On the 16th October 2017, we attended a press conference for the new upcoming SplEAT event – “ŽlicaMaraton”, hosted by restaurants: DeBelly, Corto Maltese, Artičok, Bokeria, Galerija, Uje. Nothing says winter like tucking into a bowl of something hearty armed only with a spoon. That is exactly what SplEAT is bringing us with their winter edition.
Summer has been epic but honestly, winter is calling my name; living in a seasonal city like Split, I finally understand why locals love Autumn and Winter so much – it is their time. Time to relax, unwind and take back the city that has been overrun by tourists for the last five months.
And when I think of winter? Plenty of things come to mind, but none so much as a hearty bowl of soup, stew, heck – anything that requires a spoon and washed down with a big ole’ glass of red wine of course.
This is exactly what the guys of Split’s best restaurants have realised.
Today, we attended the press conference at the historic Kavana Bellevue for the new upcoming SplEAT events, dubbed “ŽlicaMaraton”.
First off, if you are new on the scene, what is SplEAT? At the beginning of the year some of Split’s top restaurant owners – DeBelly, Corto Maltese, Artičok, Bokeria, Galerija, Uje – got together and created the concept SplEAT which is a series of unique gastronomic events hosted in each restaurant to bring some life back to the centre and encourage locals to ‘take back their city’ in the winter months. What makes this concept even better is the collaboration; every week a different restaurant hosts an event AND all the owners from the other restaurants help out – cooking, serving, bartending… creating an all-around amazing, energetic atmosphere.
This year, the theme is “ŽlicaMaraton” or “Spoon Marathon”, an ode to, you guessed it, the spoon.
The press conference was not your typical press conference and only highlighted the amount of energy and enthusiasm these entrepreneurs have. As we sat and learned about the concept, Saša Antić from TBF played a soundtrack that had been created for the ŽlicaMaraton. Then, a tilt of the head and at the top of the stairs was none other than Žlica Man! That’s right, this event comes complete with its own superhero!
Žlica Man proceeded to tell us how much of a shame it is that kids these days only eat toasted sandwiches, that domestic food is fading and that the spoon is no longer cool…
Everyone in attendance was in hysterics at the whole set up, including Split’s Tourist Board Director Alijana Vukšić.
Following that, the boys all put their money where their mouth is – or should I say spoon? Waiting for us all, was a huge pot of tripice which is as domestic as it gets and, in their hospitality nature, all the guys jumped up to serve everyone. It definitely didn’t feel like a press conference, it felt like we were sitting at a table with friends which is exactly the point!
However, it wasn’t all party tricks, this is more than ‘just another event’, the whole concept is to take food ‘back a notch’, to show that it isn’t just about fine dining and elite gastronomy. The food you eat with a spoon is typically: eaten in the company of family or friends, it’s homemade and healthy. That is exactly what the guys from SplEAT hope to achieve
“We have talked about the concept of eating with a spoon for some time now. When you eat with a spoon, it’s much healthier. It’s hard to find domestic meals in Split anymore, meals like Grandma would make. For example, my dad loves stuffed peppers but he can’t find them on a menu anywhere in Split which is a shame. Maybe other restaurants will start offering these menu items again after this project.” – Luka, Bokeria Restaurant
“And, we all love spooning!” Piped in Danijell from Corto Maltese
“It’s also a challenge for us to create a full menu eaten entirely with a spoon.” Maki, Artičok
The concept is one that they will grow but they also have no intention of just sticking to Dalmatian cuisine: “Macedonia has great dishes by the spoon”, “Thai”, “How good is Ramen?”, “We are not limiting ourselves to the borders of Croatia, we expect this concept to grow…” All the guys shared their passion for the spoon.
The second part of the ŽlicaMaraton or Žlica Man, is eventually they hope to send Žlica Man to schools and kindergartens to help educate children about healthy eating. With that, they officially won our hearts.
The first event kicks off, 8 pm at Galerija Restaurant – ready, steady, spoon! *But, you may want to reserve a spot fast.
Visit the SplEAT Facebook page for more information and upcoming events.
