Maria Ekmekçioğlu was born in the Kandilli district of Istanbul, on the shores of the Bosphorus. Her mother’s family comes from Istanbul and Thessaloniki, while her father’s side originates from Safranbolu. The family’s roots trace back to the year 1713.

She lived in Thessaloniki for thirteen years, where she pursued her studies in interior design. During this period, she married and became the mother of three sons. After her separation, she returned to Istanbul and opened a series of restaurants under the name “Maria’s Garden.”

In addition to being the chef of her restaurants, Maria Ekmekçioğlu has also been active in television. She hosted the popular Turkish TV show “Lezzet Büyücüsü” (The Taste Wizard) and produced the long-running Greek television program “From Istanbul to Anatolia,” which aired for eight years.

She currently lectures at Okan University and is a member of both the Mutfak Dostları Derneği (Friends of the Kitchen Association) and the Chaine des Rotisseurs culinary society.

Her work as an author includes four books published by İnkılap Publishing House in Turkey and three books published in Greece, all focusing on culinary traditions and travel experiences.

Born in Istanbul in 1980, Levon Bağış developed an interest in wine while studying Public Administration. He co-founded Kav Butik, Turkey’s first chain of wine boutiques, and later served as Marketing Coordinator at Kavaklıdere Wines. In 2006, he created the Kavekol training program and authored The ABC of Wine.

He has contributed to projects such as Yeni Yerel Sohbetler and Gastronomika, and lectured on “Beverages and Drinking Culture” at Okan University’s Gastronomy Department. Bağış is a jury member for both the Turkey Sommelier Competition and the International Wine Challenge in London.

He is a co-founder of Foxy, a wine bistro focusing on local grape varieties, and Yaban Kolektif, a project producing wines from indigenous Anatolian grapes. He also helped establish Heritage Vines of Türkiye, dedicated to preserving the country’s historic vineyards.

His writings have appeared in Karaf, Feed, and Ot magazines, as well as in Oksijen and Agos newspapers. His food culture essays from Agos were compiled in the book Obur Yazılar, published by Aras Publishing.

Kevin Reichley served in the United States Army from 1970 – 1973. He was based at Diogenes Station in Sinop for 16 months, April 1972 – August 1973. He lived in Aktan Apartments on İskele Caddesi. During that time, he made many friendships with Sinopians and still has many old friends in Sinop. Kevin has fond memories of Sinop and is very grateful for how well the Sinopians treated him and other American soldiers.

Kevin has a B.A. in Urban Studies from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He also has a law degree from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. During his career, Kevin was an attorney and business executive. He later founded and owned a computer systems consulting company. He is now retired and lives near Columbus, Ohio.

He visited Sinop in 2023 with his youngest son, Stephen, to meet with old and new friends, and to see how much Sinop changed in 50 years. This month, he returned to Sinop with three other former American soldiers who served on Diogenes Station in the 1970’s. In the future, Kevin hopes to bring to Sinop many other former American soldiers who served on Diogenes Station.

After completing her secondary education, the artist, who wished to turn her talent and passion for music into a professional career, took her first step in music education by winning a place in the Light Western Music Department at the Müjdat Gezen Arts Centre. Following the fundamental training and stage experience she gained there, her talent and success earned her a full scholarship to Istanbul Bilgi University.

During his university education, he focused on vocal performance and studied vocal techniques with Nükhet Ruacan, one of the leading names in Turkish jazz music. At the same time, she enriched her musical knowledge by taking classes in ensemble, harmony, and solfège from musicians such as Selen Gülün, Randy Esen, Ömer Demirer, Donovon Mixon, Ayşe Özbekligil, Raci Pişmişoğlu, Ricky Ford, and Can Kozlu, who were important educators of the period and field. This multifaceted educational process gave her a deep understanding of both jazz and different music genres.

Parallel to her education, the artist also increased her stage experience and developed various projects based on the idea of combining jazz music with Turkish lyrics, giving concerts as part of these projects. During this period, he was also actively involved in Classical Turkish Music choirs, participating in numerous concerts both as a choir member and as a soloist.

An important step in his musical career was his participation in various live recording projects with the TRT Light Western Music and Jazz Orchestra. The artist, who won the admiration of listeners with his smooth, clear and impressive voice, shared his idea of making his own album with jazz guitarist Cem Tuncer. This idea soon turned into a concrete project.

Joining forces with valuable musicians such as Erbil Doğan, Kağan Yıldız, Ediz Hafızoğlu and Genco Arı, alongside Cem Tuncer, the artist released his first album, Jazz İstanbul Volume 1, in January 2008. The album was prepared with an original approach that blended jazz with local elements and was well received in music circles.

