Nenad Kukurin

Nenad Kukurin, owner of the boutique hotel and chef of the gourmet restaurant Kukuriku in the town of Kastav above Opatija, is the fifth generation in a restaurateurs family, which has been respecting tradition for 125 years but continuously brings a modern touch. And chef Kukurin really knows how to conquer even the most demanding guest with the flavours and tastes of Kvarner and Istria.

He studied and gained experience not only at home but also in Italy for six years. When he took over the family restaurant in 1998, he became one of the pioneers of the “slow food” in Croatia. He created courses based on seasonal and local ingredients, coloured by tradition as well with an artistic approach to culture of table.

With his culinary creations, he won over millions of Italian TV viewers who followed the gastro show La Prova del Cuoco on the First Program of the national television. Respected magazines specialised in gastronomy as well as the New York Times devoted articles to him. In the kitchen of the Kukuriku restaurant the menu is only a guide dictated by the daily offer of fresh seafood and ingredients from the fields and forests.

During the Taste the Mediterranean festival Nenad Kukurin is a guest chef at the Dvor restaurant, where he will prepare an exclusive dinner with his host chef Hrvoje Zirojević.