The TCF Culinary Arts Center - YESAM (Yemek Sanatlari Merkezi) and Nar Gourmet are pleased to present a cultural and culinary tour to Isparta, the Rose Capital of Turkey, on June 7-9. YESAM invites you on this special tour to witness the rose harvest in Isparta and discover the beauty, fragrance and taste of the rose. The tour will be guided by Professor Ayten Altintas, faculty member of the Department of Medical History and Ethics at Cerrahpasa Medical School, who is a renowned expert on the medical and natural cosmetic properties of roses and their place in Ottoman medicine. For more information and to register for the tour, please visit here.

A major grant by TCF will sponsor Balyolu, a project that aims to support rural enterprise in Turkey through incubating environmental village businesses, increasing transparency and ethical production of traditional products while benefiting rural communities. The project uses proceeds from trekking tasting tours and a portion of product sales to fund the organization, and provide grants and incubation services for women and their families to start village businesses. The project's work concentrates on women beekeepers in Turkey's Northeast, starting a honey-tasting tourism program. TCF will also begin to accept individual donations designated for Balyolu. For more information on the project, visit here.

TCF has designated Catalhoyuk as a grassroots education and donation project to raise awareness in the United States about the importance of this site to Anatolia's history and to mankind and to help raise funds for its preservation.

Catalhoyuk, a stop on the TCF Teacher Study Tours, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list 2012. The only Neolithic site on the UNESCO list from the Middle East, Catalhoyuk holds universal value for our understanding of the way of life in early agricultural settlements.

This year's participating teachers in the TCF Teacher Study Tours will be encouraged to spearhead student awareness projects on Catalhoyuk. TCF, a long-time supporter of the Catalhoyuk project, will also accept ear-marked donations for Catalhoyuk from now to the end of 2013. For more information on Catalhoyuk, visit here.

The TCF Lecture Series in Turkish Culture and Art at the TCF Istanbul office featured Dr. Gönül Tekin, Ottoman Studies Foundation, who spoke on “Gökyüzüne Çıkış İle İlgili Efsaneler (Legends around Ascent to Heaven)” on May 8. On May 14, Dr. Cagan Sekercioglu, University of Utah, spoke on “Conserving Turkey’s Globally Important Biodiversity”. For more information on upcoming TCF lectures, please visit here. The TCF lectures can be viewed online at the TCF Video Gallery

In May, the TCF Culinary Arts Center (Yemek Sanatlari Merkezi - YESAM) in Istanbul hosted three lectures highlighting various aspects of Turkish cuisine. A lecture on “Honey” by Nedim Atilla and Nilhan Aras took place on May 8. On May 15, YESAM presented a lecture by Mr. Atilla on the “Cuisines of Istanbul Rums”, and on May 25, Filiz Hösükoğlu will give a lecture the cuisine of Gaziantep. Unless otherwise noted YESAM lectures are presented in Turkish. An English summary of each lecture is provided on the YESAM website and the lectures can also be viewed online at the TCF Video Gallery.

A debut exhibition by Turkish designers at Wanted Design in New York City took place on May 17-20. Organized by the American Turkish Society and sponsored by a major grant from the Turkish Cultural Foundation, “Design: Istanbul-New York” featured seven creations by Turkish designers Hande Akcayli and Murat Kocyigit of Mashallah, Ali Bakova, Umut Demirel, Tamer Nakisci, Koray Ozgen, Erin Turkoglu and Melodi Bozkurt, and Can Yalman. Several talks and presentations took place in tandem with the event featuring Turkish designers and experts. The event was also supported by Armaggan Art and Design Gallery.

A long-time supporter of Turkish classical music education and promotion, TCF awarded a grant earlier in the year to the Eyup Musical Foundation, one of the oldest classical music societies in Turkey. With support from the grant, the Foundation is organizing its second concert of the year on May 25 in Istanbul. The concert titled, "Gecmisten Gunumuze Istanbul'da Musiki (Music of Istanbul-Past to Present)" will take place at the Sisli Cultural Center. For more information, visit here.

May has been a busy month for the TCF Istanbul office with several groups visiting TCF and YESAM. The Community College of Philadelphia, with support from a TCA Study Tour Grant, visited the TCF offices and received a lecture by Dr.Nurhan Atasoy, TCF Senior Scholar in Residence, on the customs and culture of 16th Century of Ottoman Turkey through the miniatures and narration of the “Surname-I Humayun.” Dr.Atasoy also presented a lecture to the board members of Welcome Clubs International on “Impressions of Ottoman Culture in Europe: 1453-1699.” MBA Students participating in the Turkey Study Tour by George Washington University, also supported by a TCA Study Tour Grant, visited TCF-YESAM and received lecture on Turkish cuisine by YESAM Director Vedat Basaran. Members of the Commonwealth Club of California also visited TCF-YESAM. On May 23, Georgia State University students will be visiting TCF-YESAM.