1 city, 2 women, 3 books, 4 awards

It must have all started in 2000 when two curious, research-loving, visionary, successful, and adventurous women came together with the decision to take part in cultural and pioneering work regarding Turkey's local and traditional products within the then-nascent gastronomy sector... I say it must have, because although I haven't had the chance to meet and talk to them yet, I have watched and followed all the programs they participated in, and I have been excited and proud of them; my assumptions are based on this...

Neşe Aksoy Biber and Berrin Bal Onur opened Antre Gourmet, Turkey's first company specializing in cheese and local/traditional products, in Cihangir.

I say first, but let no one take offense; of course, we have very deep-rooted delicatessens, and they are still successfully continuing their work. I would like to specifically state that I am talking about a more comprehensive gourmet shop, the likes of which we are accustomed to seeing abroad, independent of these.

The interest they received and the quality they offered must have pushed them to research even more, leading them to take this excitement to a completely different dimension and causing them to conduct comprehensive research on cheese and write books on the subject.

"BALIKESİR: THE CITY OF 50 CHEESES"

In 2019, with the support of the Balıkesir Municipality, they wrote the book "Balıkesir: The City of 50 Cheeses" after long research, winning 1st place at the Gourmand Awards, considered the Oscars of cookbooks, and bringing great honor to our country. This book earned the right to be published with the "Best of Best" label.

It is no easy task to document how cheese transforms from milk into a gastronomic delight by meeting with local producers and interviewing the masters who bring cheese to life in the villages and dairies of more than 20 districts of Balıkesir one by one.

Like most cities in our country, Balıkesir has a deep-rooted culinary history. For example, while the Kirli Hanım cheese, unique to Balıkesir, was on the verge of disappearing, as a result of these efforts, it was taken to the world's most important cheese competition held in Norway, where it won a bronze medal and stood out like a diva among 4,502 cheeses to be recorded in history. I believe that the first victory they achieved with a very beautiful work written to record Balıkesir's cheese diversity and carry this precious heritage to future generations acted like a leaven, further fueling their enthusiasm and leading them to write two more important books.

"BALIKESİR: THE CITY OF BREAD" AND "BALIKESİR: THE LAND OF OLIVES"

This time, with great dedication, they pursued bread masters and olive producers, writing two more books to highlight the city's bread diversity, its expertise in olives, and its experience stemming from history, and entered the competition.

At the Gourmand Awards Competition, the only international cookbook competition in the world, the 29th of which was held in Riyadh, the book "Balıkesir: The City of Bread" won 1st place in the "Bread Book" category and was chosen as the best bread book in the world. It earned the right to be published with the "Best of the World" label.

The book "Balıkesir: The Land of Olives" also won 2nd place in the "Mediterranean Books" category, showcasing the power of Turkish Cuisine in a competition where 205 countries participated.

I congratulate our valuable authors Berrin Bal Onur and Neşe Aksoy Biber, who not only protect such ancient values but also introduce them to the world and prove Turkey's agricultural and food wealth to the world, and I hope that the support provided by the Balıkesir Municipality for this research, work, and the writing of these books will be an example to all municipalities.

I hope our paths cross one day, that I can meet you, and hear about these processes from you.

If you will allow me, I would also like to add that I am especially proud of these two intelligent women and the awards they have received, both as a woman and as a writer.

Hoping it increases, multiplies, and sets an example...