September 21, 2021 - Tvrtko Šakota earned the prestigious Chef of the Year title this year in the Good Restaurants (Dobri Restorani) selection held at the Esplanade Hotel in Zagreb last night. 

Last night at the Esplanade Hotel in Zagreb, awards were given for the best restaurants as part of the 10th edition of the most famous Croatian gastronomic selection, Good Restaurants (Dobri restorani). The awards were organized by Jutarnji List and the magazine Dobra hrana, and under the auspices of partners Croatian National Tourist Board and Badel 1862. This concluded another selection season promoting the best of the Croatian restaurant scene for a decade. Over the years, it has pointed to individuals and restaurants whose time is yet to come and are today crowned with numerous international awards for excellence. In addition to recognizing the great potential on the stage and encouraging the public to provide an opportunity to these new faces in gastronomy, as well as the hidden pearls of Croatian hospitality, the selection from year to year rewards the consistency in the top quality of the offer and the attitude towards guests of already known and recognized gastronomic addresses throughout Croatia.

This year, recognitions were awarded to restaurants in one of a total of four categories, namely Traditional Restaurant, Haute Cuisine Restaurant, High Category Hotel Restaurant, and the Creative Urban Cuisine Restaurant. Jutarnji visited and evaluated each restaurant according to four essential criteria, i.e., the quality of food and service, the ambiance, and the overall value for money. The final decision on the ranking of the three best restaurants by category was made by a four-member jury after several hours of deliberation and argumentation. The awards were given by the leaders of Jutarnji List and partners, and were enhanced by numerous guests from the gastronomic sector and public life.

Chef Tvrtko Šakota earned the prestigious title of Chef of the Year this year as well, after 2019, which was equally successful for him, thanks to his uncompromising work and courageous departure, but also his return to tradition. After opening his Zagreb restaurant Nav, with each new tasting menu, chef Šakota delights gastronomic connoisseurs and gourmets again and brings a dose of excitement to the local restaurant scene and awakens hope for the future.

You can see the full list of winners below:

Best Haute Cuisine Restaurants
MANO
Zagreb

2nd place
PELEGRINI
Šibenik

3rd place
NAV
Zagreb

Best Hotel Restaurant of High Category
ALFRED KELLER, HOTEL ALHAMBRA
Mali Lošinj

2nd place

ZINFANDEL´S, HOTEL ESPLANADE
Zagreb

3rd place
CAP AUREO, GRAND PARK HOTEL
Rovinj

Best Traditional Restaurant
TAČ
Zagreb

2nd place
ZIJAVICA
Mošćenička Draga

3rd place
KOD ŠPILJE
Otruševec

Best Creative Urban Cuisine Restaurant
MALI BAR
Zagreb

2nd place
IGNIS
Korcula

3rd place
KUT
Zagreb

2021 Chef of the Year 
TVRTKO ŠAKOTA

NAV, Zagreb

"ANDREJ BARBIERI" AWARD FOR YOUNG CHEF 2021
EUGEN ŽINIĆ
MANO, Zagreb

WINE LIST OF THE YEAR 2021

BEVANDA
Opatija

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As Morski writes on the 24th of June, 2020, renowned Croatian chefs from various restaurants within the country which boast a Michelin star have been representing the rich Croatian gastro scene on the popular Australian gastro portal Chef’s Pencil. This is a cooperation initiated on the Australian market by the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) with the aim of promoting Croatian gastronomy, chefs and regional gastronomic specialties.

''After we successfully presented the entire richness and quality of Croatian gastronomy on the Chef’s Pencil platform, the focus of our cooperation is now on presenting famous Croatian chefs who represent our most important gastro regions through their original recipes. At a time when we're hard to reach for Australians and for many other guests from distant markets, this is one of the ways in which we're maintaining the visibility of Croatia and at the same time representing the richness of our gastronomic offer,'' said CNTB director, Kristjan Stanicic.

