From Boka With Flavor: Damir Moškov’s Culinary Journey Through Memory and Innovation
In a world where life moves faster and meals often become routine, there are people who remind us that cooking is an art and a shared meal is an experience. Damir Moškov, a private chef and author of the food blog “Damir’s Gastrolomies”, is exactly that kind of creator. A native of Prčanj, who began his culinary journey with simple recipes, he now passionately explores the depths of Boka’s local flavors, blending them with modern techniques and approaches. His cuisine knows no borders but never forgets its roots. In this interview, Damir reveals what it’s like to create a gastronomic experience from idea to plate, why he believes in the power of simplicity, and how Montenegro can (and should) become a recognizable gastronomic destination on the world map.
Damir, considering that you come from the heart of Boka – from Kotor, or more precisely, Prčanj – how much do your homeland and its flavors shape your culinary creativity?
Well, that’s becoming more and more the case, although I have to admit it didn’t start out that way. But I would advise others to follow my path: begin with quick and easy recipes, just to “get your hands going” and gradually build your confidence. Later, when you feel more free, you can try all kinds of recipes. These days, I’m thinking more and more about local cuisine. With the knowledge I have now, I want to bring back some recipes, to remember flavors from my childhood. So, you could say that I’m now at a point in life where my homeland truly influences everything I do and cook.
You run the popular blog “Damir’s Gastrolomies.” How do your recipes come to life? Are they the result of imagination and creative exploration that inspires you daily, or more a product of experience, knowledge, and journeys through different cultures?
The recipes on the blog came about as I was learning to cook and whenever I had enough time to record them. I didn’t have any rules or scheduled posts; I simply wanted to slowly create a recipe base for all occasions, a variety of recipes that could inspire readers at any moment. And just think how many recipes I’ve shared with people via Instagram DMs, who never even visited the blog! Quick ones, unusual ones, the kind that come from a burst of inspiration. Of course, many of them didn’t have exact measurements, so they weren’t quite ready for the blog – but I believe they still helped those who received them.
Your culinary work seems like a blend of tradition and a modern approach, where local ingredients often meet contemporary techniques. What are the biggest challenges in combining the two, and is there a spice you can’t imagine a single dish without? How do you find balance between familiar, inherited flavors and innovation?
This is a great question – it really gets to the heart of my current creative process. The biggest challenge, honestly, is just the lack of time to try out all the ideas! But little by little, one at a time, we tackle them – and that’s how some “new” dishes are created, inspired by old meals or traditional customs. It’s not always about new or modern techniques either. Sometimes, it’s just about thinking more broadly about a particular dish: Can certain ingredients be changed while keeping the essence? Can the texture of an ingredient be altered to surprise?
I think that inherited taste is very important, but the trick lies in finding different ways to achieve that same flavour. Or maybe to surpass expectations and create something new, a version of the dish 2.0. We chefs like to push the boundaries of a dish so that tasters feel the need to say, ‘Hey, this is something different,’ but that this ‘new’ flavor is immediately enjoyable and pleasant to them.
You work at the St. Nicholas monastery complex in Prčanj, where special Wine & Dine evenings are often organized. Since you also have experience in event planning, what does it look like when Damir Moškov designs and organizes a gastronomic experience from scratch?
Yes, there is a collaboration with the St. Nicholas Monastery Complex in Prčanj, which practically combines my profession in event organization, the services provided by my marketing agency M2Communications Montenegro, with my passion and a sort of calling as a private chef. Just like in event organization, I like to provide a comprehensive service when it comes to gastronomic experiences. Above all, I enjoy beauty. Beauty can be simple and minimalistic, or it can consist of multiple layers that seamlessly flow into one another to create a unique experience. In fact, even within our agency, the word “experience” has largely replaced the word “event.” An experience is something that lasts longer, something guests live through and that leaves a deeper impression. Our gastronomic experiences are based on what we love to experience ourselves, which means it’s not just about food and drink. Everything is infused with beautiful details and conveys a sense of a “dolce vita” experience. From the location itself, which is magical – the historic building that enchants – to the details of the setup that we constantly rethink, from the choice of glasses and plates, to the guests’ arrival and our approach to making everyone feel immediately comfortable, and finally to the gastronomic delight we prepare for weeks in advance. I strive to present menus unpretentiously, to draw attention to some of the ideas behind the dishes, but to make it all feel simple enough and accessible to the audience.
Gastronomic tourism is becoming increasingly important in promoting destinations. How do you see the role of food in presenting Montenegro to the world?
We currently find ourselves in a somewhat unfavourable position, one that slightly “holds us back” from developing the full potential of a gastronomic offer that would elevate gastro tourism to a higher level. Actually, one that would put Montenegro on the map as a gastronomic destination at all. To be honest, few local and traditional dishes are served nowadays in restaurants across Montenegro to create a recognizable identity when it comes to gastro tourism. Some micro-locations successfully maintain their gastronomic story and stick to local ingredients and traditional dishes, and those are good examples of which we need more. For gastro tourism, it is not enough that guests can be sure the ingredients are local and authentic only in mountain huts and villages. Even in tourist cities, places and restaurants need to stand out by doing something truly special, by celebrating where they come from, and by thinking about their cuisine in the way we mentioned at the beginning of the interview – that is, to breathe new life into some traditional dishes and make them popular again. Only then will we be able to say that guests come to Montenegro because of gastro tourism