Croatia Wins the Bronze Medal at its First Appearance

Although Croatia participated in the Culinary Olympics for the first time, the excellent organization, original menu and natural taste of the food of Croatian heritage, won them the bronze medal in the competition of 1,600 chefs from 57 countries. The event took place at the end of October in Erfurt, Germany.

At the completion of the Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, the Croatian team was presented with the bronze medal. The excellent organization, original menu and natural taste of the food of Croatian heritage ensured our culinary professionals the bronze medal in the category of “Restaurant Menu” out of a total of 1,600 chefs from 57 countries.

The team that participated in the Culinary Olympics in Germany was selected and led by Coach Branko Ognjenović, the head chef at restaurant Bon Appetit in Zagreb. The Croatian team was also made up of Marija Kuzminski from Hotel Turist in Varaždin, Miroslav Dolovčak from restaurant Plato in Zagreb, Hrvoje Zirojević from restaurant Nevera in Split, Davor Capan from Hotel Novi in Novi Vinodolski, Berislav Lacković from restaurant Bon Appetit in Zagreb and Jakša Džaja from Hotel Adriana in Hvar. They were also assisted by top cooking experts Nikolina Lončar, Silvije Ceh and Damir Perman. Our team in Erfurt was also accompanied by Damir Crleni, President of the Croatian Culinary Federation and the secretary of the federation, Dinko Šimenc.

In the category “Restaurant Menu” they had to prepare 110 menus that were made up of the following three courses – appetizer, main course and dessert. They were not judged based solely on the final product, but on the entire preparation process. Our chefs won over the panel of judges with their “Croatian story” which revolved around  food made with traditional indigenous ingredients, and proved not only that they are top class cooking professionals but also that meals of Croatian heritage deserve a prominent place in world gastronomy.