Marko Gajski (second from left) and the LD team with the trophy Marko Sitar

December 3, 2021 – During the Relais & Châteaux Group’s annual conference Marko Gajski, the chef of the Michelin starred restaurant LeÅ¡ić Dimitri Palace received the Rising Chef Trophy 2022!

The Relais & Châteaux Group is one of the most prestigious hotel and restaurant associations in the world. In November, awards were given to the best members of the group, that is, deserving individuals who stood out for their enthusiastic work. The group’s annual conference was held virtually, and broadcast live from Paris to more than a thousand top chefs, managers and hoteliers and restaurateurs in 65 countries on five continents. It was a truly extraordinary moment for LeÅ¡ić Dimitri Palace in Korčula, one of the first Croatian R&C members on the world’s most luxurious tourist map. For eight years, the LD team has been featured on this list of exclusive, unique and independent hotels, villas and restaurants.

“The award came as the icing on the cake after a great season! I know these names mean next to nothing to a lot of people, but to us chefs it means a lot! When we know that Relais & Châteaux includes restaurants where chefs Thomas Keller, Daniel Humm, Mauro Colagreco or Elena Arzak cook and some of the restaurants of the group each have two or three Michelin stars. The award is for the best standing chef, but I cannot say that I personally won the award. No prize in fine dining is personal, everyone in this business knows it’s the product of the hard work of the whole team and the team lives it that way. This award is not mine, but ours together, ”said chef Marko Gajski. He is one of Croatia’s most famous and talented chefs, who confirmed his first Michelin star this year, having first obtained it in 2020.

Regarding their future plans to establish the hotel and restaurant on the national and international gastronomic scene, Marko is extremely optimistic and ambitious: “Our ambitions do not end there. The Rising Chef Trophy, as well as the Michelin star confirmed for 2021, are a confirmation of the quality of our work. When you receive such recognition from the world’s most respected and authoritative gastronomic institutions, you can only be more motivated to further develop yourself and push the boundaries of innovation and creativity in everything even further. what we do ! “