Acknowledgements

This cookbook was made possible by the valuable contributions of a number of individuals in Turkey and elsewhere. First and foremost, heartfelt gratitude goes to the members of the LIFE Project for sharing their recipes and personal stories for publication.

Sincere thanks to the vast team at the Mutfak Sanatları Akademisi (MSA Culinary Arts Academy of Istanbul) for testing and standardizing the recipes, and coordinating the professional photography of the dishes, especially the founder, Mehmet Kemal Aksel. Managing Director Sitare Baras had the vision to understand the importance of this project; her leadership and willingness to engage her entire team in the LIFE Project made this collaboration work. Ayşe Uğural, Marketing and Communications Manager, provided guidance on the publication process, lending her knowledge of cookbook production to our team. Head Chef Cem Erol and Assistant Chef İsmail Emre Çakır worked with their students to translate, test, and fine-tune these recipes alongside our members. The beautiful photographs were taken by Danielle Villasana, Filiz Hösükoğlu, Sami Sert, and Seren Dal, with assistance from Can Mete.