January 23-27, 2013
Antalya, Turkey
Antalya, Turkey
In January of 2013 Alpine Center, the department of Hotel Management and Tourism of City Unity College, was invited to participate in the 5th Golden Cap Awards, an event which is sponsored annually by the Turkish Chef’s Federation in Antalya, Turkey. The city, with a population of about 1 million, is located on the southern coast of Turkey and is considered to be the Turkish “Riviera” due to its popularity as a tourist destination and its upscale hospitality facilities. The city alone hosts 56 luxury 5-star hotels overlooking, or in close vicinity of, the Mediterranean Sea.
Senior lecturer and chef instructor Georgia Kofinas represented Alpine Center this year serving on the panel of judges for the Golden Caps Awards chef’s competition which was held at the city’s vast exhibition center. Mrs. Kofinas was one of the four international judges on the panel of twenty members. The other three were from France, the United States, and Italy. There were over 1,000 competitors during the course of three days with the various categories of presentations such as cold plates and hors’ de oeuvres, vegetable carving, chocolate, food art, creative Turkish cuisine and haute cuisine gourmet dishes. The competition was divided into two categories: chef students from the various culinary arts schools of the region and professional chefs from the area’s hotel restaurants.
The awards ceremony was held at the 5-star Marmara Hotel where the local authorities and members of the Turkish Chef’s Federation presented the winners of the competition with their trophies and honorary ribbons. The four international judges also received honorary ribbons and plaques for their participation in the event. The ceremony ended with an elegant dinner and live classical Turkish music.
