Early Republic Dishes

DATE April 29, 2013 VENUE Moda Deniz Club – Moda CHEF Feyyaz Doğan, Head Chef at Moda Deniz Club In the early years of the Republic, the sole gastronomic hub in the capital city of Ankara was the restaurant in Ulus owned by a White Russian named George Karpovitch—known as Baba Karpiç—who had fled the Russian Revolution and settled in Ankara. Karpiç, who came to Ankara at Atatürk’s invitation, ran a restaurant that became the most important cultural institution for teaching culinary culture to the young Republic’s members of parliament and high-ranking bureaucrats. His apprentice, Serj Homyak—who later changed his name to Süreyya—carried on his master’s legacy for many years at the restaurant he named after himself in Ankara. Süreyya, who later settled in Istanbul and opened a prominent restaurant there under his own name, also managed the restaurant at the Moda Sea Club during the summer months. The culinary enthusiasts who attended our gala dinner sampled early Republican-era dishes at this special venue.