Culinary Heritage Certification System Launched with Strong Start in Alanya

The city of Alanya took a major step forward in celebrating and safeguarding its regional food culture this week, as the Culinary Heritage Certification System was officially introduced and applied through a comprehensive round of on-site assessments. This marks a milestone not only for the city but for the entire Antalya region, now licensed under the Culinary Heritage network.

The assessment week, meticulously prepared and coordinated by Alanya Municipality, demonstrated the region's deep commitment to culinary excellence and local identity. Businesses across Alanya showcased their strengths through tastings, interviews, and transparency in operations — all key elements of the certification process.

Certification Inspector Araz Aknam captures the moment for visual documentation at Mukka.

Well-Prepared Businesses and a Professional Assessment Team

The participating companies were exceptionally well prepared for the assessment process, which included both detailed questions and required tastings aligned with the certification’s six pillars:

• Culinary Heritage Preservation

• Sustainability and Local Sourcing

• Quality and Authenticity

• Community Engagement

• Transparency in Operations

• Innovation in Tradition

The inspections were led by an experienced and diverse team, including Culinary Heritage Global Coordinator Niclas Fjellström, Türkiye’s Certification Inspector Araz Aknam, and a newly trained local inspector team from Alanya Municipality, appointed under the leadership of Mayor Osman Tarık Özçelik.

Certified with Distinction: A New Benchmark of Excellence

Two establishments achieved the highest level of recognition in the system – Certified with Distinction – a classification awarded only to those that excel across all criteria with outstanding performance:

🏅 ADİN BEACH RESORT HOTEL

🏅 NOXINN DELUXE HOTEL

Their commitment to local sourcing, hospitality standards, and authenticity set a benchmark for others in the region to follow.

Newly Certified Members of Culinary Heritage

We are pleased to welcome the following businesses as Certified Members of Culinary Heritage:

• İSKELE BELEDİYE ÇAY BAHÇESİ

• MERCADO RESTORAN

• BERGAMOT CAFE

• MUKKA ÇİKOLATA

• CLUB BIG BLUE SUITES

• VİLLA OKAN RESTORAN

• MUTFAK KÜLTÜRÜ EVİ

• ALAİYE RESORT SPA & HOTEL

• ZEYTİNDALI CAFE

• EJDER MEYVESİ

• PASHA RESTORAN

• ANTIQUE ROMAN PALACE HOTEL

These companies demonstrated strong alignment with the Culinary Heritage values and are now part of a growing international network that honors local culinary identity and sustainable gastronomy.

Conditionally Certified – With Promising Potential

Three businesses were awarded Conditional Certification, meaning they have demonstrated a strong foundation and can be fully certified after implementing the improvement points outlined in their individual feedback reports:

• KODAL CHOCOLATE

• KOMBUCO

• LEZZET-İ ŞİNAS RESTORAN

We look forward to seeing their progress and welcoming them fully into the network in the near future.

A Promising Future Ahead

To celebrate this important first phase, a special event will be held in the autumn to honor all certified members and showcase the progress of the region’s culinary community.

This first round of assessments confirms the strong potential of the Alanya and Antalya region to become a leading destination for culinary tourism in the Mediterranean, with continuous assessments planned in the coming months by the local inspector team under the Culinary Heritage Certification framework.

A heartfelt thank you to all the dedicated chefs, producers, hospitality professionals, and the Alanya Municipality team for their outstanding work in making this launch week a success. The Culinary Heritage Certification System is now firmly rooted in Antalya, and we are excited to see it flourish.

Individual presentations of the certified companies will start to be published next week.