in a foreign city where no one speaks a common language with you? Do you want to find the real local treasures and things to do in İstanbul while avoiding tourist traps? Our tours are designed just to offer that.
Our culinary walks and cooking classes is a great way to experience local flavors and learn so much about past, present and future of turkish culture. Book with us and get ready for an unforgettable experience.
Everybody has that one friend who always knows what is going on in town and more. When it’s about Istanbul that friend is Gökçen for you. He is the brain, the heart and the soul behind Gourmet Holidays. a photographer,dj and all around istanbulite with a travel bug and culinary curiosity.
Strolling the streets of the city for more than 25 years he has appetite for what the city offers. And believe him when he says “istanbul is more than a city, it is a living thing that never cease to suprise”
Having studied photography does help with his eye for the beauty and combining that with years spend spinning tunes in various clubs of the city which establish him with a vast network in the nightlife scene helps him to create great experiences. Rumor has it that he has created the formula for the best night-out ever in istanbul and keeping it somewhere safe.
But it was never about photography or dj’ing. It is always about food for him. His Aegean roots(Mother Ceylan, who else!!) dictates the way he interacts with food and eating. It is never to survive. It is a pleasure that needs constant satisfaction. And the more you share the merrier. He feels that cooking for people is a joy and being in the kitchen is where you can completely lose yourself.
Sanem is the young spirit of Gourmet Holidays. She started to set her way to become an actresss when she was 8 years old but somehow along the path she ended up becoming a professional tour guide. But for her, being a tour guide is almost like being on stage everyday with a different crowd watching her as Sanem tells them stories about herself and her life.
She has been working in the field for over 5 years with different companies allowing him to see and understand many aspects of hospitality business. Also her travels took her to many parts of Turkey where she accumalated a knowledge of what is worth to see.
Sanem believes that food is what brings people together and what breaks the walls. Whether it is sharing a simit and çay(tea) for brakfast or an elaborate raki and meze dinner for hours she is up for it. Her passion for food and her interest for photography completes her as an integral part of Gourmet Holidays.
