Governor Karakaya opened the Ahlat Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Application Kitchen.

Bitlis Governor Ahmet Karakaya attended the opening of the application kitchen of the newly established Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts at Bitlis Eren University (BEÜ) Kanık Applied Sciences School in Ahlat district.

Governor Karakaya was welcomed at the entrance of the Kanık Applied Sciences School by BEÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Necmettin Elmastaş and his entourage. In a speech before the opening, Governor Karakaya said, “I wish this newly opened kitchen to be beneficial for the gastronomy department and Ahlat. We actually have a very beautiful potential in Bitlis and especially in Ahlat. We need more and more human resources every day to nurture this potential. Qualified human resources mean an increase in the quality of services offered and the work done in every field. When quality increases, it markets itself. Therefore, to enhance this quality, we need to educate our youth in the best way possible and ensure they acquire a profession. As you can all see, Bitlis has been rapidly developing in recent years. There is a significant momentum in industry, service sector, and tourism. I have witnessed this development with great satisfaction, especially since I know this region from about 15-20 years ago. Of course, we need to take this further. My esteemed professors, universities are the vision bearers of the cities they are located in, increasing the added value of that city and serving as the horizon and window that opens the city to the country and the world. As you know, the name of the university also refers to universality, meaning we need to bring universal qualities to our city. Of course, our most important stakeholder in this is Bitlis Eren University. The departments that will contribute significantly to the development of Ahlat are the Gastronomy department and the Tourism Management department. Ahlat is a place that has gained serious attention across our country in recent years. To manage this process better, we need qualified people. Our culinary culture is Turkish cuisine, which I would argue is one of the best in the world, though my professors may seek proof. There may indeed be proof of that. We need to present our local flavors to people with a modern perspective. Similarly, with the logic of Tourism Management, we need to embrace customers and tourists as guests, satisfying them and winning their appreciation for our city. I sincerely believe that in the medium term, both Ahlat and our Bitlis province will make significant progress in these areas. I see the infrastructure for this. Hopefully, with the support of our university and other local components, we will all witness this development together. Again, I wish the gastronomy department and this kitchen to be beneficial. We are confident that it will contribute to our students’ training in their fields in the best way possible. I hope each passing year will be better than the previous one. We, as Bitlis and Ahlat and as a country, deserve this. I say we will achieve this together.”

BEÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Necmettin Elmastaş stated, “We opened our Gastronomy department in 2021 and started admitting students immediately. Currently, we have 4th-year students, and we will start graduating in 2025. This is the Kanık Applied Sciences School. We currently have two active programs, Gastronomy and Tourism Management. Both programs were opened together and will start graduating soon. Today, we will inaugurate our beautiful kitchen, which is significant for gastronomy in Bitlis. We want to reach out to our cities from Bitlis and Ahlat in tourism, gastronomy, and other fields. We have identified a significant gap, especially in the service sector. In this sense, we are raising qualified young people who will serve by educating our youth. The young people trained by BEÜ will also touch these service areas,” he said.

After the speeches, the Ahlat Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Application Kitchen was opened with prayers. After the opening, Governor Karakaya toured the kitchen and chatted with the students from the gastronomy department for a while. The opening program concluded with a meal offering. The opening was attended by Ahlat District Governor Batuhan Bingöl, Provincial Police Chief Ortaç Şekeroğlu, some institution managers, and faculty members.