Gault&Millau Croatia Chef of the Year 2025 / Rudi Štefan, restaurant Pelegrini in Šibenik - Always the first

Published on 07/04/2025 at 00:00

Every visit to the Pelegrini restaurant, which is celebrating its 18th birthday this year, is an unforgettable gastronomic journey through the Šibenik region. The merit goes to its owner and chef Rudolf Rudi Štefan. Economist by profession, but a chef at heart, Štefan is a visionary who creates trends and he is always one step ahead of the most modern culinary concepts. That is why Pelegrini has been among the best restaurants in Croatia for years. This is a place where you can enjoy a modern interpretation of traditional Dalmatian flavours at the highest professional level. Rudi Štefan entered the world of gastronomy from a completely different background. After graduating from the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management in Opatija, he worked for a while at Hotel Solaris Šibenik, then as a consultant for Deloitte, and for a year he ran the purchasing department of a pub in Dublin. In the late 1990s, he opened his own beach bar on the island of Vis, and in 2007 the restaurant Pelegrini in the renovated Pelegrini Palace - Tambača, opposite the Šibenik Cathedral of St. James. The chef had his trainings in the Italian restaurant Torre del Sarracino, with chef Gennaro Esposito, and in the Basque Arzak. All these years, his strongest assets have been authentic, honest and modern cuisine, perfectionism in every aspect, superb aesthetics and a warm approach to guests, which has earned Pelegrini four Gault&Millau toques, a Michelin star and numerous other high awards in the world of haute gastronomy. Rudi Štefan’s new challenge is the Pelegrini to Sea concept: an exclusive and romantic boat cruise around the Šibenik archipelago. As a skipper and chef, together with a sommelier, he will serve the guests his delicacies so that they will enjoy the complete experience of pairing nature, top-quality food and wine, away from the summer crowds, hustle and bustle and overcrowded beaches. And once again he is the first to do it.