Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKU) Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, in cooperation with the HKU Special Education Application and Research Centre and the Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Barrier-Free Life Centre, made pizza with HKU aspiring chefs, children with Down syndrome and their families to raise awareness on 21 March, World Down Syndrome Awareness Day.
At the event, which was also attended by Dr. Serdar Tolay, Head of the Department of Health Services and Disabled Persons at Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, the “special chefs” took their places at the counter and prepared their pizzas following the recipes of Asst. Prof. Dr. Fulya Harp Çelik and Res. Asst. Harun Yiğit Alkan of the HKU Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, together with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Latife Özaydın, Director of the Special Education Application and Research Centre, Research Assistants Sevim Küçük Karahan, Şeyda Yıldırım Parlak and Kübra Demiröz of the Department of Special Education, and Special Education students Leyla Beşer, Rümeysa Doğan, Sultan Sümeyye Nur Taş, Zeynep Yeni and Sadık Atlı.
Carefully placing the ingredients on the dough they had rolled out, the participants eagerly waited for their own creations to come out of the oven. After enjoying the freshly baked pizzas, the special chefs played games to lively music and had a great time.
Stating that they were happy to take part in such a meaningful event, the instructors of the HKU Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts said: “We are carrying out many projects together with Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality. We wanted to raise awareness on this meaningful day with our students who started their education in the Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts this year. We need to remember them not one day a year but every day. Today, both our students and individuals with Down syndrome felt very happy with this event. It is very important for these children to be part of social life. We are always ready to support them.”
