Trophy great chef of tomorrow 2019: Fabricio Vežnaver

Chef Fabricio Vežnaver- restaurant Pergola, Savudrija

Greatness. These are the words that journalists have used to describe chef Fabricio Vežnaver, and rightfully so, as these attributes define him the best. The owner and chef of the Pergola restaurant in a small Istrian village of Zambratija, close to Savudrija, has dedicated his whole life to his love of cooking and continues to this day to approach each new culinary creation with exactly the same passion and enthusiasm. Pergola used to be a family-owned tavern, which was managed for many years by Fabricio’s father. After taking it over, Fabricio transformed it into a “food design” restaurant. However, it is not a cold place with trendy decor, but an elegant, warm and cosy restaurant in which guests are welcomed by his wife, Ljiljana, who always has a smile on her face. The two of them take care of literally everything, and that is reflected in each and every detail, from gorgeous porcelain dinnerware to cutlery, the finest wine glasses and impeccably pressed white tablecloths. The tourists and food lovers coming from Italy, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia return to Pergola largely because of the top gourmet experience. The chef thrills with his creativity, his refined sense of selecting and combining foods, and his preparation techniques. Each of his tasting menus represents a magical journey through the world of flavours and aromas. He has never had a formal mentor in the kitchen, and is self-taught. However, he constantly learned from others, and in that way developed both professionally and as a person. When it comes to food, he claims he’d never serve to his guests anything he wouldn’t eat himself. He is not obsessed with any trends in the kitchen but relies on a day-to-day inspiration brought to him by available ingredients. They are locally grown, seasonal and sometimes very simple foods of top quality, which he turns, as if by magic, to culinary delights. Each visit to Pergola is a new gastronomic experience and the chef only gets better and better. We are convinced that he’ll only continue surprising us in years to come. Therefore, there is no doubt in our mind that chef Fabricio Vežnaver deserves to be awarded the Great Chef of Tomorrow Trophy for 2019.