The first to be introduced was the youngest of the Croatian chefs with a Michelin star, Deni Srdoc, who presented the flavours of Kvarner by sharing a recipe for a lamb dish called "Heritage lamb". Srdoc shared his story with the readers, starting from the first culinary steps all the way to the restaurant called Draga di Lovrana, for which he secured a prestigious Michelin star in 2019.

Marko Gajski, chef of the LD Terrace restaurant on the beautiful island of Korcula, which was awarded his first Michelin star this year, revealed that his participation in Masterchef marked the beginning of his life's journey dedicated to dealing with top quality gastronomy. Through the recipe for Komixa bread, he revealed the story according in which sailors brought the recipe for Komiza bread with dough from India, and then enriched it with ingredients they already had in Dalmatia, more precisely on the island of Vis.

The Chef’s Pencil platform will also feature chef Bruno Vokal from Noel, the first Michelin star restaurant in Zagreb, who will share his original recipe for ''deconstructed strukle'' with his readers, one of the most popular dishes on Noel’s menu. After Bruno Vokal, Marina Gasi, the chef and owner of the family restaurant Marina in Novigrad, will present herself on the platform, presenting the rich flavours of Istria, while one of the renowned Slavonian chefs will reveal all the charms of continental Croatian cuisine which unfortunately gets less of the limelight than Dalmatian and Istrian cuisine does.

Otherwise, the Australian web platform Chef’s Pencil has been publishing content for eleven years for people interested in gastronomy, from professional chefs to amateur food lovers. In addition to numerous recipes, the site contains tips for cooking and visiting gastronomic tourist destinations, the latest reports from the culinary industry and professional advice for all people interested in gastronomy.

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March 30, 2020 - On the ‘Chefs Cook at Home’ Facebook page, you can follow some of the most famous Croatian chefs making magic in their home kitchens.

“Dear friends, we couldn't even imagine a thousand likes after just ten hours of our new ‘Chefs Cook at Home’ page. Thank you! In these moments, we can cheer you up with what we know best, cooking! Stay tuned and let’s cook together,” reads the new Facebook page, which has garnered incredible support in the beginning stages.

A dozen chefs who are not currently working or working with reduced capacity due to deliveries have joined forces to bring us closer to their work, but this time from home, reports T.portal.

Chef of Bistro Apetit Marin Rendic has been able to bring together an outstanding group of big names in the Croatian gastro scene, from which we will be able to learn, but also suggest ideas for new dishes, he says. 

Namely, the ’Chefs Cook at Home’ page has brought together Laganini chef Hrvoje Zirojevic, Pellegrini chef Rudolf Stefan, Agave chef Belizar Milos, Noel chef Goran Kocis, chef Mate Jankovic, chef Ivan Pazanin, chef Teo Fernetich from San Rocco in Brtonigla, chef Ante Bozic from Kornati Konoba Opat and Pero Savanovic, who has already posted two recipes - spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino and asparagus risotto. At the same time, Marin Rendic made Mediterranean beef meatballs with potato cream for Sunday lunch.

The first video, for example, had 3000 views in an hour and a half. 

“We want to bring food, ideas, and ultimately convey emotions to people, and thus move away from stress. Every day we will try to give tricks or answer questions if you are struggling with something,” says Rendic. You can also follow them on Instagram.

“We wanted people to see that we, too, cook for ourselves, for our family, when we have the opportunity, and now is a perfect time. We wanted you to get to know us better and to see how much we actually enjoy our food,” said Ivan Pazanin from Split. He adds that they also want to educate people and give them a handful of new tips.

“I don't know what I'm going to cook. When I'm home, I cook whatever comes to me. I go into the fridge and always find something. Here, I am left with stuffed peppers sauce, so I will combine it with fuži or some other pasta to have a great lunch for little money,” says Pazanin. 

Recipes and tips will be shared with the Facebook audience, while chefs will also answer questions and help new chefs perfect their culinary skills.

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