Croatia's Top Chefs Recognised at Gault&Millau 2023 Presentation
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Loading... - Gregory Andina
- 25 Apr 2023
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A delightful evening of fine Croatian food and wine, as the Gault&Millau 2023 edition of Croatia's top restaurants.
I have a terrible memory for faces, and I always get a little anxious when I get invited to a big event with hundreds of people in the same room, many of whom I will have met in a different context. It has got me into some embarrassing situations over the years, but occasionally I see a face I haven't seen for a decade and the brain clicks.
And so it was last night, as the highlight of an excellent evening at Hotel Esplanade in Zagreb at the presentation of the 6th edition of the Gault&Millau Croatia guide - a smiling, humble man from Sibenik in his 80s walking towards me. And even more incredibly, he seemed to recognise me, despite it being 11 years since our last meeting. On that occasion, Zdravko Kalabric, the only Croatian member of the World Master Chefs Association, prepared a stunning 10-course replica of the last meal on the Titanic by Lake Jarun on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the ill-fated ship.
Our first meeting was 11 years ago, soon after I started Total Hvar (and actually the first time I ever appeared in any media in Croatia in this Hvar TV report, above). Kalabric, who left his native Sibenik to try his luck in North America, where he enjoyed a glittering career as a celebrated chef, before returning to his native land and helping the next generation of Croatian chefs to improve their skills, was coaching four young Croatian chefs, who were in training for the 2012 Culinary Olympics in Germany. Here he is, being interviewed, above. Read More…
