{
  "id": 15456429,
  "title": "Colombian Chef Wins Cooking Competition in Turkey with a Tribute to Caribbean Street Food",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/colombian-chef-wins-cooking-competition-in-turkey-with-a-tribute-to",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-18T17:05:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Colombia One",
    "slug": "colombia-one",
    "url": "https://colombiaone.com/2026/10/18/colombian-chef-wins-competition-turkey/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Colombian chef María Cecilia Restrepo, known as Aja Chechi, emerged victorious at the GastroAntep Festival in Turkey with a dish celebrating the culinary traditions of Colombia's Caribbean coast. Restrepo, who was the sole female contestant among chefs from Lebanon, Spain, Greece, and the winner of the Turkish MasterChef, presented a dish that merged kibbeh, a Middle Eastern staple, with black corn arepas de huevo, a nod to the region's famed fried food vendors. During the festival, held in Gaziantep, Restrepo's winning creation highlighted the rich flavors, techniques, and gastronomic identity of Colombia's Caribbean region, offering an international platform to showcase these traditional dishes.",
  "summary": "Colombian chef María Cecilia Restrepo, known as Aja Chechi, received an award in Turkey for a dish featuring kibbeh, a traditional Middle Eastern preparation that has found a place of its own in Colombian Caribbean cuisine. During the GastroAntep festival, held in Gaziantep, the chef presented a dish combining this traditional bite with black corn […]",
  "key_points": [
    "Colombian chef Aja Chechi wins GastroAntep Festival",
    "Combines kibbeh with black corn arepas for dish",
    "Showcases Caribbean coastal Colombia's culinary traditions"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}