Orlando Orlandini and Neno Mladenovic reveal what Americans really think about Croatia and why they are so attracted to Dalmatia.
September 12, 2018 - Dalmacija Danas spoke with Orlando Orlandini and Neno Mladenović, two top Croatian chefs who live and work in the United States. This chef duo is known to belong to the real gastro "Champions League", and are among the very few Dalmatians who can boast serving Magic Johnson or Leonardo di Caprio - like Orlandini, for example, who has worked as a chef on a luxury yacht in Miami for 15 years.
Neno Mladenović is a Split native who is famous in Hollywood. The chef works in the kitchen of a West Hollywood restaurant known to the stars - Dan Tana's.
“Due to the circumstances, the restaurant I work in is extremely popular. Stars come from the world of film, sports, and music. Guests prefer Italian cuisine. Various pasta, steaks, and ribs are prepared. We are recognized by our chicken in tomato sauce, stuffed with cheese. As for wine, everyone would recommend that they try a Californian Cabernet,” Mladenović said.
His ‘East Coast’ colleague says he prefers Mediterranean cuisine.
"I work for a private American businessman as his personal chef. I travel with him, wherever he is, I am. We're based in Miami. He is a world traveler and does not prefer a single type of cuisine. He tried some of our specialties, and we are generally based on Mediterranean cuisine,” said Orlandini.
Mladenović claims that Croatia is a hit in the US.
“Americans are delighted with our coast, the beauties of the Adriatic Sea, and with how old it is. When people ask, I recommend Split, Dubrovnik, and Šibenik. When they return they are all grateful and pleased with the experience they had in Croatia.”
Mladenović revealed an interesting event in the United States he planned with Hrvoje Zirojević.
“I hope we will go through with it and do what we have imagined. This will be a Dalmatian evening in the heart of Beverly Hills. I want to introduce Hrvoje to the clientele here, to introduce him to the West Coast. He is a top expert in Mediterranean cuisine. We want to show what we can do, which Americans can expect when they come to us. Before Americans come to Croatia for the first time they do not think that we are part of the Mediterranean. When they all experience this, and when they return, it is a great discovery for them. Hrvoje is actually a magician in his kitchen. And Bono Vox himself dined with him.”
The LA Lakers visit you?
Every trainer who comes to Lakers visits us. They talk about who will be in the draft. But there are other NBA stars, Hollywood celebrities and beyond. People have the impression that Americans are stupid and don’t want to see more than Mexico. They know much more about us than we think. I'm glad to hear the beautiful stories about us.”
The chefs also gave advice on the lack of staff in tourism and the gastronomic activities in Croatia.
“Aspira is a good thing, but we need more. A country that is tourism-oriented must think about more. We allegedly lacked 3,000 people in tourism. I do not know where we can bring all of these people next year because the shortage will be even more pronounced. The state should introduce tourism programs in the form of an investment, training workers in tourism. Apart from education, it is a very important practice. We've all learned something at school, but there is no practice.”
Mladenović finally revealed his favorite restaurant in Split.
“Zrno Soli is a very good restaurant in a very good position. They always have fresh food. The service is great. It's a very positive story. Bokeria is also a nice story, and the restaurant is in a beautiful location. It rarely happens that an entire family runs a restaurant. There are a lot of good restaurants in Split. I'm troubled by the fast food in Split, and we still lack the top restaurants,” concludes Mladenović.
