From October 4 to 9, Taste the Mediterranean will once again gather more than 40 top foreign and domestic chefs in Split, awarded with Michelin stars, Gault&Millau caps, and other important culinary awards. During the five days of the Festival, top chefs from Italy, France, Japan, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Croatia, together with the host chefs, will cook their delicacies in 22 Split host restaurants: Adriatic Sushi; Oyster Bar, Artičok, Bokeria, Central-Hotel Santa Lucia, Chops Grill- Steak&Seafood, Corto Maltese, Dujkin Dvor, Dvor, Mazzgoon, Méditerranée-Hotel Ambassador, Noir, Noštromo, Olive Tree, Pandora Greenbox, Pinku Fish&Wine, Štorija, Šug, Zinfandel, Zoi, Zona, Zora Bila, Zrno Salts.
Numerous tourists, and especially the local population, will be able to enjoy Mediterranean specialties accompanied by appropriate wines from Dalmatia, Kvarner, Spain, and Italy. Visiting chefs will hold 15 masterclasses at the Olivia Allegra school for catering school students and professionals, and together with other distinguished guests from the world of gastronomy, they will participate in panel discussions, book promotions for children, and attractive educational workshops for festival visitors. The central events of the festival will be held in Ambassador, the only 5-star Split hotel on the Riva, a symbol of tradition and exclusivity.
“We are honored to have the opportunity to host such an exceptional event and top chefs, gastronomy experts, and key people from the world of tourism because we build the image of our hotel precisely on top service and gastronomy, and a relaxed and pleasant stay in accordance with the principles of sustainable tourism. From the program, I would highlight the dinner on October 5, when the Spanish chef Adur Arrieta and our chef Ivica Katić will prepare a fusion of Mediterranean flavors. We are also very proud that chef Roberto Cerea, whose restaurant Da Vittorio has 3 Michelin***, will be cooking in our hotel for the first time in Split, and the award-winning chef will hold a masterclass here.” said Stipe Medić, the young director of the Ambassador.
The Kingdom of Spain is the partner country of the festival for the third time, and Montserrat Pérez Ripoll, from the economic and commercial office of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in the Republic of Croatia, presented the program for the Spanish Day in Split, where delicacies, wines, and extra virgin olive oils will be offered, which will to a special tasting to present Ph.D. Mirella Žanetić.
The program will also have many workshops, of which the “Spices and Fragrances” is particularly attractive, on the use of the same exotic spices from the Nadalina range in perfumes by Ormonde Jayne, dishes by chef Marko Đurašević, cocktails by Marko Vital and Marijan Maksan, and desserts by Keiko Naga.
The book “Divlji Pijat”; – the work of students of Bol High School on Brač will be presented in Prokultura – an observatory of cultural policies in Split, and French chef Flora Mikula and Croatian chef Vesna Miletić will talk about the use of wild herbs in cooking. The promotion of the picture book “The sea is your best friend” by the Swedish author Lassa Åberg in the Puppet Theatre is intended for freshmen, and adults will benefit from the lecture “Food against disease” by Dr. Meri Bura.
On Saturday, October 8, organized by TTM and the shopping chain Tommy – a premium partner of the festival – a competition of young chef trainees will be held, whose dishes will be judged by an international jury led by chef Fabricija Vežnaver and representatives of the French association Gourméditerranée and the Food In Sud festival. Exclusive wine tastings at the festival will be led by excellent connoisseurs of the wine scene, Alen Gulan, Siniša Koceić and Rajner Rogulj from Split’s Vinolike, and Ivica Ukić from hotel Ambassador.
The panel discussion “The role of gastronomy in the development of sustainable tourism”, “Hospitality – how to achieve memorable service with a lack of educated staff,”; and “Burning topics of tourism”; will bring together foreign and domestic experts including Željana Zovko, Gabriel Vasquez, Rudi Štefan, Stipe Čogelja, Marie-Hélène Amsallem, Phillipe Zerah, and many other Split restaurateurs.
“We are happy that the Taste the Mediterranean festival is the opening manifestation of the Month of Gastronomy, and with its rich program will contribute to the extension of the tourist season and the affirmation of the city of Split and the Split-Dalmatia County as a desirable destination for hedonists. Every year, more and more restaurants from Split are included in the Festival program, which is the best indicator that the profession has accepted Taste the Mediterranean and sees in it the potential for exchanging experiences and raising quality,” said Dubravka Tomeković Aralica, executive director of the TTM festival.
The month of gastronomy will also be visited by Leonor Espinosa, the best chef in the world according to the 50 Best selection, who is coming to Croatia at the invitation of the Mediterranean Women Chefs initiative. Through her FUNLEO foundation, which she runs with her daughter Laura Hernandez, Espinosa combines her profession with social responsibility, and she will speak about this in Split on October 21.
“Split restaurants, as well as hotel restaurants, are the main participants in the promotion of our city’s gastronomy, and with attractive Mediterranean menus, they will best present the traditional and somewhat forgotten specialties of Split and Dalmatia in their own way. The Wine Festival, which will take place on October 14 and 15 and 21 and 22 in Peškarija, will contribute to that atmosphere, and local wines and olive oil will be presented at it by the Tourist Boards of Kaštela, Omiš, Vrgorac, and Marina” said Alijana Vukšić, director of TZ Split, and as part of the Gastronomy Month, also announced the Days of the Tourist School in Split, hosting and culinary show of the TZ Canton Sarajevo, and finally the Split Grand Gourmet Škmer – competition of baristas, bartenders and waiters. “When something is good for the citizens, it will also be good for the guests. We believe that a manifestation will become big if the citizens of Split accept it. It would be nice if even those who do not live from tourism get the chance to enjoy what the City has to offer and feel the benefits of gastronomy. People often ask: what is the most important ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine, and the answer usually follows that it is olive oil. But the most important ingredient is the pleasure of a meal made from good ingredients,” concluded Ivica Puljak, mayor of Split.
As Ingrid Badurina Danielsson, the director of the Taste the Mediterranean festival, always points out, “its main determinant is the preservation of the Mediterranean cultural heritage and way of life, the exchange of experiences and the education of professionals as well as the public. The motto of the festival for ten years has been – good food, good wine, good fun – there will be no shortage of all of that in Gastronomy Month in Split”.
Taste the Mediterranean Festival is held under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism and HTZ, Split-Dalmatia County, TZ Split-Dalmatia County, City of Split, and TZ City of Split.
Participation in workshops, lectures, and panels is free for participants, while dinners and culinary masterclasses are charged according to the price list, which can be found on the festival website together with the program and participants, and all news will be published on social networks.
