Top chefs from around the world filled Split’s restaurants last week, and for the first time in Split, a chef from a 3 Michelin-star restaurant cooked

During last week, from October 4 to 9, the newly opened Hotel Ambasador hosted the most prestigious festival of Mediterranean cuisine and lifestyle in Croatia – Taste the Mediterranean. Over five days, the festival attracted nearly 3000 foreign and domestic visitors with a rich program featuring a series of workshops, panels on hot topics in gastronomy and tourism, education for students and professionals, and, of course, attractive four-hand dinners by foreign and domestic chefs. A special experience was the exclusive dinner prepared by chef Roberto Cerea from the legendary restaurant Da Vittorio, one of 11 in Italy that has held 3 Michelin stars for years.

Alongside panel discussions and lectures featuring representatives from the International Association Gourmediterranee and the Ministry of Tourism, Natalia Bayone, Director of the Innovation Department at UNWTO, Deputy Mayor of Marseille Michelle Rubirola, who was received by Split’s Mayor Ivica Puljak, MEP Željana Zovko, and other protagonists closely related to gastronomy and tourism, the daily program of the festival was marked by educational content. At the private hospitality school Oliva Allegra, top chefs taught students, and a special masterclass for professionals was held by chef Cerea at Hotel Ambasador. In collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain, a guided tasting of Spanish delicacies, wines, and olive oils was held, as well as tastings of Italian wines from heroic positions, the local variety Pošip, and award-winning wines Korlat.

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Particularly attractive was the workshop Spices and Scents, which combined Ormonde Jayne perfumes, delicacies from chef Marko Đurašević, desserts from Keiko Nagae, cocktails from Marijan Maksan, and spices from Nadalina. At the opening, Sandra Bagarić sang for the guests, chefs enjoyed rides in Porsche cars, and visitors showed great interest in the lecture Food Against Disease delivered by Dr. Meri Bura. At the presentation of the book Wild Plate, students from the Bol High School on Brač spoke about the use of wild herbs in culinary arts, with chef Vesna Miletić discussing the topic. First graders gathered at the Split Puppet Theatre for the presentation of the picture book The Sea is Your Best Friend by Lasse Åberg, which teaches them why it is important to protect the sea. On the last day of the festival, foreign guests explored the beauties of the Split-Dalmatia County with an excursion to Brač, while a competition for kitchen assistants was held at Prokurative in collaboration with the company Tommy. Gabriela Filca from the Nebo restaurant in the Rijeka resort Hilton Costabella won the competition.

Chefs from Italy, France, Japan, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the UAE, and Croatia, awarded Michelin stars, Gault&Millau caps, and other significant culinary recognitions, filled 18 Split restaurants with their dinners: Adriatic Sushi&Oyster Bar, Artičok, Central-Hotel Santa Lucia, Chops Grill – Steak&Seafood, Dujkin dvor, Dvor, Méditerranée – Hotel Ambasador, Noir, Noštromo, Olive Tree, Pandora Greenbox, Pinku Fish&Wine, Štorija, Šug, Zinfandel, Zoi, Zrno Soli, and Zora bila, where it was particularly lively. The Mediterranean Women Chefs initiative gathered six female chefs there, and their dishes were accompanied by top wines from Kvarner, led by five excellent sommeliers.

– I am particularly pleased that the number of Split restaurants participating in the Festival is increasing every year, recognizing the opportunity to enrich their offerings in collaboration with guest chefs. This year’s edition of the Festival had the chance to showcase the richness of Mediterranean cuisine and culture in various forms, and the new experiences and knowledge gained by visitors, as well as the chefs themselves, are invaluable – concluded Ingrid Badurina Danielsson, director of the Taste the Mediterranean festival.

The Taste the Mediterranean festival was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism and HTZ, Split-Dalmatia County, TZ Split-Dalmatia County, the City of Split, and TZ of the City of Split.