The Chef Story

Chef Madiha Turshin is the heart, soul, and spark behind Yum Moments, a multi-layered culinary concept space where tradition flirts with modern gastronomy. A Le Cordon Bleu alumni, she holds the prestigious Grand Diplôme, grounding her creativity in classic and modern techniques in both cuisine and patisserie. Beyond the role of a modernist chef, Chef Turshin operates as a bespoke culinary experience architect; designing private and immersive, chef-led dining experiences where food unfolds as a complete narrative. Her work integrates culinary technique with spatial design, cultural research, sensory sequencing, and rigorous food safety ethics.

From food and culture to art, design, lifestyle, music, media, business, science, nature, and wellness, Yum Moments explores food from every delicious angle. Add bespoke menus, gastronomic experiential dining, and a global chef collective into the mix, and you get a holistic, harmony-driven experience dedicated to pushing global food-ways forward and beyond the traditional practices.

Her culinary journey spans hands-on experience across Canada’s hospitality industry, including stages and collaborations with acclaimed kitchens, where she developed a versatile foundation in Italian, French, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Asian cuisines. She has worked with several acclaimed fine dining establishments featured on Canada’s 100 Best and Michelin Guide list, including Buca Osteria & Enoteca, BarChef, and Fat Pasha. Additionally, chef Turshin holds citizenship of Bangladesh and Canada. She is an official member of Chefs Canada National Culinary Association, and holds the Certified Professional in Food Safety (CP-FS).

Beyond the kitchen, Chef Turshin is an avid forager. She enjoys collecting elderflowers from her condominium gardens, edible flowers from Trinity Bellwoods Park, and other unique edible ingredients. These foraged elements often supported her friends (formerly at BarChef) at Mother Cocktail Bar (Canada’s 100 Best), where she contributed as an ingredient forager.

Her academic foundation is equally distinguished. During her undergraduate studies, Chef Turshin explored Edible History: History of Global Foodways with Dr. Camille Bégin and History of Drinks with Dr. Jeffrey Pilcher. She played a pivotal role in the launch of the Food Studies Association/Culinaria Kitchen Laboratory and the Food Studies program at the University of Toronto (Scarborough campus), under the guidance of Dr. Rick Halpern, who also supervised her senior thesis. Her independent research project, The Rise of Global Food Commodities (1492–1850), reflects her deep engagement with the historical, cultural, and economic dimensions of food.

Chef Turshin further expanded her global perspective by attending Chinese Food Everywhere, a two-day symposium examining the history of Chinese cuisine in North America at the University of Toronto Scarborough’s Culinaria Kitchen Laboratory. There, she was introduced by Dr. Halpern to globally renowned Chef Nick Liu of DaiLo, Lopan, Cafe Renee Bar & Charlemagne Cocktail Bar, also recognized on Canada’s 100 Best, who presented dishes inspired by an 1898 menu sourced from Harley Spiller’s renowned collection, acquired at the New York Antique Show in 2014.

Her creative reach extends beyond kitchens and classrooms into freelance media and cultural production. Chef Turshin was introduced to the media veteran, Nigel Oakins, by her close friend from Le Cordon Bleu, which led her to visualize and bring to life multiple creative direction projects with Koktail Magazine, under MediaMagination, a Thai media company known for publishing luxury lifestyle brands and holding the franchise for Time Out Thailand. Her work focused on culinary, travel, and lifestyle storytelling, culminating in her role as a freelance concept director, editor, and producer for the Thailand Favourite Restaurant 2024, 2025, 2027 Dining Guide and Thailand Favourite Cafes 2024, 2026, 2027 lists, presented at the annual Koktail Thailand Restaurant Guide Awards in Bangkok.

When Chef Madiha Turshin was not training at Le Cordon Bleu or working on creative projects in Thailand, she dedicated her time to developing recipes for her visual culinary concept space, mentoring emerging culinary cohorts, and exploring new restaurants to understand evolving trends and concepts. Beyond these pursuits, she actively engaged in professional development through specialized training workshops and masterclasses to continually refine her skill set. These included a Pastry Masterclass with Chef Loi Ming Ai, World Pastry Champion 2019, advanced training with the renowned chef and coach for Asian Pastry Cup and La Coupe Du Monde, Romain Renard, and mentorship under two–Michelin-starred chef Martin Blunos.

Another meaningful milestone in Chef Turshin’s culinary journey was receiving an Award for Excellence in Food Waste Prevention through a training program by LightBlue Consulting, founded by Ben Lephilibert and hosted by Le Cordon Bleu Bangkok. The program introduced her to The PLEDGE on Food Waste, a globally recognized certification and benchmarking standard that helps hospitality businesses reduce waste and improve profitability.

The experience extended beyond theory into a hands-on workshop led by Chef Amerigo Sesti of Electric Sheep at Talat Noi / The Warehouse Bangkok, recognized by the Michelin Guide 2026, alongside Assistant Chef Guitar Nawin. Working with ingredients nearing disposal, participating chefs explored how creativity and culinary ingenuity could transform overlooked ingredients into new dishes. The experience deepened her interest in sustainable gastronomy and the creative possibilities of more responsible food systems.

Chef Turshin was also frequently immersed in networking with industry professionals across both culinary and interdisciplinary fields, broadening her perspective on global developments and contributing to the cultivation of meaningful, long-term professional relationships.