Metro Junior Top Chef

In the grand final of the METRO Junior Top Chef competition, held on Wednesday, April 30, at the METRO Center in Jankomir, Ivan Dujmović from the Tourism and Hospitality School in Split won. Second place went to Ante Jure Marušić from the Hospitality and Tourism School in Osijek, while Marko Loborec from the Zabok High School finished in third place.

Ivan Dujmović won pasta education at ALMA, the leading international school for education and training in the field of Italian cuisine and hospitality, Ante Marušić will undergo training at The University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy. Marko Loborec will further develop his culinary skills at the Croatian Culinary Academy, under the auspices of the Croatian Culinary Association. The other finalists will have the opportunity to train in top restaurants across Croatia.

The competition was attended by the 30 best final-year culinary students from all six Regional Centers in Hospitality and Tourism. During the finals, the six finalists had 120 minutes to prepare an appetizer and a main course using the given ingredients that they had only learned at the beginning of the competition. Vehid Šaldić, chef and owner of the Il Mondo restaurant, Tibor Valinčić, chef of the Dubravkin put restaurant and representative of the JRE Croatia association, Katarina Vrenc, chef of the Sopal bistro, Ivan Vrbanec, chef, and Teddea Senjanović from Dobra hrane awarded Ivan Dujmović with the highest marks.

“With this competition, we want to allow them to develop their skills, gain valuable experience, and make contacts with top experts. By investing in the education and mentoring of young professionals, METRO Croatia actively contributes to strengthening the hospitality industry and creating the foundation for its further development,” said Igor Kotaran, Marketing Director of METRO Croatia.

The METRO Junior Top Chef competition is another way in which METRO contributes to the development of the Croatian gastronomic scene.