Chef’s Table in Karigador brings together three chefs, Istrian wines and the flavors of the Adriatic right on the coast
On Saturday, June 6, 2026, from 6 p.m., Karigador will gain one of the most interesting gastronomic stages at the beginning of the summer season. Chef’s Table, a boutique gastronomic event within the Sapori di Mare project, will be held on the local pier, connecting the maritime tradition of Brtonigla and northwestern Istria with signature cuisine, Istrian wines, music and a seaside setting. According to the organizers’ announcement, the evening is conceived as a relaxed yet richly curated gathering around a large communal table, with dishes inspired by the Adriatic and ingredients that are less often found at the center of restaurant menus.
The official events calendar of the Istria County Tourist Board confirms that Sapori di mare in Karigador will be held on June 6, 2026, describing the event as a fishermen’s festival in the village of Karigador-Carigador. Colours of Istria, the tourism platform of northwestern Istria, describes the event as an evening of fish specialties, Istrian wine, traditional products and music by the sea. Chef’s Table also fits into this basic idea, as a format that moves the fishermen’s festival toward a more intimate gastronomic experience, but without losing its Mediterranean character and informal sense of togetherness.
A large tavolata as the center of the evening
The central place in the program will be taken by a large communal tavolata set up right by the sea. Such an arrangement is not merely a scenographic detail, but also an important part of the evening’s concept: food is not presented as an isolated restaurant ritual, but as a social event in which dishes, wine, conversation and music naturally complement one another. The organizers announce an atmosphere in which the sound of the waves, the scent of the sea and the sunset will be part of the experience just as much as the chefs’ signature plates. For visitors planning to arrive from outside the venue, accommodation offers in Karigador and the surroundings of Brtonigla may also be a useful choice, especially because the program takes place in the evening hours.
Chef’s Table in Karigador is not conceived as a classic dinner with fixed courses for a closed number of guests, but as a more open encounter between gastronomy and the local ambience. Each dish will be available at a price of 10 euros, and recommended wine pairings have been announced alongside individual courses. The limited number of portions should preserve the boutique character of the event: according to the announcement, each of the three chefs will prepare one hundred portions, giving the overall experience an additional dose of immediacy and limited availability. Precisely because of this, the event resembles a carefully curated open-air gastronomic evening more than a typical large summer festival.
Skoko, Brajković and Hrvatin bring three views of the sea
David Skoko, Antonio Brajković and Hrvoje Hrvatin are in charge of the gastronomic part of the evening, three authors with different approaches to seafood cuisine. According to the organizers’ announcement, their gathering in one place represents a rare opportunity for an audience interested in contemporary interpretations of Adriatic ingredients. Skoko has long been publicly recognizable for his work with fish, local catch and an approach that seeks to use ingredients more comprehensively, while Brajković represents a younger generation of Istrian chefs with a strong orientation toward communication with a wider audience. Hrvatin, meanwhile, is known in the Istrian gastronomic context for his signature approach to local ingredients and for participating in gastro programs that seek to bring maritime tradition closer to new generations.
The organizers announce three signature courses inspired by the sea, with each chef bringing his own character and his own reading of Adriatic cuisine. Such an approach is important because it shows how the same starting point, a seafood ingredient, can be developed into completely different culinary expressions. Instead of presenting fish and seafood only through familiar, safe and expected recipes, Chef’s Table in Karigador emphasizes creativity, technique and the ability to reinterpret. This is especially visible in the choice of ingredients, because the evening does not rely only on the most sought-after and commercially best-known species.
Blue crab, leerfish and shark as a challenge for the plate
Special emphasis will be placed on invasive and less represented species, among which the announcement highlights blue crab, leerfish and shark. In gastronomic terms, this is a topic that goes beyond the mere attractiveness of the menu. When less used species are introduced into a serious culinary context, space opens for a different attitude toward marine resources, fishing and consumer habits. Such an approach can help broaden the audience’s attention beyond a few of the best-known fish species, which is important for a more sustainable way of thinking about food and the local offer.
The context of blue crab is especially current. The Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries states that blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, is an invasive species originating from the Atlantic Ocean that in recent years has increasingly threatened the ecosystem of the Adriatic. The same institute, within the BlueDiversity project, studies protection measures and the possibilities of commercial harvesting in order to reduce the population and the negative impact of this species, including the assessment of the health safety of its meat for human consumption. For this reason, the appearance of blue crab in the gastronomic program cannot be viewed only as culinary exotica, but also as an example of an attempt to translate an ecological problem at least partly into a more sustainable economic and nutritional framework.
