Mateo Debeljak, a young chef from Višnjice near Lepoglava and a student at the Varaždin Business School, achieved notable success at the 9th international Gastro ALB gastronomy festival, held in Tirana from 26 to 29 October. At this prestigious competition, which featured more than 100 chefs, Mateo competed as a representative of the Croatian Chefs' Association.
In the junior competition, Debeljak won two gold and one silver medal, along with two trophies. He received gold medals for his preparation of risotto and pasta, with both dishes declared the best in their respective categories. He won a silver medal for a chicken dish. In addition, Mateo participated in the senior team competition alongside Vehid Šaldić and Karlo Vitasović, where they won a gold medal and a trophy for the best national team.
The Gastro ALB festival is organised by the Albanian Chefs & Cooks Association with the support of the world culinary organisation Worldchefs. Croatian representatives at this festival won a total of eight gold and four silver medals, a team gold, and three trophies, confirming the high level of the Croatian culinary scene.
Following this success, the Croatian culinary team is preparing for its next appearance at the World Culinary Cup in Luxembourg, which will take place from 21 to 25 November. Around 1,800 chefs from 64 countries across five continents are expected to attend this competition. In the Community Catering category, Croatia will be represented by captain Alen Belić, chefs Patrik Prnjak and Filip Klanfar, pastry chef Franjo Mikinac, and Claudio Mastrovincenzo. They have prepared a menu titled Roots of Croatia, which includes crispy arancini with bulgur, smoked trout pâté, venison roll with teran sauce, and a poppy seed cake with flambéed cherries. This menu was premiered at the School of Tourism, Hospitality and Trade in Pula, with the support of the Croatian Tourist Board, Heritage & Resort Hotel Monumenti, and Vino Capo.
It is also worth noting the recent successes of Croatian chefs in mid-October in Belgrade, where they won two golds and a silver, first place in the overall standings, and a first qualification for the Global Chefs Challenge world final. Thus, the Croatian culinary scene continues to string together significant results at international competitions.
