Chef Ana Grgić- Great Chef of Tomorrow 2018
A rising star of the Croatian gastronomic scene
You must have heard of the Esplanade Hotel in Zagreb and its restaurant Zinfandel’s. However, you may not have heard of Zinfandel’s talented chef Ana Grgić. Being the first female chef at the helm of Esplanade’s kitchen, Ana has been successfully managing the whole little army of cooks and their assistants, while at the same time creating truly imaginative menus.
In addition to the Zinfandel’s, she is also executive chef at the Bistro Esplanade, which means that she inevitably spends most of her time in the kitchen. As far as her creations go, Ana follows the tradition of top notch gastronomy, where she uses local and seasonal, fresh ingredients and turns them into extraordinary dishes that offer the guests an unprecedented sensory experience of wonderful combinations of flavours and aromas. Ana’s culinary philosophy can be described as a fusion of Mediterranean and continental dishes prepared in a contemporary and somewhat playful way. Her values are precisely the values of Gault&Millau: the respect for seasonality and high quality ingredients, and consistent, meticulously perfected dishes.
Such an indisputably obvious talent requires great courage and persistence to shine in a predominantly male world of gastronomy. Ever since she was 17, when she first came to Esplanade during her school practice, Ana has been learning, growing, and taking all the necessary steps to eventually become a top chef. During his visit to Esplanade, one of the French chefs with Michelin stars under his belt was so impressed with young Ana’s culinary skills that he asked her in which world-renowned restaurants she had been mastering her skills. She answered that she had been working in Esplanade all her professional life and that she had acquired all the contemporary cooking skills mostly by herself, by studying books and experimenting in the kitchen. “I needed much more time for that than I’d have normally needed if I’d been taught by someone.” Still, she’s had great mentors at the Esplanade, one of whom was chef Jeffrey Vella, who she succeeded as the executive chef. The young chef Ana has already repaid the trust placed in her by chef Vella.
No matter which gastronomic paths Ana will choose in the future, we are convinced that she will be a great chef of tomorrow, and that the Croatian gastronomic scene has its own rising star.
