The Croatian National Tourist Board, in cooperation with the British-Australian production, organized the first Food Box Day this week at the British Square in Zagreb. British chef Jack Stein was the special guest.
In one of the most beautiful Zagreb squares, as part of the Advent festivities, chef Jack Stein, a great British culinary expert and television star, and Marinko Topalović, a popular Croatian chef and the head chef at ReUnion, part of the newly opened Canopy By Hilton Hotel Zagreb, joined their culinary arts, reports HRTurizam on December 7, 2018.
“I enjoy Zagreb and Croatia. The warmth and kindness of your people, combined with a wonderful adventurous atmosphere, leave a special impression on me. I am delighted that many passersby have followed our meal preparation today and tasted it. Their reactions were great and that is the real power of gastronomy, to connect people and culture,” said Jack Stein on Wednesday, especially emphasizing that he was most impressed by his visit to Dolac market.
Fish and chips with @JackStein in Zagreb #projucer #insidethebox pic.twitter.com/KV6BijaZAh
— Adam Batterbee (@adambatterbee) December 5, 2018
The British-Croatian chef duo prepared a well-known and popular British dish - "fish and chips" - but in Croatian fashion with Croatian native ingredients.
HTZ
Marinko Topalović emphasized that he was honored to cooperate with a chef like Jack Stein.
"I am proud that I had the opportunity to present the potential of Croatian gastronomy with an inspirational partnership during the filming of Jack Stein's Inside the Box. I am particularly pleased that the chef of international caliber recognized Zagreb and Croatia as a culinary inspiration, and I believe that with his show, millions of viewers will see our country in all of its glory and thus stimulate interest in coming to Croatia,” Topalović said.
Otherwise, chef Jack Stein is a British culinary star on British TV UKTV and Foxtel Australia's show "Jack Stein: Inside the Box". The son of renowned television chef Rick Stein, Jeff began his career as one of Britain's most successful young chefs, who gained experience in the world's most prestigious restaurants like La Régalade in Paris to Tetsuya in Sydney. His successful television career began in 2017 with the series "Jack Stein: Born to Cook" where he also debuted as the author of cookbook World on a Plate.
So lovely to meet @JackStein as he was filming his new food series in #Zagreb. His Croatian version of fish and chips went down a storm. That sea bass was gorgeous. A chip off the old block. @Rick_Stein pic.twitter.com/CfuKjFqK1X
— Mary Novakovich (@mary_novakovich) December 5, 2018
The event was also attended by a representative of the UK Embassy, Christopher O'Brien, and international bloggers and influencers from Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, France, Poland and Sweden who, at the invitation of the Croatian National Tourist Board, within the #CroatiaFullOfMagic project, are in Croatia and Zagreb during Advent.
"In Croatia, and especially in Zagreb, there are many tourists during this wonderful Advent season, many of whom have had the opportunity to taste the best dishes prepared by two equally top chefs today. Our guest Jack Stein is extremely popular in the UK and I'm sure his culinary show in our country will make an important contribution to further promoting Croatia on the massive and important British market,” said HTZ director Kristjan Staničić.
British tourists have achieved more than 854,000 arrivals and 4.5 million overnight stays in 2018, which is up 8% from last year.
To read more about Zagreb, follow TCN's dedicated page here.