Throughout his artistic career, the artist has performed at numerous different venues and festivals, and also serves as a soloist with the Istanbul 12 Orchestra. With both his stage performances and his meticulous studio work, he continues to be one of the most original and respected representatives of Turkish jazz music.

İklim Tamkan, a native of Turkey’s Aegean coastal metropolis of Izmir, began her musical journey at the Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory. She then took her studies abroad—first in Vienna and later at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, where she pursued programs in Piano Solo, Piano Pedagogy, and Harpsichord Solo.

Iklim has performed recitals and chamber music concerts in Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Slovenia, and Germany. Throughout her studies, she earned various awards and scholarships, receiving recognition from institutions such as the Austrian State, the International Kiwanis Club, and the Martha Debelli Foundation.

After returning to Turkey, she appeared in numerous national and international festivals. Committed to promoting harpsichord music, she has performed solo (on harpsichord, piano, and church organ) and in ensemble concerts across Turkey, particularly in Istanbul. Alongside renowned organ and harpsichord artist Márton Borsányi, she has premiered several works in Istanbul.

At international music festivals, Iklim collaborated with her dear friend, mezzo-soprano Senem
Demircioglu, on the project Siirli Sarkilar (Poetic Songs), recording the album in October 2016. This project and its arrangements caught the attention of renowned pianist Fazil Say, who took on the role of producer for the duo’s album Ilk Atlas. Released by Ada Muzik in March 2017, the album was made available on all digital platforms, as well as in CD and LP formats.Tamkan personally arranged all of her subsequent recordings.

Following the release, the Iklim and Senem expanded their repertoire to include a diverse selection of works, ranging from folk songs to classical pieces, and they continue to perform together regularly.

Say also composed his Goldberg in Istanbul Op. 94 —his first-ever composition for the harpsichord — for Iklim and dedicated the composition to her. Her premiere performance of this remarkable work received high praise internationally, and it was published worldwide by Schott Music. The European premiere of the piece took place in October 2024 in Spain, during the 40th anniversary jubilee concert of the veteran harpsichordist Titus Crijnen.

Iklim also brings her artistry to the stage with Yarina Davet, Nazim Hikmet (Invitation to Tomorrow, Nazım Hikmet), a musical performance featuring actor Yetkin Dikinciler and mezzo-soprano Senem Demircioglu. This project continues to be staged both in Turkey and abroad.

Tamkan’s piano performance, paired with Ertan Tekin’s duduk, was featured in the track Zaman, used in the Turkish series Şahsiyet, which IMDb ranked as the greatest Turkish series of all time. The duo also collaborated on singles such as Vahram and Voice of Angels.
In 2025, Tamkan released Soft Reflections, a five-track solo piano album under the Garaj Müzik label.

Dedicated to Oscar Peterson, this work blends the spirit of jazz with a minimalist approach, drawing significant attention.

Throughout her musical career, İklim Tamkan has not only performed classical music but also garnered notice for her interest in traditional and folk music and instruments.
Reflecting her political stance in her musical journey, she aims to bring traditional sounds to contemporary audiences in collaboration with friends from “minority” communities in her country, while also supporting human rights struggles worldwide.

In addition to her improvisations, İklim Tamkan composes music for films, documentaries, theater
productions, video art, and short films. She teaches her wonderful students and strives to share the full spectrum of colors and brilliance of her unique universe with her audience through her performances.

Having worked both as an editor and writer for long years for several magazines, Hulya Eksigil was the writer of food pages in Milliyet Arts Magazine for 20 years. She has two books called ‘Dilim Gülümsüyo!’ and ‘İyi Bir Yemek’ on food culture and has contributed to many books with her articles on different topics. For the last 12 years she is trying to introduce the opulence of Turkish Cuisine to her guests both as the food guide of Context Travel company and privately.

She was the field coordinator of the Istanbul episode of ‘Food Lover's Guide to the Planet', a documentary for Gourmet magazine and broadcast by National Geographic TV. For Travel Chanel she hosted Istanbul section of Street Eats-Europe’. She did the home cooking part of Mit Tim Raue - Istanbul Teil. During a period she lived in Montreal, gave Turkish Cooking Classes to food lover Canadians.

Today, she co-produces and hosts the culinary podcast “Yedik İçtik” (“We Ate and Drank”) together with Deniz Alphan.

Hazar Kaba was born in Lefkosia, Cyprus. He completed his BA, MA, and PhD in Classical Archaeology at Ankara University and is currently an Associate Professor of Classical Archaeology at Sinop University.

