Trophy great chef of tomorrow 2019: Matija Bregeš

Matija Bregeš is chef de cuisine of the Boškinac restaurant on the island of Pag. His culinary career started in the Zagreb restaurant Ivica&Marica, where he spent six years. In 2016, he came to Boškinac to work first as a sous chef, and very soon became executive chef. Thanks to his mentor Boris Šuljić, who is also the owner of the Boškinac restaurant, hotel and winery, the young chef has completely mastered the knowledge of foods typical of the Pag island as well as its traditional local cuisine. By using contemporary cooking techniques, he soon turned these foods into first class delicacies. His cooking reflects the influences and teachings of top European chefs such as Enek Atxa from the Basque restaurant Azurmendi, and chef Jonnie Boer from the De Librije restaurant in the Netherlands, under both of whom he trained. The training further expanded his culinary vision and spurred his professional curiosity and ambition. The dishes that he prepares reveal deep deliberation: local foods are carefully treated to preserve all the aromas and flavours of the island. His plates are never overcrowded: instead, he often builds the dish around one main ingredient, which he then heroes by presenting it in various shapes and textures. Although born in the continental part of Croatia, he feels quite at home in the region in which he is currently working. Besides, he has learned to appreciate the immense wealth of this quite barren and yet rich island. Wild plants and herbs are among essential components of his dishes, while the olive, the symbol of the Pag island, never ceases to be his source of inspiration. Imaginative and creative, Matija will surprise you with the presentation of his dishes too. Superb cuisine and beautiful ambience have made Boškinac the island’s gastronomic mecca. Matija Bregeš deserves the Gault&Millau Great chef of Tomorrow  2019 Trophy  for his outstanding talent as well as his desire for advancement and ambition to develop his own signature in culinary arts. We would love to see this trophy provide additional motivation for him in creating a great culinary career in years to come.