Istria Gourmet Festival brought renowned Michelin star chefs to Rovinj on October 30, 2017
The gastronomy scene in Istria is firing on all cylinders these days. Multiple food festivals dedicated to wine, truffles and other gourmet wonders the region is known for have either taken place in recent weeks or are still in full swing.
Rovinj hosted the crown jewel of all gastronomy events earlier today: Istria Gourmet Festival – Autumn 2017, a manifestation held in the renowned Hotel Lone, brought Michelin star chefs to Istria’s most successful destination.
The festival kicked off on Monday morning with an opening ceremony, where the audience was greeted by Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli, Prefect of Istria County Valter Flego and the director of the Tourist Board Istria Denis Ivošević. They all agreed Istria is a key factor in Croatian tourism, one that now has to lead and set an example for all other regions in the country, reports Glas Istre on October 30, 2017.
Minister Cappelli congratulated Rovinj on all the accolades, as the city took away the title of the most successful destination for a summer holiday at the Days of Croatian Tourism last week. At the same event, Hotel Monte Mulini was pronounced the best hotel of the year, while Maistra’s waiter Filip Savić took away an award in the category ‘Man – Key to Success’.
“Rovinj has no intention of falling asleep, and you’re proving that you’re ready to start preparing for future undertakings, a claim supported by this very festival”, said Cappelli, adding the peninsula is known for the outstanding quality of service in the tourism industry, and that Rovinj getting to house the first Michelin-star venue in Croatia wasn’t just a coincidence.
For the first part of the festival, participants attended a round table on global trends and best practices in high-class hotel industry. The discussion was followed by a series of lectures on the topic of pairing high-class hotels and Michelin starred restaurants: Bruno Papaleo of the Hotel Palazzo Manfredi in Rome talked about creating a family atmosphere and gastronomic experiences in a unique environment, followed by Fabio Raucci of the Capri Palace Hotel who discussed brand development and the importance of restaurants building distinctive identities. Lucio D’Orsi and Michelin star chef Mario Affinita of the Majestic Palace Hotel in Sorrento gave a lecture on creating a bond between a dining room and a kitchen, while Stefanie Hering of the Hering Berlin spoke about redefining luxury in the high-class hotel industry.
The second part of the day was dedicated to show cookings by Michelin 3-star chefs Heinz Beck and Roberto Cerea, and 2-star chefs Andrea Migliaccio, Giuseppe Mancino and Emanuele Scarello. Cerea, Migliaccio and Affinita took over the gastronomy scene in Rovinj in the evening, directing three gala dinners prepared in three champions of Rovinj’s hospitality industry: Wine Vault Restaurant in Hotel Monte Mulini, Brasserie Adriatic in Hotel Adriatic, and ResoLution Signature Restaurant in Hotel Lone.
The prestigious event served to show Istria always stays on top of the game. The region that generates one third of the entire tourist traffic in Croatia never ceases to improve the quality of the service and expand the tourist offer. This was best summed up by Prefect Valter Flego: “To be the best for a year is always good, it’s a flattering fact, but to retain that position for years implies investing in people and the product, it means always being hungry to learn more. Istria is not self-sufficient, it’s eager to learn from the best and implement that knowledge, all the while running and beating the competition to the finish line.”
