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Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlkay Gök and the Gastronomy Preference Guide 2026

1 day ago
6 min read


Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlkay GÖK

Istanbul Okan University

Head of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department

How would you describe Gastronomy and Culinary Arts education to a student who is completely unfamiliar with your department?

Gastronomy and Culinary Arts education is not merely a vocational training field that teaches cooking. It is an interdisciplinary field that examines food through the lens of culture, science, art, economics, health, technology, and sustainability.


While students learn basic and advanced culinary practices, they also gain knowledge and skills in areas such as food science, nutrition, hygiene and sanitation, sensory analysis, gastronomic history, food culture, menu planning, cost control, management, marketing, communication, and sustainable production. Therefore, gastronomy education aims to train students not only as practitioners working in the kitchen, but also as professionals who research, design, manage, innovate, and create gastronomic value.



Gastronomy is a strategic field that reveals a country's cultural identity, tourism potential, economic strength, and sustainability approach. Education in this field develops not only culinary skills but also critical thinking, creativity, entrepreneurship, cultural awareness, teamwork, and problem-solving competencies.



What kind of industry will today's gastronomy student encounter when they graduate?

Today's gastronomy students, upon graduation, will encounter a multifaceted sector integrated with food science, health, tourism, technology, communication, design, marketing, and sustainability, extending beyond just restaurant and hotel kitchens. The career field for gastronomy graduates has expanded far beyond traditional kitchen duties.


Graduates can work in restaurants, hotels, cafes, mass catering businesses, catering companies, cruise companies, airline catering services, and international food and beverage companies both domestically and internationally. In these companies, in addition to production duties, they can undertake administrative roles such as food and beverage management, kitchen management, operations management, purchasing, quality management, cost control, human resources, and corporate planning.


National and international food companies are also a significant employment area for gastronomy graduates. Graduates can work in new product development, recipe creation and standardization, sensory analysis, consumer testing, quality control, product positioning, sales, sales support, corporate customer relations, and marketing. There is a growing need for professionals who can combine gastronomic knowledge with consumer expectations.


The fields of healthy eating, functional foods, and personalized nutrition will offer more career opportunities in the future. Gastronomy graduates can collaborate with experts from nutrition and dietetics, food engineering, and health sciences to contribute to the development of healthy products and menus, portion control, recipe standardization, nutritional value, and calorie calculations. At this point, the role of a gastronomy professional is to transform scientific nutritional principles into delicious, practical, and sustainable products.



Graduates can also take part in restaurant setup and concept development processes. Planning kitchen and service areas to ensure appropriate workflow, selecting equipment, determining production capacity, standardizing recipes, staffing, establishing cost structures, and designing operational systems are all within the scope of this field.


Menu engineering is one of the strategic areas that gastronomy graduates can specialize in. Menu engineering involves analyzing products in terms of cost, sales volume, profitability, consumer preference, and brand identity. Graduates working in this field can contribute to businesses creating more efficient, profitable, and sustainable menus.


The relationship between gastronomy and visual communication is also giving rise to new career opportunities. Food styling, food photography, advertising shoots, packaging visuals, recipe videos, social media management, and digital content production are some of these areas. Graduates can work in magazines, publishing houses, television organizations, digital platforms, and advertising agencies; they can prepare cookbooks, academic and industry books, magazine articles, gastronomy guides, and digital publications.


Marketing, brand management, and digital communication are also important career fields. Creating social media campaigns, developing content strategies, storytelling gastronomy brands, analyzing consumer behavior, and brand positioning studies combine gastronomic knowledge with communication skills.


Gastronomy graduates can also work in areas such as gastronomy tourism, festival and event management, destination promotion, preparation of gastronomy routes, branding of local products, geographical indication studies, sustainability projects, food waste utilization, and circular cuisine practices. Academic careers, research, teaching, consulting, and entrepreneurship are also other important options.



Artificial intelligence, automation, data analytics, smart kitchen systems, and digital ordering platforms will transform job descriptions in the sector. Future gastronomy graduates will not only be producers; they will be professionals who interpret data, design consumer experiences, develop innovative products, establish sustainable systems, and adapt technology to gastronomic production.


Therefore, gastronomy graduates can shape their careers as chefs, managers, entrepreneurs, product developers, sales and marketing specialists, consultants, researchers, academics, writers, editors, food stylists, photographers, digital content creators, menu engineers, or restaurant setup consultants. Factors determining employment are not just the diploma, but also practical experience, foreign language skills, digital literacy, food safety knowledge, financial literacy, creative thinking, and the ability to collaborate across different disciplines.



What are the three skills that you think a gastronomy student should definitely develop during their school years?

The first competency is scientific and critical thinking skills. Students should not simply follow a recipe; they should question the rationale behind the technique used, the physical and chemical transformations the raw materials undergo, and how the result can be improved. The ability to access information, distinguish reliable information, and translate it into practice is a fundamental requirement for the future gastronomy professional.


The second competency is creativity and problem-solving skills. The gastronomy sector requires the simultaneous management of numerous variables such as cost, time, human resources, changing consumer expectations, and sustainability. Creativity is not just about designing a new dish; it means finding solutions with limited resources, utilizing waste, improving processes, and adapting to changing conditions.

The third competency is communication and teamwork. Gastronomy is a field where individual talent is important, but success is mostly achieved through teamwork. Students need to be able to work with experts from different disciplines, express their ideas clearly, receive feedback, and take on leadership roles when necessary. Foreign language and intercultural communication skills facilitate access to job opportunities abroad and work effectively with international teams.


If you were choosing your university major again today, would you choose gastronomy again? Why? If you were to give one piece of advice to young people during the university selection period, what would it be?

If I were choosing a university again today, I would still choose gastronomy. Because gastronomy is a very special field that combines nutrition, one of the most basic necessities of human life, with culture, science, creativity, technology, and social benefit.


Gastronomy education doesn't just provide a profession; it equips individuals with the ability to holistically evaluate nature, production, culture, human behavior, and the economic system. Furthermore, this field requires lifelong learning. Because new products, technologies, culinary trends, and consumer expectations are constantly changing, gastronomy professionals must continuously improve themselves. This dynamism makes the profession both challenging and incredibly exciting.


My only advice to young people during the college application period is this: Choose gastronomy not just because you love cooking, but because you love researching, creating, learning, working diligently, and providing value to people.



Gastronomy is a field that begins with passion but develops through knowledge, hard work, patience, and consistency. When choosing this field, consider not only today's popular professions but also the kind of value you want to create in the future. The right choice is not just about selecting a field; it's about determining in which area you are prepared to develop yourself and dedicate many years of effort.

Does the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department only provide culinary training?

No. Gastronomy education offers a multifaceted education encompassing disciplines such as food science, business management, marketing, sustainability, culture, and technology, in addition to culinary practices.

Restaurants, hotels, cruise companies, airline catering companies, food manufacturers, catering firms, media organizations, consulting firms, and academic institutions are the main areas of employment.

Yes. Graduates who gain foreign language proficiency and international experience can find career opportunities in the gastronomy sector in many countries around the world.

Scientific thinking, creativity, problem-solving, teamwork, communication skills, foreign language proficiency, and digital literacy are key attributes for a successful career in gastronomy.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the gastronomy sector through smart kitchen systems, data analytics, digital ordering platforms, and product development processes. Future professionals are expected to adapt to this technology.

It is a strong career option for students who enjoy researching, creating, learning, working diligently, and providing value to people; and who want to explore science, culture, and technology together, beyond the realm of cooking.


 
 
 

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