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.
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.
