Companies considered Nese’s classes as a great way to practice team-building activities.

Nese Yurtcu is a great friend of mine since many years. All her acquaintances have known her with her smile, her positive approach to the world and her perseverance. I always say “If Nese does something, she does it right”.

So, when I found out that she was giving Turkish cooking lessons to the expats in Istanbul, I knew she would succeed.

Turkish cuisine is pretty time-consuming and detailed but when I joined Nese’s class for the first time, I was amazed to find out how practical, easy and fast our cuisine could be.

When we arrived to her kitchen, everything was ready: equipment, food, colour-printed recipes… She would group us by 1-2, give us the recipe and go step by step to finish a whole meal – with the starter, soup, salad, main dish, dessert- in about two-three hours. She would give us easy-to-use tips that could change our life in the kitchen (such as how to pour soup without spilling it on the contour of the plate).

It goes without saying that the courses were held in English since it was mainly for the foreigners. Her mastery of the foreign language encouraged me to once invite an American friend who was in Istanbul for a few days and she loved Nese’s workshop.  Four years after the class, I know she still cooks what she learned from Nese.

The classes I’ve attended were all-ladies. It was surprising to me to find out that Nese had also all-men classes. Companies considered Nese’s classes as a great way to practice team-building activities.

All this success in Istanbul cooking-class world was due to her knowledge of the local Turkish cuisine and the global practical tips as well as her mastery of English language.

Nese’s follow-up was great. The evening of the course, we would receive by e-mail all the recipes -with lively pictures- of the day. If you were on Nese’s list, you would also receive different information about Turkish dishes in the following weeks.

It was great pleasure to work with Nese. Knowing how delightful she is, I am sure she will conquer new hearts wherever she decides to live.