David Hertz presented a Brazilian project founded by him, came to know other social projects in gastronomy and cooked with Sirian refugees on this trip.

Rafaela Polo

David Hertz, founder of the NGO Gastromotiva and appointed Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2012, landed in Turkey in the beginning of the month to represent Brazil in the important Global Gastroeconomy Summit. The forum discusses creativity and innovation in gastronomy.

‘I came in search of experiences. I wanted to see the country with hosts that have such special views and experiences in the field with dozens of projects in social gastronomy. Chef Ebru Barak (among the top 10 chefs in the world) welcomed us in Sanliurfa (about 1.2 km from Istanbul) and throughout the week showed me his projects in rescuing the traditional and sustainable agriculture, training of Sirian refugees, education of refugee children in Turkish, olive oil and bay leaf soap production among many others.’ reported David, via his press office.

Besides the Global Gastroeconomy Summit, the chef and founder of Gastromotiva also visited a refugee camp and, with the local women  of Harran, made the bread known as the first bread of history as it is made with the oldest wheat of Mesopotamia. ‘The World Food Program, institutional partner of Gastromotiva, has a cash transfer program for over 1.5 million refugees and took us to have a closer look at the reality faced by these families. There is so much to do. What was meant to be a temporary shelter in 2011 became a permanent situation and another huge challenge for a country fraught with extreme inequalities. I came here with my friend, the chef and co-founder of the Social Gastronomy Movement, Patrick Honauer, to understand the current situation and explore opportunities for collaboration” added David.