The culinary event of the year – Weekend Food Festival – has begun. Through till Sunday, May 8, the Old Tobacco Factory in Rovinj will be the center of the world gastro scene and bring together some of the most famous names in domestic and world gastronomy and cuisine, including one of the world’s best chefs Massimo Bottura, the world’s best chef in 2021, Dabiz Munoz, Turkish star Maksut Askar, Danish gastronomic alchemist Rasmus Munk, renowned regional chef Ana Roš and many others. Visitors can expect a range of unique lectures, panel discussions and masterclasses led by renowned chefs and experts in gastronomy and hospitality.
The Weekend Food Festival opened with a panel discussion entitled “Manifesto of Croatian Cuisine” under the moderation of the director of the Weekend Food Festival, Hrvoje Petrić. Together with some of the most prominent professionals of the Croatian gastro scene – chefs Hrvoje Kroflin, Tvrtko Šakota, Deni Srdoč and famous Pag caterer Boris Šuljić, they defined some of the key points and directions of modern Croatian cuisine to be proudly presented to foreign and domestic guests and media. The focus of the Manifesto is a return to traditions and dishes that are increasingly disappearing, and which should be revived, modernized or even offered in their original forms in restaurants, hotels, family-run businesses and tourist estates.
“Our intention is to send the Manifesto of Croatian Cuisine, which was compiled for the first time in history, to all relevant institutions, but also to chefs, restaurateurs, hoteliers, small producers, distributors and all other actors in the gastronomic, catering and tourism scene in order to strengthen the recognizability of Croatia through indigenous cuisine by following the examples of similarly successful practices from around the world,” said Petrić, the initiator of the manifesto. Ana Roš spoke about such a concept at the panel “Hiša Franko – local or nothing,” otherwise known for cooking exclusively with local ingredients in the Slovenian town of Kobarid.
The culinary event of the year
The Weekend Food Festival program will offer lovers of the lavish world of gastronomy the best of the best with well-known names, top professionals and provide the opportunity to network in one of the most attractive locations in the heart of magical Istria. Through numerous lectures and panel discussions, the festival will cover various segments of the food and beverage industry, from culinary trends to mixology, oenology, olive growing and the coffee industry, reflecting on current topics such as sustainability, supply chain localization and production processes, as well as the future of gastronomy. The program will provide some of the most intriguing topics in the business, but also delight distinguished gourmets with the very best food, drinks, coffee and olive oil. This was confirmed with style on the first evening by Croatian chefs Hrvoje Kroflin (Mano2, Zagreb), Tvrtko Šakota (NAV, Zagreb), Matija Bogdan (ManO, Zagreb), Danijel Đekić (Monte, Rovinj) and Jeffrey Vella (Cap Aureo, Rovinj), whose dishes delighted all guests at the gala dinner “Best of Croatia””in the Cap Aureo Signature Restaurant.
In addition to lectures and panel discussions, additional thrills will be provided by various masterclasses and guided tastings, such as the Coffee Masterclass, the workshop “Development of taste in chocolate – from cocoa to chocolate”, a presentation of the unique international wine exhibition “Best of Vinistra”, as well as a presentation of the best Croatian gins and the world’s best olive oils.
FoodTech Start Up Competition
In numerous panels, lectures, masterclasses and gala dinners, this year’s Weekend Food Festival also presents the FoodTech Start Up Competition, a competition for start-ups designed to find new and creative ideas and support the growing hopes of the food and hospitality industry.
