while we squat down to eat burnt toast in between sending food out, take the guest and the lobster out and there is now only the burnt toast.
Not a soldier but more a warrior, I may be a kitchen animal and belong to the madhouse which we call an operating kitchen, but I also am easily lured by books with old smells and any source of information that might get me closer to the how and the why. March 2020, I started to gather friends around to talk food and write about it. Some were 19 years of age while some 70, some mathematicians and some retired English teachers, some were interested in permaculture, some in neuroscience. We could not eat together, but we talked a lot, and many humbly obliged to share themselves in the form of writings of food, and their reason for the why and occasionally, the how.
This helped to feel connected, through some form of food, nourishing my soul in the only way I know how, to serve. I did my best to create this platform that became the pot for my friends to put their chosen ingredients in. I have the utmost respect and the eternal love for all that have trusted in me and my (non-existing at the time) abilities to even create a website from scratch, and to form a meaning for all differences to cook in a dish.
The who – as a kitchener
The first time I found myself in a kitchen was during my college years in Istanbul, earning some pocket money. I found calm in chaos and soon learned the first secret of serving food: The gift is not to be cherished like a painting on a wall for hundreds of years. Instead, it exists in the now, in the company of those present, with its colors and sounds and smells and tastes and textures. I found it precious that it was perishable – yet so poignant – what I prepare was to become a part of the guest.
Decided to study Social and Political Sciences after college, which turned out to be drag, as it was not me. When I started my bachelor’s studies in Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, I found my true self once again in the ebb and flow of the kitchen. While studying, I worked in any kitchen I could get myself into: A kebab shop, a vineyard, a fancy restaurant, a catering firm, a pastry shop, a café, a hotel chain… I moved to Switzerland in 2018, and I continued to explore what this wonderful land has to offer through its kitchens.
Each and every chef I worked with, I got to observe the unwritten rules of the(ir) kitchen and the(ir) brigades. I learned about what to do – and what NOT to do – in a team; and how to spot a good comrade from a selfish co-worker that could easily risk the success and health of a kitchen brigade. I honed my universal language of the kitchen in different cities, countries, languages and through diverse cooking techniques and cultures. I observed the lack of common language between the management and the kitchen, and how it could harm an F&B establishment. I analyzed what could be done to address discrepancies that, if ignored, would ultimately lead to waste—and financial loss.
Until my final year pursuing a master’s degree in Preneurship for Regenerative Food Systems, I continued my years as a “kitchener.” As I reached the 16-year mark since first stepping into a kitchen environment, I decided to move on to gain a broader perspective on food production, sustainability, and consumption habits.
The Who – as a project manager
Starting the journey of Whet that Appetite opened the door to various projects (some featured under Projects) in social gastronomy, novel food, agriculture and food production, dietary habits and planetary health diets. All moving in different timelines and all involving wonderful people that have decided to be courageous and put themselves out there with me by their side, to explore the many facets of food to make an impact that pushes the perishable boundaries.
I aim to spark your curiosity and inspire you to learn more. Food, with all it brings—community, collaboration, and so much more—continues to fuel my never-ceasing passion.
Hop over to the Contact page and reach out – hunger is always there!
Love,
Irmak