VIDEO: Explore the state-of-the-art campus at leading culinary school, MSA

Steve Beckworth (CTH Marketing Director): Hi and welcome to another CTH Student Voices film.

Steve Beckworth: If you've been enjoying these films, please like this video and subscribe to our YouTube channel - that way, you won't miss anything that's coming up.

Steve Beckworth: So today, we head to Istanbul in Turkey to one of our CTH 'Gold' centres, MSA - The Culinary Arts Academy.

Steve Beckworth: In addition to the Chef Academy, MSA also have a renowned 5-star restaurant on the banks of the stunning Bosphorus Strait which gives students some very valuable, hands-on customer experience.

Steve Beckworth: So, I hope you enjoy the film, let's go!

Esra Demirci (MSA student - CTH Level 4 Professional Cookery): When did I first become interested in cooking?

Esra Demirci: I think, as a child because my dad is a baker; he's been a baker for around 45 to 50 years, and when I would see him making cakes and all other pastry stuff.

Esra Demirci: I would always think that's art, and I was very interested in painting and drawing, so I thought I can combine both of them and create my own art.

Berfin Izel Camur (MSA student - CTH Level 4 Professional Cookery): The MSA lectures push me to be a better chef by teaching us techniques and recipes, but they're also teaching us how to do well in business, how to survive in business, how to survive in this industry.

Berfin Izel Camur: I wanted to get the right education, so that's why I came to MSA.

Cem Erol (Head Chef of MSA Academy): To be an outstanding chef, you've got to work a lot and I mean it.

Cem Erol: You've got to work more than the people surrounding you.

Cem Erol: You've got to do a lot of research, a lot of reading, but at the end it's very rewarding.

Berfin Izel Camur: Learning to produce quick solutions and managing a crisis is one of the most important things that you should know how to do in the kitchen and my CTH qualification added that to me.

Esra Demirci: When I researched about CTH, I've seen that their qualification works internationally and I'm someone that really wants to travel around the world as well.

Esra Demirci: So, I thought I can get the qualification, travel around the world and work at the same time and gain more experience.

Cem Erol: Our graduates work in various hotels and restaurants all over the world.

Cem Erol: Some examples that come in my mind is like - one of them working at the Noma in Copenhagen; we have a graduate who is in charge of the Swiss Hotel kitchen - he's an executive chef; we have an another graduate working as a cluster chef at the Ritz Carlton in Doha, in charge of two kitchens; another one, Gökhan is working at the famous chef, Éric Ripert's restaurant which is called Le Bernardin in New York.

Cem Erol: So, graduates have a lot of opportunities - they can work in different places, upscale restaurants, five-star hotels, you name it.

Mehmet Aksel (Founder of MSA): Normally, when I had restaurants, we always knew that Service and Kitchen doesn't understand each other.

Mehmet Aksel: What I'm trying to do in the restaurant of the school which is one of the best three or five restaurants in Istanbul, incredible location, incredible food, incredible students, students are serving, students work in the kitchen because when they graduate, they will know that the experience of the customer, the music of the restaurant, the smell of the restaurant, the atmosphere of the restaurant is as important as the taste of the food.

Turan Tanur (Restaurant Manager at MSA Restaurant): Now I will tell you why I enjoy managing this place - here, we try to stand out with a characteristic that distinguishes us from other restaurants.

Turan Tanur: I see this restaurant as a place where our students, who received their education at MSA and completed their practical education, first stepped into the outside world and applied the theoretical and practical information they received there in real life.

Turan Tanur: Since this is an established arrangement in a system that changes every 4 months, I see it as a characteristic that keeps us dynamic and vigorous and ensures that we never lose our energy.

Turan Tanur: That’s what makes managing this restaurant in a system that is constantly renewed and mutually nourished by new people so enjoyable for me.

Cem Enrol: The best part of working at MSA for me is like when a graduate calls you; they can either call you for like advice or mentorship or guidance.

Cem Enrol: They can have some challenges in their work field or whatever.

Cem Enrol: You know, you guide them, you call them, you have a coffee with them, you share your experience.

Cem Enrol: So, that's one of the best parts - having an impact in their career is one of the best feelings that we have here.