The food and wine conference entitled “Moja Kravica Food Talk 2016”, under the slogan “Food Revolution”, organized for the fourth time in a row by “Color Press Group” was yesterday held at the tourist complex Ribarsko ostrvo in Novi Sad. Oliver Mlakar, the legendary TV host, this year was the presenter, whereas the French Ambassador to Serbia Christine Moro opened the conference.
During her introductory speech, Moro introduced the audience with how influential the French cuisine is, and spoke about its beginnings: ”In 2010, UNESCO made an entry for the French cuisine in the list of world heritage items. Ever since the Renaissance, the country’s identity and cuisine have been strongly linked, and this identity is famous around the world”, the Ambassador said, adding that the first guidebooks, which later led to the first cookbooks, were written in France.
Conference opening was attended by Goran Sečujski, member of the Novi Sad City Council, who said that food and wine for the regional countries present great potential. He pointed out that in addition to conditions in Serbia in terms of food growing and wine production, the Serbian producers possess rich experience and knowledge regarding seeds production, agriculture, how to prepare food and how to celebrate with food and wine. Sečujski added that the City of Novi Sad, over the last six years had been supporting production of organic food, as well as of products with marked geographical background, cabbage from Futog, and linden honey from Fruška gora.
Then Ženja Aćimović, Editor-in- Chief for all cooking-related publications within CPG, greeted the audience, as well as Secretary General of the association Association de la Sommellerie Internationale – ASI, Michele Astrom Chantome. The conference began with the case study about yeast in cooking led by the company “Lesaffre”, whereas the amazing Duška Jovanić presented the best chefs and owners of the most popular gastronomy parlours in Belgrade. Throughout the second case study led by Tamara Ognjević, the audience had the opportunity to hear many interesting facts regarding the French cuisine. “From 1850, when the first stove, powered by the wood, was launched, and until nowadays, philosophy about good taste and relation towards the food changed drastically. Everything began right after the French Bourgeois Revolution and the first public meals date back from that period.
Today, the French cuisine is setting up standards and vocabulary for food in all cuisines in the world”, said Tamara Ognjević, an art historian. Nevertheless, Vojvodina can nowadays boast about a number of specialties, prepared by home cooks especially for this occasion. The association “Bač u srcu Bačke” organized The Vojvodina buffet, helped by the Municipality of Bač and the Province’s Secretariat for Agriculture. The objective of the “Food Talk” conference is to promote international cuisine, but also to promote specialties of cuisines of all national minorities that live in Vojvodina. The Vojvodina buffet offered a real feast from Vojvodina to the guests. Pies, bread-rolls, various types of pastry, sarmas made of sorrel, cakes with poppy seeds, walnuts, sour cherries… The cooks smiled because the plates were being emptied in no time, and when the eyes and stomachs are full, there is always positive atmosphere. Therefore, everyone present at the food and wine conference was smiling.
The panel regarding guests who visit restaurants gathered regional chefs and bloggers. Master chef Maja Mačković from the Croatian Association of Master Chefs said that food placed in the mouth should trigger any sort of sensation. “We possess such riches that we could make an international brand, and yet we are somehow ashamed of our own food in the region. Instead of “fast food”, we should be selling “traditional food”, and yet we do not do that”, said Mačković, adding that nowadays guests who consume meals made by top-class chefs appreciate honesty above anything else, and so when there are certain “failures” in the kitchen published on social networks, the guests witness that even the best chefs are only humans who make mistakes.
At the end of the panel, we were introduced to the youngest author of cookbooks in Serbia, a sixteen-year- old Aleksa Žujović, who presented his cookbook entitled “Serbia in my hands”, containing thirty recipes. The importance of proteins was discussed, as well the new line of “Imlek” products, throughout the third case study, which was led by this company’s technologist Ivan Zorić. Patron of this year’s conference is “Moja Kravica Kuhinjica” from the company “Imlek”. “Moja Kravica Kuhinjica” launched new products from its range, namely “Sladoled Mix”, a dairy mixture used to prepare ice-cream at home, in three flavours: chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. All the guests present at the conference had the opportunity to try out this ice-cream, which is produced from the mixture, rich in dairy fats, and has recognizable milky taste and creamy structure. The two ultimate panels, entitled “Sweet Revolution” and “La traviata”, introduced the audience to current trends in terms of cupcakes and wine.
Cupcakes made according to latest confectionery trends were presented, as well as candies made according to the recipe which is over one hundred and twenty years old. Also presented for degustation were wines from the wineries “Aleksić” and “Chichateau”, and over a glass of good wine, the topics were new labels in the region, trends in wine production, audience who enjoys wine and festivals. “In a short span of time, wine production flourished in Serbia, but we are still behind the likes of Slovenia and Croatia, which belong to the same region”, said Dragana Janjić, co-owner and CEO of the winery “Aleksić”. During the entire day, all guests present at the conference left the messages of love and hung them together with “Jana voda” padlocks to the “LOVE” construction, which celebrates love and life.
Towards the end of the conference, diplomas were granted to students from the spring semester at the “Color Press Group” School for journalists and editors. The diplomas to the twentieth generation of students were granted by coordinator Mira Pantoš. After the conference, dinner was organized in the “Alaska Barka” restaurant, whereas the band “Apsolutno romantično” was in charge of providing excellent atmosphere. That we are all connected by love for food and wine was proved by many celebrities, media, winery and restaurant owners, who visited the event.
Among them, there were: journalist Duška Jovanić, writer Jelena Bačić Alimpić, legendary TV face Oliver Mlakar, TV announcer Nataša Ilić, influencer Milan Vučićević, singer Tanja Banjanin, fashion designer Mladen Milivojević, journalist Marina Kosanović, musician Bojan Gluvajić, and many others. Partners of the conference are: “Moja Kravica Kuhinjica”, “Lesaffre” and “Mesimo Zajedno”, ILLI Company and restaurant “Bata Pežo”, “Jana” and “Mg Mivela”, “Hleb & Kifle”, “Amstel”, “Ford”, winery “Aleksić”, “Marlenka torte”, “Grand kafa”, the City of Novi Sad and Tourist Organization of Novi Sad.
Tokom celog dana svi prisutni su ostavljali poruke ljubavi, kačeći ih sa Jana voda katancima na “LOVE” konstrukciju i time podržavajući slavljenje ljubavi i života.
