The YESAM Culinary Arts Center was opened to the public at ARMAGGAN Nuruosmaniye. The mission of YESAM (Acronym for its Turkish name- Yemek Sanatlari Merkezi) is to research, document and revive the tangible and intangible culinary heritage and traditions created by the Turkish people over the centuries on the expansive geographies they inhabited. YESAM will develop educational methods to promote Turkish culinary culture in Turkey and across the world with a view to preserve this heritage for future generations. YESAM incorporates three conference rooms, a show kitchen and library. The show kitchen is designed for visitors to observe YESAM cooks preparing traditional Turkish dishes and desserts and is open to individual visits, as well as culinary tours.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation is now accepting applications for its Fellowship Program in Turkish Art and Culture. The TCF Fellowship Program's mission is to recognize and assist students and scholars, whose scholastic achievements reflect the commitment of the Turkish Cultural Foundation to research, document, preserve and promote Turkey's cultural heritage. Since the inception of the TCF Fellowship Program in 2008, the Fellowship has been awarded to 38 scholars, covering a wide spectrum of issues related to Turkish culture and art. For more information on how to apply, please visit the Turkish Cultural Foundation website.

The first group of 30 American middle and high school teachers completed their their 14-day TCF Teacher Study Tour and left for the United States. The second group of 27 teachers will begin its tour on July 3. The TCF Teacher Study Tours are part of a nationwide educational program organized in cooperation with the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA) and WACA chapters. Watch the trailer of a documentary on the TCF Teacher Study Tours.

A TCF grant supported Suzan Bayraktaroglu, Art Historian at the Turkish General Directorate for Foundations, to present a paper on "Two Ottoman Carpets in the Vakiflar Administration of Cyprus" at the International Conference on Oriental Carpets-ICOC XII in Stockholm on June 16-19.

For the second year, TCF sponsored a summer camps for elementary school students and teachers who teach at the Regional Boarding Schools in rural areas of Turkey. The camps are organized by ILKYAR, a Turkish NGO that provides programs and aid to schools in rural areas of Turkey. The camps took place on June 27-July 4 on the campus of the Middle East Technical University in Ankara.