This year’s “Food Talk” conference was held on Monday, November 10th in the City Museum of Podgorica under the auspices of the Secretariat for Entrepreneurship and Investments of the Capital City of Podgorica.
In 2013, a regional conference dedicated to gastronomy, wine and beer was held for the first time at “Salaš 137” in Čenej near Novi Sad. Since then, apart from Novi Sad, the conference has been organized in a large number of cities in the region: Belgrade, Skopje, Budva, and finally this fall – on November 10, “Food Talk” was held for the first time in the capital of Montenegro.
The conference was opened by: Nađa Ljiljanić, Deputy Mayor of the Capital City of Podgorica, Robert Čoban, from Color Press Group and Danijela Radeč, Secretary for Entrepreneurship and Investments of the Capital City of Podgorica.
In the first panel called “Taste of Planet”, ambassadors of foreign countries talked about their national and Montenegrin dishes specialties that they will take with them when they leave Podgorica. How foreign diplomats view local gastronomy, what are their favorite dishes from Montenegro, and what would they recommend from the cuisine of their country to the participants of the “Food Talk” conference.
The panel was moderated by Robert Čoban and the participants were: Branimir Jukić, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Montenegro, Christian Steiner, Ambassador of Austria to Montenegro, Veselko Grubišić, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to Montenegro and Velibor Zolak, tourism marketing expert.
Panel number 2 was called “How to do more by Dušan Đorđević: Challenges of motivation in the HoReCa industry of the region”. How did we get to the point where something that should be “normal” – became an “exception”. How do managers in the HoReCa industry manage to create and retain people like Dušan Đorđević, a young waiter from Niš who became a star on social networks due to his spontaneity and smile.
The moderator of this panel was Milica Stijepović, editor of the show “Agrosaznanje” on TVC, and the participants were: Muhamed Kurmemi, Harmonia Hotels, Durrës, Albania; Jelena Đaković, Huma Kotor Bay, Montenegro; Dimitrije Acevski, Eichen Group, Serbia; Nikola Vesić, chef, Dukley Hotel&Resort, Montenegro; Dušan Šofranac, Area Director of Food and Beverage (Mamula Island by Banyan Tree and Centrale Luštica Bay by Angsana) and Marija Martinović, Maestral Hotels and Casinos, Budva, Montenegro.
Panel number 3 was entitled “Food, Wine & Art: Food as inspiration for artists” and was moderated by Petra Čelebić, editor of the magazine “Diplomacy&Commerce Montenegro”.
Nenad Novak Stefanović, a writer from Belgrade, spoke in the panel; Ljiljana Karadžić, art historian, JU Museums and Galleries of Podgorica and Vlasta Mandić, architect, gastonomad and author of the book “Bokeška kužina”.
In panel number 4, entitled “But we broke up with the crowd there: Branding destinations through food and wine”, the moderator was Vladimir Fustić, Euronews Montenegro, and the speakers were Vladimir Živanović, director of the Tourist Organization of Zlatibor; Stevan Stešević, Montenegro Luxury Association; Željka Radak Kukavičić, expert in the field of tourism; Milonja Blagojević, owner of the ethnic village “Montenegro”, Bojana Otašević, founder of the brand “Mille Baci” and Jaroslav Stupavski, director of the Agribusiness sector of the company “Voli”.
Panel number 5 entitled “The Menu: Chefs from the region on the tastes and demands of a new audience” was moderated by Sandra Manojlović, marketing director and author of the food blog “Cook on the Bright Side”, and the participants were Srđan Jerinkić, Challenge Reconstruction, Novi Sad; Andrej Raičević, Executive Chef, Hotel Centrale Luštica Bay by Angsana; Nikola Rosić, Thyme Hospitality Platform, Belgrade; Goran Tatar, One&Only, Portonovi; Duško Miladinov, Sous Chef, Lazure Hotel&Marina; Filip Nišić, Executive Chef, Gorski Hotel&Spa, Kopaonik, Serbia and Nikola Markotanović, Head Chef and co-owner of the Square Portonovi restaurant.
In the last panel of “La Traviata”, Andrija Martinović, sommelier, Goran Brnović, owner of the restaurant “Odiva”, Damir Moskov, chef and food blogger, and Luka Bešić from the Association of Sommeliers of Montenegro spoke about what the wine scene looks like in Montenegro and the region.
Among the sponsors of the conference were the companies “Voli”, “Energy Star” and “Plantaže”.