A festival of competitive gastronomy, education and wine appreciation. Biser Mora 2026 was held as part of the project ‘Competencies for ‘Excellence in Hospitality’ with the support of the Croatian Ministry of Tourism and Sports with the aim of developing professional knowledge .and competitiveness of Croatian gastronomy. This year the festival bought together numerous young talents and professionals , confirming its status as one of the most significant international gastronomic events. Željko Neven Bremac and Alma Harasić Bremac of SKMER ACMER – SPLIT– (Association of Chefs from the Mediterranean and European Regions) – are the primary organisers of this prestigious annual event held annually at the Waterman Svpetrvs Hotel in Supetar, Island Brač.

.Zeljko Neven Bremac (SMJER ACMER) with Marinella Ferigo leader of the Frico Friuliano Team from Italy.

More than 500 participants from 20 countries attended the 2026 event in Supetar on Island Brač. The winner of this year’s Biser Mora Cup was Samy Feddag (France) Second place went to Nicole Perini (Italy) while Third place went to Marko Jovanić (Banja Luka.)

Samy Feddag of France, (Left) Winner of the Biser Mora Cup 2026 and Nicole Perini of Italy runner up.

Best junior chefs included Lovre Odak (First) Marija Batuta (Second) and Iva Radoš (Third) The Best Chef’s Table award went to The Higher Vocational School of Hospitality of Maribor, Slovenia, with Restaurant AX The Palace from Malta a close second.

Young student chefs with great attitude and work ethics…A joy to watch in action.

Anica Narana and Goran Žižek from the Prelog High School won Gold for the presentation of national cuisine and the Sri Lanka Team were also awarded Gold!

Young chefs need all the appreciation and support they can get..a friendly pat on the back and positive comment is always greatly appreciated..

Wine appreciation and tastings by Daniel Čečevac and Katherine Pepper were outstanding, Daniel is a well known wine educator and also as a Croatian sommelier of distinction, attaining diplomas from the prestigious WSET School of International Wine education in London.

Daniel Čečevac’s class took us through 8 Elegant Dalmatian Reds.. LASINA by Sladić, BIOKOVO by Delmati, PROMINA by Skovina, BABIĆ from Primošten, STAFILU BABICA from Kaštela, BRIME by Rizman, PROVIĆ From Vrgorac and BURICA – Šolta. I couldn’t really decide which was my favourite, 8 different varieties of grape, 8 different regions of Dalmatia, yet each had a distinct quality and story of their own.. A great class..much appreciated!

Katherine (Kit) Pepper (Left) is a joy to be around..she exudes elegance, style and knowledge.

Katherine Pepper is in a class of her own. A New Yorker who has settled permanently on Island Brač together with her husband Kent. Katherine is the editor of CHEERS CROATIA MAGAZINE , a reliable source of free, English language information about Croatian wine. It includes tips for visitors designing travel itineraries. It also offers travellers a Winery Finder, providing location maps and contact information for all Croatian Wineries with tasting rooms, and a calendar of wine events in Croatia open to the public. Find it on instagram at cheerscroatiamagazine. Katherine has also written a magnificent book VINO DALMATIA in conjunction with Vino Dalmacija distributors of Dalmatian wines. Another excellent source of information in English for visitors including stunning visuals, recipes, and an excellent chapter entitled, ‘Grapes of change: Croatian Wine Making for a Changing Climate.’ Available FOC! Contact Vino Dalmacija in Split.

Katherine teamed with Mate Lukin from Zadar, a gold medal winner of Dalmatian pršut (Prosciutto)production, presenting a class on pairing Dalmatian wines with this Dalmatian speciality..The perfect match ended up being the wine each person enjoyed the most..!! A wonderful ending to a great event.

Biser mora 2026, gastronomskog festivala i natjecanja koje je tijekom četiri dana u Supetru na Braču okupilo više od 500 sudionika iz dvadesetak zemalja, održano je „black box“ natjecanje pet finalista, odabranih nakon zahtjevnih kvalifikacijskih natjecanja. Pobjedu je odnio Samy Feddag (45) iz Francuske, osvojivši titulu najboljeg kuhara 21. Bisera mora te nagradu od 1.500 eura. Drugo mjesto pripalo je Talijanki Nicole Perini uz nagradu od 800 eura, dok je treće mjesto zauzeo Marko Jovanić iz Banje Luke s osvojenih 400 eura. U finalu su još sudjelovali i Rumunj Ardelean Vasile Bogdan te Darko Jokić iz Crne Gore. Juniorskim prvakom Bisera mora proglašen je Lovre Odak (19), koji je tu titulu osvojio i prošle godine. Odak je ŠKMER-ov stipendist iz Splita sa zlatnim odličjima s međunarodnih natjecanja u regiji, U kategoriji prezentacije nacionalne kuhinje zlatnu medalju osvojila je Srednja škola Prelog, a nagrađeni su Anica Naranđa i Goran Žižek. Zlatom je nagrađen i tim Sri Lanka national table. U konkurenciji za najbolji chef’s table prvo mjesto osvojila je Višja strokovna šola za gostinstvo in turizem Maribor, a drugo Restaurant AX The Palace s Malte. U kategoriji najboljih junior chefova pobjedu je odnio Lovre Odak. Drugo mjesto osvojila je Marija Batuta, dok je treće mjesto pripalo Ivi Radoš. Festival je i ove godine okupio brojne mlade talente i profesionalce, potvrdivši svoj status jednog od značajnijih međunarodnih gastronomskih događanja. Biser mora 2026 održao se u sklopu projekta „Kompetencije za izvrsnost u ugostiteljstvu“, uz podršku Ministarstva turizma i sporta Republike Hrvatske, s ciljem sustavnog razvoja profesionalnih znanja i jačanja konkurentnosti hrvatske gastronomije. ŽIVJELI!