Sibel Cuniman Pinto is a chef, culinary instructor, researcher, author, and lecturer specialized in Sephardi, Turkish and Mediterranean cuisines. As a WorldChefs certified ‘Sustainability Education to Culinary Professionals’ and Agro Tech Paris certified Food Waste Prevention trainer, food waste activist, coach and consultant she teaches how to give a ‘second life’ to ingredients, using the root-to-leaf approach. She works to raise awareness in food waste reduction and sustainable and conscious kitchens. She educates and inspires people to eat real food.

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Her international charity mission Action Kashkarikas, launched in 2016, collects funds which are donated to the children of the world who fight against hunger and malnutrition. She has traveled the world running food education workshops, attending conferences, panels and symposiums and lecturing on waste-free kitchens, sustainable food systems, and culinary traditions at workplaces, libraries, community events, festivals, food banks, schools, universities, and associations. She is been interviewed on radio, on TV, for print articles, online sites and videos.

Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Pinto holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, majoring in Marketing and Finance from Boğaziçi University, Istanbul. Arriving in Paris, Pinto studied at the world-famous Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts and Hospitality Institute and received her post-graduate diploma HEG in Advanced Studies on Taste, Gastronomy, and the Arts of the Table from the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne in France.

Her catering company organized many receptions, cooking ateliers, workshops, and tastings in Europe's gastronomic centers and contributed to the promotion of Turkish and Sephardi cuisines to gourmet communities. She has been a part of United Nations and Slow Food missions.
 

She is the author of the prestigious Gourmand World Cookbooks Award winning book ‘The Evolution of the Sephardic Cuisine in Turkey: Five Centuries of Survival’(2010) and 'Kashkarikas: Wasteless Kitchen A Turkish-Sephardi Chef's Recipes and Stories (2021). She frequently contributes to culinary magazines and web sites on travel, lifestyle, and food & drink culture. She co-authors cookbooks, writes articles for S&P Central’s online Newsletter (an
information hub for Spanish& Portuguese/ Western Sephardic Jewish Communities), is the moderator of Sephardi Cuisine! Facebook group and contributed her  column ‘Journey of Flavor’ in Shalom newspaper, the unique Jewish newspaper in Turkey.
 

She also runs well-known Paris and Istanbul Gourmet Walking Tours where participants are taken off-the-beaten-track on delicious culinary adventures.
 

Member of Slow Food, Les Amis du Cordon Bleu, Hautes Études du Goût et de la Gastronomie, World Chefs, AGAFED Euro-Asia Gastronomy and Chefs Association, honorary member of TAFED Turkish Chefs Federation, Pinto divides her time between Paris and Istanbul.

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"Passionate about authentic home cooking, I am interested in the stories behind food, as I believe that the best food is rooted in tradition. I love slow cooking like our grandmothers used to, taking the time and effort in preparing. I use peels, scraps and low-cost ingredients to cook delicious, healthy comfort food. I am committed to create educational opportunities and to raise awareness for conscious cooking and and sustainable kitchens.