The 2023 edition of the Gault&Millau Croatia Guide will be released on 18 April.
A dinner on the occasion of the promotion of the guide will be prepared by Ana Grgić Tomić – Croatian Chef of the Year and guest chef Paul Ivić, chef of the Viennese restaurant Tian
A launch over an exclusive dinner
The new Croatian edition of the famous international gastronomic guide Gault&Millau will be presented on 18 April in the emerald hall of the Esplanade Hotel in Zagreb. The exclusive dinner to promote the 6th edition of the guide and the presentation of annual trophies to the best chefs and restaurants in Croatia is the most expected event of the year for professionals from the world of gastronomy and wine, the commercial partners of the Gault & Millau community and the media but also social network influencers. Due to the high interest of food lovers, for the first time since the release of the Gault&Millau guide in Croatia, a limited number of tickets for the promotion and the dinner will be available for sale.
A special guest
Dinner guests will have the opportunity to taste the specialities prepared by the chef of the Esplanade and winner of the Gault&Millau 2022 Chef of the Year award, Ana Grgić Tomic. She will be accompanied by the famous Austrian chef, Paul Ivic – master of vegetarian cuisine. His Tian in Vienna is the first Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant in Austria. The highlight of the Culinary Oscars Night will be the presentation of the annual trophies for Chef of the Year, Future Great, Traditional Chef, Young Talented Chef, Pastry Chef, Best POP Restaurant of the Year, Chef de la Salle and Service, and Best Restaurant. A great opportunity to gather the best and share their experiences, relax and enjoy high quality food and wine before the start of the new tourism season.
Ana Grgić Tomic, at the top of her game
Behind Ana Grgić Tomić is an extremely successful business year in which she won the prestigious Gault&Millau Chef of the Year trophy and celebrated 10 years at the helm of the Esplanade Kitchen, out of a total of 22 years working at this favourite Zagreb hotel. Every dish conceived by this first lady of Croatian gastronomy is eagerly awaited and tasted with particular pleasure, and that will be on 18 April, when she welcomes Austrian colleague Paul Ivić to her kitchen.
“In our hotel I have had the opportunity to do a lot of international cooperation, because we often host foreign culinary stars with whom I exchange knowledge and experience. And I get on very well with everyone. This is the most important organisation. Before the guest appears, the chef sends me his menu and a list of everything he needs, and me and my team make sure they are greeted with everything they have requested. When the dinner starts, we all become one team. I have time to talk to them and try their dishes, and I am especially happy that each guest chef is delighted with the way we work and the way we receive them in the kitchen,” said Chef Ana Grgić Tomić.
Last year, she prepared an exclusive Gault&Millau dinner with award-winning Swiss Chef of the Year Stefan Heilemann. Her pleasure and challenge will also be her collaboration with her colleague Paul Ivic, one of the pioneers of vegetarian haute cuisine. Although born in the Austrian Tyrol, Ivić has Croatian roots, which he gladly points out, and has a genuine appreciation for Croatian cuisine and its indigenous ingredients. Guests at the temporary restaurant Tian am Mer in the Falkensteiner Iadera Hotel in Petrcane were able to experience last year’s high level of cuisine and organisation during the summer months.
“What my team and I are doing is much more than just minimising vegetarian cooking. Food is much more than just nutrition. When we talk about food, we are also talking about responsibility for food resources and the responsibility of all the people who work hard to grow that food. Food connects people, it doesn’t need a special language to communicate – it just needs a soul” – this is how Chef Ivić interprets food.
In addition to the Viennese restaurant TIAN (Michelin* and Gault&Millau Austria), he also spreads his culinary philosophy through another Viennese venue – TIAN Bistro am Spittenberg. Until recently, he did this through the TIAN restaurant in Munich, but with its sudden closure, Chef Ivić and his team did not complete their activities in Germany. From there, they continue to sell products from the TIAN zuhause line and the TIAN Bistro am Berg winter restaurant in the Hotel Edelweiss in Zürs am Arlberg in the German Alps.
“I work with the best team I could have wished for. They follow me faithfully without compromise when it comes to the quality of the food. Without their will and strength, my culinary journey would be impossible” – chef Ivić is convinced.
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