I love everything about this story
Success stories of the little guy in Croatia should be told more in my opinion, especially those which then go on to give back.
We have written about the incredible story of Mario Mandaric before. A school dropout aged 17, his passion for gastronomy had him named on the list of the 30 most influential people under 30 in the Art and Culture category just 12 years later.
(Bruno Vokal, photo credit NOEL)
Giving back has been a strong theme in Mandaric’s career, and he is about to head off to Africa for his latest escapade – to construct wells in villages in Uganda from money he has raised. In a country where 2,696 children under the age of five die every year from diarrhea caused by consuming dirty water, a well means life.
“And I don’t want to stop at one well; that’s just the beginning. I will finance them; without thinking, I decided to set aside 8 to 12 thousand dollars for them. But when I’m already going down, when I can already help, then it would be a shame to keep it on just one, and that’s why we’re organizing a charity donor dinner.”
And this will be no ordinary charity dinner. Mandaric will be joined in the kitchen by the only Michelin Star chef in Zagreb, Bruno Vokal from NOEL, who is almost like a brother to Mandaric, as he explained in his social media announcement of the event:
Bruno Vokal and I – the only chef with a Michelin star in Zagreb and my brotha from anotha motha are making a 5-course dinner!
The date is Friday, 12.11.
The minimum donation is 600kn
The location will be revealed two days before.
Reservation with me in the inbox or on the number
0953903040
That is a lot of Michelin goodness in one night. See you there.
Mario will be retrurning to Zagreb after his Ugandan escapade to start work on a very cool new project which will be announced soon. A little teaser in Local Knowledge with a Foreign Eye: When Gourmet Visions Collide.
