Istanbul, Türkiye

In Istanbul, our special focus will be on Hatay cuisine, the food of the southernmost region of Türkiye. Özlem Warren, Hatay native, founder of Özlem’s Turkish Table and Milk Street Cooking School teacher and magazine contributor, will take you to markets where you’ll select the eggplant, wild greens, peppers, cheeses, fresh herbs and spices that will anchor your hands-on cooking classes with her. You’ll also make pide, the famous Turkish flatbread; cook with women from the Sephardic Jewish community of Kurtulus and eat at Ciya Sofrasi, Milk Street Director of Education Rosie Gill’s favorite restaurant in Istanbul.

Trip highlights: Immerse yourself in the food of the Hatay region of Türkiye with native Özlem Warren, a longtime Milk Street Cooking School teacher and magazine contributor. Tour neighborhood spice, vegetable and cheese markets. Eat a big Turkish breakfast on a family farm located improbably in the moats of the City’s Byzantine-era fortified walls. Watch local ustas (masters of craft) at work making pide, yufka and more. Cruise the Bosporus and eat at Ciya Sofrasi, a restaurant dedicated to preserving regional Turkish dishes in danger of being forgotten.

Who you’ll travel with: Gonca Karakoc and Özlem Warren

A sample of what you’ll eat and make: Artichoke hearts fried in olive oil; Balkan boreks filled with Turkish goat cheese; spicy Adana kebabs; stuffed grape leaves; Black Sea-style pide; pickled za’tar leaves and cheese on hot flatbread; stuffed mussles; pistachio and walnut baklava; lentil soup drizzled in olive oil; Aleppo-pepper spiked skillet kebab; lemon-scented semolina cake.

Per person cost: $5,500 (Single room supplement: $1,250)
Nonrefundable deposit due at booking: $500