*Ateşbaz-ı Veli Culinary Culture Award goes to YESAM

Ateşbaz-ı Veli Culinary Culture Award Ceremony, which is held for the past four years took place at Dedeman Hotel in Konya. This award was established to recognize different organizations, people, media and restaurants for their efforts to promote Turkish cuisine, within and outside of Turkey. The awards were given based on seven different categories. This year YESAM received the “Award for Official, Private or Non-profit organization” category.

YESAM’s award was presented by Hüseyin Özer, the owner of Sofra Restaurant Group based in London.  Mr. Özer was the receiver of this year’s “Lifetime achievement and Honour” award.

Seven restaurants from seven regions of Turkey also received awards for their achievements in promoting regional cuisines. The number “7” is considered a very important number in the Sufi sect. It represents completeness, unity,divine harmony, development, order and functionality. Seven is also the number of wisdom. Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi has 7 advice and there are 7 greetings exchanged among the mevlevis. Seven is the combination of 3, meaning spirituality, and 4 material, therefore it marks the perfect life path.  

31 October 2014

*Ateşbaz-ı Veli is the chef of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi, and an important figure in the Sufi sect.  He is the first and only chef to have a tomb built to his name. The tomb is located in Konya. It is considered a pilgrimage for chefs and cooks to visit his tomb and take some of the sacred salt offered there. This salt is known to bring prosperity to the household.