Danijel Đekić, Gault&Millau chef of the year: we don't let people down

Award-winning restaurants and chefs at the Gault&Millau Gala Evening

Danijel Đekić with the Tjitska suprug

"We are planning to open Monte for the event, or we are waiting until 1.svibnja, convinced that the epidemic will be over for a few days" - shows Danijel Đekić, Gault&Millau 2020 chef of the year and winner of the trophy for the best restaurant, who, due to the corona virus, as well as all the other hosts, has recently been left undeveloped after the event. But the proud owner of the prestigious Gault&Millau trophies and the first Michelin star in Croatia is not losing his optimism, and is preparing for new challenges.

"Vjerujem da se se se do 1. svibnja - ako se svi budu pridržavali uputa - situacija smiriti. It is important that all countries proceed in the same way and that everyone stays in the same place. Only in this way will we be able to overcome this situation. This is like the third world rat, or anti-virus rat, with the time that we all have to fight against an invisible enemy. In the restaurant, we have devised a little crisis plan: it is certain that we will not give the order to anyone. If the crisis continues, we will make financial provision so that, if necessary, we can reduce people's salaries, and we will be able to cut back on the number of years. Or we must not let anyone down. It is interesting that the guests did not ask us for reservations, but we assured them that the restaurant would be closed, but that their reservations would have priority when we reopened Monte.

The corona virus has forced us to slow down the pace and to spend more time in the kitchen and with our guests, which is the positive side of this witness. It is also good that many will learn how to pay more attention to hygiene - shows Đekić, who has been running Monte for two decades with the Tjitska supergroup and is working hard with his team to maintain the high standards of a top restaurant.