About
Retired Naval Officer choosed the path to explore food. Growing up on the Mediterranean Coast, had everyday life revolved around food and the ancient hubs of olive oil and wine. Her fork to plate journey started with organic farming and olive oil producing after her retirement from the Navy which lead her get a culinary training in Italy. Studying Italian Cuisine and Wine Masters Program at Italian Culinary Institute in Calabria/Italy after her retirement led her became International Culinary Competitor, Culinary Instructor and International Public Relations Director of AREGALA Culinary Assosiation.
She loves entertaining through local food themed experiences and teaches food from the heart all around the world. She is a food activist who has been involved in food production lately while trying to assure food quality, food safety and sustainability both in North of 60 in Yukon and in Northern Aegean Coast of Turkey.
Now she's getting ready to launch her farm to table restaurant in Turkey, on the coast of Northern Aegean, where she calls "her heaven". She names the restaurant "DELICE" which means "Wild Olive Tree" what is believed to be sacred and being the symbol of peace and friendship as well as being evergreen, hardy and indestructible. She also wishes to create a similiar setting in the Yukon where she can share the experince of wild food with her guests.
She created her brand "DéliceByBerna" where she shares the food she's producing both in Canada and Turkey.
INTERNATINAL CULINARY ACTIVITIES AND AWARDS
· 2 Gold Medals in 2016 GOURMONDE, Mendoza, Argentina, 13-17 September 2016 held by AREGALA International Gastronomic association.
· Person of the year for representing the Turkish Culture, 5 October 2016 by Cleaner Magazine, Turkey,
· Guest lecturer at the Gwangju University on Turkish Cuisine.
. Certificate of Professor in Culinary Arts by Gwangju University, South Korea.
· Honorary Life Time Membership and medal by Korea Culinary Art Industry Association for teaching a cooking class during World Kimchi Festival World Cooking Contest, Gwangju, South Korea, 15-22 November 2016
· Honarary Member of Gastronomy Association of Greece, November 2016
· Certificate of Appreciation by Croatian Chef Association, November 2016
· “Best Business Woman and Entrepreneur of the year” by Rotary Club, Turkey, 18 January 2017
· Culinary Ambassador of Italian Cuisine in USA by CUISINE Italian Master Chef Association, March 2017
· Remerciement for acting as a judge during International Festival Du Pain, Tunisia, 15-23 April 2017
· Gold Medal in 2018 GOURMONDE, San Sebastian, Spain, 22-25 March 2018 held by AREGALA International Gastronomic association.
· Gold Medal in 2018 GOURMONDE, Mendoza, Argentina, 27-29 September 2018 held by AREGALA International Gastronomic association.
· “Clase Magistral” Instructor Certificate and Certificate of Appreciation as “Delegado” by Federation Culinaria De Cuba and World Association of Chefs Societies, Havana, Cuba, 14-18 October 2019
HAS TO BE ETHIC, HAS TO BE CLEAN, HAS TO BE SUSTAINABLE
Quality of ingredients is the most important factor in a flavorful food. We ensure that you start with quality ingredient to impart the desired flavor. While doing this we have to be mindful, ethic and care about sustainability.
Remember; we do not inherit the world from our ancestors, we borrow them from our children...
where lies the secret?
Starting with the right ingredient is not enough. Endless work on perfecting the techniques and explore to find unique ingredients combined with the understanding of the perfect taste profile results with delicious creations.