Colombian chef wins Turkey competition with Caribbean flavors
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María Cecilia Restrepo of Colombia won a cooking competition at the GastroAntep Festival in Gaziantep, Turkey, by presenting a dish inspired by Caribbean street food.
Restrepo, known as Aja Chechi, combined kibbeh, a Middle Eastern preparation, with black corn arepas de huevo, a traditional Colombian snack. She was the only woman competing against chefs from Lebanon, Spain, Greece, and the winner of Turkish MasterChef.
Restrepo intentionally highlighted Colombia’s Caribbean culinary traditions, bringing black corn dough from Colombia to ensure authenticity in her arepas. Her cuisine blends Middle Eastern heritage, passed down from her Syrian grandmother, with Caribbean ingredients and recipes. She initially believed she would only be demonstrating her cooking, not competing against other chefs. The GastroAntep festival, held from October 3 to 11, aims to promote the culinary heritage of Gaziantep and foster exchange between international chefs.
Restrepo’s win offers a platform to showcase Colombian Caribbean cuisine to a wider audience, demonstrating how diverse culinary traditions can merge into a single dish.
