The first of the events organized by our university and Slow Food Cappadocia took place on August 22-23. The panel titled "The Use of Seasonal Local Products in Restaurants, Its Challenges and Benefits" was held at our Uçhisar Art Campus.

The event, where healthy and sustainable agricultural practices were discussed and examined on-site, was attended by our Board of Trustees Coordinator Funda Firuz Aktan, our Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Ali Karasar, Kayseri University Rector Prof. Dr. Kurtuluş Karamustafa, Nevşehir University Rector Prof. Dr. Semih Aktekin, Ürgüp District Governor Mehmet Maraşlı, Slow Food Cappadocia Representative Kaan Aktan, as well as local producers, tourism operators, academics working in the fields of tourism and gastronomy, chefs, members of the Slow Food Chef Solidarity Platform, and local NGOs.

The event aimed to encourage the use of seasonal local products in restaurants, create more value, and highlight the challenges faced in using local products. During the event, the products were also examined on-site. The importance of diversifying and increasing the use of locally produced food with healthy and sustainable methods to transform it into high value-added products was emphasized. The panel, titled "The Use of Seasonal Local Products in Restaurants, Its Benefits and Challenges", addressed the effective use of local agricultural production in tourism and food & beverage businesses. Discussions focused on ensuring that producers receive fair compensation for their labor, not only through production methods but also by addressing key gaps in the value creation process, such as regular supply, logistics, and effective communication with consumption points.