He has participated in numerous archaeological surveys and excavations across Cyprus and Türkiye between 2003 and 2022. Since 2022, he has been the co-director of a joint American–Turkish research initiative at Notion in western Türkiye. He is the recipient of several distinguished fellowships, including the AKMED 2021 Post-doctoral Fellowship, the 2024 Getty Villa Research Fellowship for the Anatolia Program, the 2024 ARIT Hanfmann–Mellink Research Fellowship, and the 2025 MAT Large Grant Research Fellowship.

His research interests centre on various archaeological aspects of death and burial practices in the Classical world, spanning a broad geography from Cyprus and the Troad to the Black Sea. Recently, his studies have focused on the elite domestic architecture and households of Late Classical–Hellenistic Sinope.

She was born in Istanbul. She graduated from the Turkish Folk Dance Department of the Istanbul Technical University State Conservatory of Turkish Music. For many years, he worked as an instructor and choreographer in the fields of dance, modern dance, and ballet. Believing in the healing power of art, he received training in creative drama and art therapy and particularly after the 6 February earthquake, conducted voluntary art therapy workshops for children and adults in Hatay.

After completing the Photography and Cinematography Department at Anadolu University, she strengthened his visual narrative skills and turned to documentary work. She contributed to the creation of an environmental and social documentary, ‘Hızır7Gün’, which addresses the struggles of fish farms, quarries, and maritime workers.

She views art as a field that bridges the gap between people, nature, and society, and continues her work with this perspective.

Emine Kuruoğlu was born in Sinop into a fishing family known as the ‘Dangazlar’. Growing up as the daughter of fisherman Ahmet Kuruoğlu, she spent much of her childhood among the local fishing community. During her middle and high school years, she worked in small fishing shops where, under her father’s guidance, she learned to make fishing tackle sets called çapari. She also assisted her father in selling fishing nets, lead weights, ropes, floats, and other marine supplies. Her passion for fish cuisine and the craft of making lakerda (salted fish) began at an early age, as she learned traditional recipes from her mother.

After completing her early education, she moved to İstanbul to study at İstanbul Technical University (İTÜ), faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. Upon graduation, she first worked as an academic at the Universtiy and later pursued a professional career in the private sector. She completed her Ph. D. on Talent Management and earned the title of Doctor from İTÜ. She founded her own company, EVRENSEL, providing consultancy and mentorship services. Although she continued her professional life in İstanbul, she always maintained a strong connection with Sinop. She frequently visited her family to relive the warm and joyful atmosphere of her fisherman’s home. Drawing inspiration from her roots, Emine often prepared traditional Sinop fish dishes and lakerda in İstanbul, sharing them with her friends around cheerful tables.

With a deep commitment to preserving her ancestral heritage, she established EVRENSEL HOUSE, a new company supported by KOSGEB (Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization of Turkey). The goal of this initiative was to offer guests an authentic experience of the Sinop fishing family culture within the concept of experiential tourism. With great support from her mother, Müjgan Kuruoğlu, she began organizing the Sinop Fish Workshops. She hosted participants in her family home in Sinop, welcoming small groups of 5–8 people, often from academic, professional, and business networks connected to her consultancy work. Emine designed the Sinop Fish Workshops as a full experience: fishing in the sea with nets, cooking the catch together according to traditional Sinop fisherman’s home recipes, and enjoying the meal around a warm and friendly table filled with conversation. To allow guests to fully experience Sinop’s atmosphere, she also included cultural and historical tours in the program. The workshops introduced various themes such as bonito fishing and lakerda making, set net fishing (salma ağı), and turbot fishing, each highlighting a unique aspect of Sinop’s fishing tradition. Today, Emine Kuruoğlu continues to serve as a bridge between the past and the future, between the local and the global, keeping Sinop’s fishing and culinary heritage alive through her Sinop Fish Workshops.

Born in Istanbul on 3 November 1974, Elvan Uysal Bottoni is an author, gastronomy researcher, taster and cultural commentator who is active in both Turkey and Italy. After graduating from Hacettepe University's Department of English Language and Literature, she held various positions in the written and visual press. She has been living in Rome since 2000.

Uysal Bottoni began her career with children's books and later became known for her works on gastronomy and culture. Her notable works include Mamma Mia – A Lot About Italian Cuisine, If I Were Italian in a Raki Bottle, Grapes and People – Mother Earth, Father Vineyard, and Olive and Leopard – The Olive's Journey to Becoming Oil. In her writings, she focuses particularly on the culinary cultures of different regions of Italy, delving deeply into local traditions and recipes and sharing her tasting experiences with her readers.

Also active in the media sector, Uysal Bottoni has served as Turkish Broadcast Manager for the Alice television channel and as program coordinator for National Geographic Channel Turkey and National Geographic WILD Italy. Combining her academic and field experience, she continues her work introducing Italian culinary culture to Turkish readers.