On the weekend of September 25-26 the Bailliage of Turkey organized its 28th Chapitre which was held in the Four Seasons at the Bosphorus Hotel.

In his capacity as a Member of the Conseil d’Administration, Bailli Délégué Honoraire Mohamed Hammam represented President Yam Atallah as Inducting Officer. Mohamed inducted 46 new members and confirmed eight members in the new grade. He also presented 63 members with their 10-year “Silver” Commandeur award, six with their 20-year Commandeur and one member with an Officier Commandeur celebrating 30 years of Chaîne membership. In a separate Induction Ceremony 53 new members were inducted into the Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs (OMGD) of which, as it happens, Mohamed is Chair of the International Committee.

The Induction Ceremony was followed by an open-air cocktail reception on the shores of the Bosphorus where the 300 participants, including members from Croatia, Germany and Malta, enjoyed mingling.

Whilst sipping their glasses of perfectly-chilled Kavaklıdere Côtes d’Avanos Blanc de Blancs Brut Méthode Traditionelle sparkling wine or the Vinkara Yaşasın Rosé Méthode Traditionelle sparkling wine, pass around canapés were served as well as tasty morsels being available from various live service stations.

At 8pm everyone was invited to take their seats for the Gala Dinner which was opened by Yves Léon, the newly-inducted Bailli Délégué. Yves thanked Mohamed Hammam by presenting him with a plaque of recognition as well as a gift of two Paşabahçe Nude Stem Zero wine glasses.

Newly-inducted Conseiller Gastronomique Uğur Talayhan introduced Senior Executive Chef Savaş Aydemir and Head Sommelier Nebiye Kaya, our National Jeunes Sommeliers Competition winner in 2015, who respectively presented the menu and wines to be served.

MENU

Çanakkale tomato and ayvalik lor cheese
8-hours cooked and pressed tomato petals with “lor” cheese
milky walnut, new harvest green olives confit
fresh thyme grains, unripe tomato juice

New harvest wheat and lobster
Sous-vide cooked lobster and cuttlefish
Beluga caviar, boiled wheat with sautéed leek
homemade semi dry tomato, avocado, basil, peach segment
lemon jelly, wine vinegar and peach sauce, basil oil
7Bilgeler ‘Khilon’ Sauvignon Blanc 2020 - Denizli

Mushroom and beef cheek
Beef cheek agnolotti, porcini mushroom
last season’s truffle, sliced fresh red plum
mushroom cream sauce and basil oil
Buradan ‘Fidan’ Tempranillo, 2019 - İzmir

Blueberry semifreddo, blueberry sauce

Beef fillet and Öküzgözü grapes
Whole cooked beef fillet, pan-seared foie gras
potato cream, semi-dried Öküzgözü grapes
charred carrot, grape molasses, red wine sauce
Doluca ‘Alçıtepe’ Cabernet-Sauvignon/Shiraz 2018
Çanakkale

Cranberry vacherin
Vanilla mascarpone cream, cranberry sorbet
roasted almond flakes, cranberry marmalade, meringue

Petit four
Pistachio bitter on chocolate sycamore leaf
Arcadia ‘333’ Botrytis Sauvignon Blanc
Late Harvest 2013 - Kırklareli

At the end of the dinner Bailli Délégué Yves Léon called his fellow National Board Members to the stage to thank the kitchen and service brigades who had lined up in the ballroom to receive a standing ovation. Recognition certificates were given, amongst others, to newly-promoted Officier Maître Restaurateur Serap Akkuş Senior Director of Food and Beverage, and the newly-promoted Maître Rôtisseur Savaş Aydemir, Senior Executive Chef.

A plaque of recognition was given with special thanks for the wonderful evening to Tarek Mourad, Senior General Manager of the Four Seasons at the Bosphorus Hotel.

The following morning nearly 50 participants enjoyed the sunshine, each other’s company, and the wonderfully rich ‘Farewell Brunch’ along the Bosphorus.

Vive la Chaîne!

Yves Léon
Bailli Délégué