Kitchen of Heart

Following the devastating earthquake on February 6, 2023, Social Gastronomy Chef Ebru Baybara Demir and her friend chef Türev Uludağ created soup kitchens in student dormitories across four cities in Turkey. Since then, the team of 150 volunteers has prepared over 6 million portions for those in immediate need. In İskenderun/Hatay, they have established a kitchen ecosystem where they receive food items through a network of sources. They convert their support into hot meals on average 40 thousand daily, with the current capacity being nearly 200 thousand.

Integration of the Social Cooperative
The From Soil to Plate Agricultural Development Cooperative was integrated into the process to ensure that all donated food supplies have been sustainable. Established in 2018 by Chef Ebru, the cooperative aims to support small farmers in the region, develop the local economy, and revive the oldest wheat of Mesopotamia. It distributes products from over 170 local farmers throughout Turkey and launched online support cards for soup kitchens in the earthquake region. The chefs make announcements to support kitchens across the region to ensure the reach of impact is as wide as possible.

Kitchen of Heart 
The kitchen of İskenderun was named "Kitchen of Heart" because all operations are run with around 150 volunteers from diverse locations taking on different roles. Chef Ebru has created an online form to organize volunteer participation requests. The chefs provide table d'hote machines and packaging and labeling systems for the systematic distribution of meals. In addition to existing tent city points and public institutions' referral points, the chefs have created a WhatsApp line for people to deliver their food and meal needs. A Turkish logistics company and the Ministry of Youth and Sports support distribution.

Here is how you can help:

Donate food directly to www.topraktantabaga.com.tr/en  by purchasing ingredients to support the soup kitchens.

If you want to learn more, please email nicola@socialgastronomy.org to offer more support possibilities.