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Turkey - Yves Léon

Bailliage of Türkiye
Istanbul, January 1, 2021

New Bailli Délégué
" I will do my utmost to fill the void that Mohamed's departure has left behind "

After having lived in Turkey for over 30 years and having been Bailli Délégué for 15 years Mohamed Hammam has decided to return to Denmark.

Mohamed was one of the 28 members who founded the Bailliage of Turkey on June 24, 1994 and the only remaining active member of those founders. He was then nominated to the National Board as Chancelier in 1996 and became the Bailli Délégué in 2006.

Under his leadership the Bailliage of Turkey has added the local Bailliages of Adana in 2010 and Izmir in 2012, as well as the Provincial Bailliage of the Black Sea in 2018. During his term as Bailli Délégué the number of members in Turkey more than doubled and the percentage of Chaîne members also being affiliated to the OMGD (Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs) was the highest in the world.

Although they are leaving Turkey, Mohamed and Maria Hammam will remain members of our Bailliage. With their decision to return to Denmark the Bailliage of Turkey has lost a charismatic leader, an inspiration to all its members and a gourmet that lives and breathes the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. Mohamed is someone who always had a kind word for everyone and addressed the person he was talking to by name, even if he had not seen that person for a very long time.

On a personal level I know that I have not lost my closest friends; our friendship will most definitely continue without paying attention to the 2640 kilometres that will now be separating us. What I have lost is the possibility to enjoy each other’s company for an impromptu dinner just by making a phone call, to celebrate birthdays together and other family happenings.

As the new Bailli Délégué of Turkey I will do my utmost to fill the void that Mohamed’s departure has left behind. I realize I have big shoes to fill, but count myself lucky for the support of the National and Local Boards not to mention the members. Together I am confident that we will continue to develop the success story of the Chaîne in Turkey.

We are already looking forward to the time when we can resume our “in person” events and trust that in the meantime everyone will remain healthy and safe.

Last but not least, on behalf of the National Board and myself I would like to wish Maria and Mohamed Hammam all the best with their move to Copenhagen.

Vive la Chaîne!

Yves Léon
Bailli Délégué

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