Tapahtumakeittiö / Event Kitchen

Event Kitchen is an experiential dining and event venue in the heart of Turku, located on the fifth floor of Art House Turku. Here, we bring together food lovers, artists, curious minds and epicures of all kinds. Our ingredients come directly from the Market Square, the Market Hall and local producers.

Nordic × Arabic

For just three exclusive evenings during the Food & Fun Festival, Event Kitchen invites you to a unique pop-up event where Nordic and Middle Eastern cultures meet through two powerful forms of expression: food and music. Set in an atmospheric setting, the evening combines an extraordinary eight-course tasting menu with live acoustic performances by Jussi Makkonen (cello) and Nazig Azezian (piano), offering guests a rich fusion of flavours and sound. The duo takes guests on a journey through Finnish and Arabic music alongside a dinner created by Kristian Karnell and Omar Sartawi. Music, flavours inspired by the northern landscape and Middle Eastern influences come together to create a multisensory experience where two cultures meet.

Graduates of the Sibelius Academy with Master’s degrees in Music, Makkonen and Azezian have been collaborating since 2013. They have established themselves as internationally recognised interpreters of Finnish classical music, with a particular focus on the music of Jean Sibelius. During the dinner, they will perform both Finnish and Arabic music, from the works of Sibelius to the musical traditions and atmospheres of the Middle East.

Makkonen and Azezian have performed for hundreds of thousands of listeners around the world. Their concert tours have taken them across Europe, the United States, Mexico and the Middle East. They have also performed extensively at state and diplomatic events in Finland and abroad.

In recent years, Makkonen and Azezian have performed several times in the United Arab Emirates, including in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah. In 2024, they performed under the patronage of the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah together with the Emirates Youth Symphony Orchestra. In December 2025, the international premiere of their multidisciplinary concert Lintu Sininen took place there.

In 2019, Makkonen and Azezian received the Finlandia Foundation National Award of Excellence in the United States for their contribution to raising the international profile of Finnish music. Their Sibelius recording, made at Ainola, became the first Finnish chamber music recording to reach platinum status.