ŞİLİ - ÑAM SANTIAGO FESTİVALİ 2024
A Shared Table in Chile, A Global Dialogue
In 2024, the Ñam Santiago Festival in Chile evolved into a global gathering that positioned gastronomy not merely as a culinary practice, but as a common ground for social transformation, environmental responsibility, and intercultural dialogue. Held under the motto “La Mesa de Chile,” the festival brought together chefs, producers, and thought leaders from across the world around a shared table.
On the festival’s innovation stage, opening keynote speaker Ebru Baybara Demir shared a powerful perspective drawn from her social gastronomy projects in Türkiye, highlighting food as a catalyst for development, solidarity, and healing. Actively participating in the festival’s food recycling and waste management initiatives, she also exchanged hands-on knowledge with women working in this field, reinforcing the role of gastronomy in sustainable change.
At the festival’s closing, Baybara Demir prepared Mardin’s traditional Teşt Pilavı alongside international chefs, turning the act of cooking into a collective expression of cultural connection. The table set in Chile ultimately demonstrated that “changing the world by eating” is not just a slogan, but a tangible and achievable vision for the future.