March 10th, 2022 - One of the world’s top chefs has been confirmed as a guest of the upcoming gastronomic festival in Istria

A press conference was held today regarding the upcoming Weekend Food Festival. As we recently reported, the unique gastronomic event will be taking place the 5th to the 8th of May in the Old Tobacco Factory in Rovinj. Organised by Tomo Ricov and Boris Kovaček together with programme director Hrvoje Petrić, the festival will host many top chefs of international renown.

The WFF crew has now confirmed that Massimo Bottura, one of the world's greatest chefs and restaurateurs, will be joining the guest list.

Bottura owns several restaurants, including the famous Osteria Francescana which currently holds 3 Michelin stars and was declared the best restaurant in the world twice, topping the World’s 50 Best list in 2016 and 2018.

Born in Modena, the Italian chef inherited his love of cooking from his grandmother, writes Jutarnji list. When designing new dishes, he draws inspiration from everything around him, from art and music to fast cars. Bottura has also written numerous books, is an advocate of food waste reduction, and has launched a non-profit organisation Food for Soul which educates and encourages the community to use food responsibly and reduce food waste.

As a chef, Bottura is known for creating new culinary trends and directly influencing the international gastronomic scene. Nowadays, in addition to managing several successful restaurant projects in Italy and abroad, he stands out as an exceptional humanitarian who tirelessly initiates new actions and helps those in need.

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He remembers Croatia fondly from a trip he made in 1984, when he travelled our coast on a motorbike, was hosted by the locals and prepared freshly caught fish with them. As he himself says in the video published on WWF’s Instagram page, he is looking forward to participating and sharing his visions at the Weekend Food Festival.

Bottura thus joins the impressive guest list which also includes the likes of Ana Roš, Rasmus Munk, Dabiz Munoz, Paul Ivić and Chiara Pavan.

Alongside the top chefs, some of whom will present their unique dishes at gala dinners in the restaurants of the Maistra Collection hotels, the Weekend Food Festival will be attended by many Croatian and foreign panelists who will discuss topics such as the importance of media, the role of women in gastronomy, contemporary culinary trends, as well as Croatia-specific topics such as olive growing and winemaking.

‘Apart from meeting world-class chefs, the audience will have an opportunity to sample top-quality wines from Croatia and beyond, as well as socialise with all the relevant people in the industry. All the things we managed to accomplish with the communication industry at the Weekend Media Festival, namely networking, socialising and entertainment, is now guaranteed at the biggest gastronomic event in the region’, said Boris Kovaček, the director of the Weekend Food Festival.

March 2nd, 2022 - The Weekend Food Festival will host some of the most renowned names in the world of gastronomy in Rovinj, Istria

The Weekend Food Festival is back in style this year! Known as the most original and attractive festival of its kind in Croatia, both educational and hedonistic, the event will take place in the spaces of the Old Tobacco Factory in the centre of Rovinj.

The best of the best, prominent food and wine experts from the region and beyond are about to gather in Rovinj from May 5th to May 8th, 2022.

Renowned names from Croatia and the world will share their knowledge, experiences, passion and enthusiasm with fellow professionals, caterers, winemakers, olive growers, foodies and food lovers eager for new discoveries and knowledge.

Rasmus Munk / Photo by Jon Angelo / Press

Numerous panels, masterclasses and accompanying events will provide opportunities not only for personal and professional development but also for the exchange of ideas and the opening of new perspectives and business opportunities.

Gala dinners, excellent wines, food and music guarantee that the Weekend Food Festival will be a place of good vibes and inspiring positive experiences.

Rovinj will host a number of top culinary stars from around the world, including chef Rasmus Munk from the Danish Alchemist, a restaurant with 2 Michelin stars that was named the best restaurant in Europe in 2021 by OAD; Sergey and Ivan Berezutskiy from Moscow’s Twins Garden with 2 Michelin stars; and Ana Roš, the 2017 best chef in the world whose restaurant Hiša Franko in Kobarid, Slovenia, also boasts 2 Michelin stars.

Ana Roš / Photo by Suzan Gabrijel / Press

More festival guests will be revealed soon. In addition, the festival will also host top pastry chefs and established hotel and restaurant managers from around the world, and all festival events will be attended by the crème de la crème of culinary and lifestyle journalism from around the world.

The Weekend Food Festival is a unique opportunity for all foodies to taste the world’s best cuisines as well as sample excellent Croatian products and wines in one place.

Early bird tickets for the Weekend Food Festival are already on sale, available at weekendfoodfestival.com.

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The team that's successfully organized the Weekend Media Festival in Rovinj for years, has now decided to organize a food festival in the same town, taking place on May 14th to 17th.

As the Weekend Media Festival is probably one of the most interesting media festivals in Europe, they've decided to maintain the brand, so their new food festival is called Weekend Food Festival, and they've been promoting it, attracting the attention of the Croatian and international gastro-scene.

One of the ways to do that is to announce some of the names of the people who are coming to Rovinj to present their skills to the guests, and one of the first names they presented was Josean Alija. He is one of the most well-known and established Spanish chefs of the younger generation, who has been active in the restaurant world since 2009 and has been given awards and recognition ever since. He was recognized as the best international chef by Identitá Golose, in 2011 he has received his first Michelin star and the title of Prix du Chef de L'Avenir(The Chef of the future) by the International Academy Of Gastronomy.

Kult plave kamenice writes about him and his restaurant Nerue, located within the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao (which is where chef Alija was born, and his work is greatly influenced by the great Basque culinary tradition), and in 2015 it has found itself on the prestigious list of World´s 50 Best Restaurants, and since 2019 it holds the 32nd place on that list.

Chef Alija is a strong believer in "less is more", which is obvious in the decoration of his restaurant, but also in every plate that comes out of his kitchen. He wants every guest to understand what is behind every bite they take, how the ingredients were produced and prepared. He prepares the new menus for his restaurant a year in advance, which allows him to fully control the ingredients which come to his restaurant, and ultimately, to the guests. He wants them to understand the effort it took to create his meals.

Weekend Food Festival will take place in the Old Tobacco Factory in Rovinj, bringing together world-class experts in gastronomy, hospitality, mixology as well as the world of wine, oil and coffee.