Mutfak Sanatlari Akademisi

Mutfak Sanatları Akademisi

Industry	Culinary Arts
Founded	2004
Founder	Mehmet Aksel
Headquarters	Maslak, Istanbul, Turkiye
Key people	Sitare Baras (Director) Cem Erol (Executive Instructor Chef)
Website	MSA.com.tr

Mutfak Sanatları Akademisi (The Culinary Arts Academy, Turkish pronunciation: [ˈmutfɑk sɑnɑtɫɑˈɾɯ ɑkɑdemiˈsi]) or shortly MSA is an international culinary school Founded 2004 in Istanbul, Turkey. It is accredited by City&Guilds and awarded by World Association of Chefs Societies for its superior quality of professional education.^[1] MSA’s campus in Istanbul Maslak features professional kitchens, state-of-the art equipment, an amateur workshop kitchen, a bar and mixology classroom, a sommelier training facility, seminar rooms, Turkey’s one and only kitchen auditorium, R&D lab and a restaurant called Okulun Mutfagi where MSA students complete their internships.

Professional Courses

MSA graduates more than 750 professional chef candidates every year. Graduates are internationally certified by the City&Guilds association. MSA also offers program alternatives such as Professional Food & Beverage Management for entrepreneurs who wish to start their own food & beverage businesses.^[2] Professional courses available each term are as follows:

• Culinary Arts
• Pastry & Bakery
• Food Styling
• Chef&Owner
• Food & Beverage Management
• Bartending & Mixology

On Campus

MSA campus offers options for cultural studies, monthly events and facilities for gastronomical enthusiasts.

Workshops and Semi-Professional Courses

In addition to the professional programs, MSA offers workshops and semi-professional courses designed for culinary amateurs. The semi-professional courses are named "8 Weeks in the Kitchen" and they provide training on the essentials of cooking and practicing the techniques of the professionals. The school’s professional chef rooster teach the techniques and methods of culinary arts to more than 6000 kitchen enthusiasts in 200 workshops every year. Some of the popular workshop subjects cover sushis, meat cooking techniques, chocolate making, Italian cuisine and tapas.

Auditorium

The kitchen auditorium of Mutfak Sanatlari Akademisi

MSA campus houses the Electrolux Auditorium, a fully equipped culinary facility. The 140 pax capacity auditorium boasts the region’s only Molteni cooking podium. The MSA Electrolux Auditorium hosts international and leading executive chefs while providing a venue for new product demos and developments as well as education projects for future chefs. MSA Auditorium located at the MSA Campus, is open to all MSA students and alumni as well as to industry professionals and leaders.

In the recent years MSA Electrolux Auditorium has hosted more than twenty seminars focused on the development of Turkish Cuisine and contemporary meeting on the state of professional culinary business in Turkey.

Museum

MSA houses Turkey’s one and only gastronomy museum on its Maslak campus. The museum features everything related to kitchen and cooking, such as; cookery and bakery equipment, old frying-pans, oil cans; beer, raki, water and soda bottles, grocery store equipment, candy and gum packages, labels, cleaning supplies belonging to Ottoman and early-middle republican period, is shedding light onto the history of the industry. The museum boasts a rare collection of more than 2000 pieces, ranging from the final stages of Ottoman Empire to the early and middle republican period, that has witnessed to the development of the industry.

Library

The MSA Library includes a number of essential resources about food and beverage, ranging from academical studies, to rare books. MSA Library carries approximately 4,000 publications that anyone can enjoy. In addition to publications about gastronomy, the library also includes guides, periodicals, and books covering different subjects such as; business management, architecture, farming, green housing, agriculture, nutrition and health, table setting and etiquette and first aid.

Exclusive Training

Every term, MSA welcome international executive chefs from all over the world for an exclusive training to its students.^[3] Some of the chefs that have visited MSA for exclusive trainings are:

Okulun Mutfağı Restaurant

MSA opened its training restaurant, Okulun Mutfağı (The School's Kitchen), where its culinary students are on the job, in the kitchen and at the service. 75 pax capacity restaurant donates all revenue to the school’s Alumni association to provide financial aid for students in need. In 2011, Okulun Mutfağı was nominated for the Time Out Food-Drink Awards as the "Best New Restaurant".^[4]

Program Associates

Mutfak Sanatlari Akademisi is the part of an international culinary school network, including:

• Johnson & Wales University College of Culinary Arts
• International Culinary Center New York Joint Program ^[5]
• ALMA - La Scuola Internazionale di Cucina Italiana
• LeNotre, France

References