Leerfish and shark are mentioned in the event announcement as less represented ingredients that the chefs will interpret through signature courses. This does not mean that the audience is being invited to the uncritical consumption of any species, but that attention is being directed toward the thoughtful use of available marine resources and toward culinary creativity. In serious gastronomy, such ingredients require knowledge, clear technique and a good balance of flavors, because they are not always part of the average guest’s expectations. Precisely for that reason, the event can have educational value: it shows that the value of a plate is not measured only by the market popularity of the ingredient, but also by the way it is understood, prepared and presented.
Oysters, sparkling wine and Istrian wines
Alongside the three signature courses, the program will also be completed by fresh oysters served with sparkling wine. This combination has an almost classic status in a maritime setting, but in the context of Karigador it gains the local framework of the beginning of the summer season and an evening that relies on the atmosphere of the coast. Oysters and sparkling wine also serve as an introduction to the rest of the program, because they establish a lighter, more festive tone before the dishes that will carry a stronger signature mark. According to the announcement, each course will be accompanied by a recommended wine pairing, emphasizing that wine is not an addition, but an integral part of the experience.
The Istrian wineries Veralda and Cattunar are responsible for the wine story. On its official website, Veralda highlights indigenous varieties such as Istrian Malvasia, Refošk and Teran, as well as an ecological approach to vineyards, while Cattunar notes a long family connection with the viticulture of western Istria and vineyards in the surroundings of Brtonigla. Their participation logically continues the theme of the evening, because the gastronomic event in Karigador presents not only cuisine, but also the wider eno-gastronomic identity of northwestern Istria. Wine pairings can help round off individual dishes more precisely, especially when it comes to seafood ingredients with pronounced textures and specific aromas.
Statement by the Tourist Board and the importance of the destination experience
Michelle Pilat, director of the Brtonigla Municipality Tourist Board, stated in the event announcement that Chef’s Table in Karigador embodies quality, authenticity and experiences that connect top gastronomy, local ingredients and people. According to her, she is especially pleased that visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy the creations of renowned chefs who interpret the richness of the Adriatic and Istrian ingredients in an innovative way. This statement neatly summarizes the direction in which local events are increasingly developing: they are no longer just entertainment programs, but also a way of presenting the identity of a destination.
In tourism communication, Brtonigla is often presented through the combination of the inland and the coast, that is, green and blue Istria. In this context, Karigador has a special role because it brings the maritime face of the municipality, with its pier, bay and the atmosphere of a fishing village. Official descriptions of the Sapori di mare event emphasize precisely this combination: fish specialties, Istrian wine, traditional products, local music and the sunset over the sea bay. Chef’s Table elevates this foundation into a signature format and broadens the audience for whom gastronomy is interesting as an experience, not only as a food offer.
For the destination, such an event is important also because it can extend the reason for arrival beyond the mere beachgoing or excursion logic. Visitors who come for food, wine and music often look for additional content, from walking through the village to visiting nearby wineries, so the gastronomic program naturally connects with the local tourism offer. In that sense, accommodation near the event location can be a practical choice for those who want to spend the evening without haste and with a fuller experience of northwestern Istria.
Music program and seaside atmosphere
Chef’s Table will not rely only on food and wine. For the musical part of the evening, Toons & Tunes with a DJ set on vinyl records and the eight-member disco funk band Eter have been announced. Such a choice of program points to a relaxed, rhythmic and social atmosphere, without the formality that would distance the event from its Mediterranean foundation. In this case, music is an important element of the evening’s dramaturgy: it accompanies the arrival of guests, the change of courses, conversations at the table and the final part of the program.
The distinctive feature of the event will be precisely the combination of elements that are not usually always encountered in the same format. On one side there are chefs and signature dishes, and on the other the informal fishermen’s scenery of the pier, open-air music and a communal table. Such a balance can be decisive for the success of the program, because it allows gastronomy to remain accessible while at the same time retaining ambition. In this way, Karigador gains an event that is not exhausted in a single evening of food, but attempts to tell a story about the sea, local ingredients and the people who know how to turn them into an experience.
Limited number of portions and a format that calls for earlier arrival
Since only one hundred portions per chef have been announced, the organizers clearly indicate that quantities will be limited. This is important information for everyone planning to attend, because the most interesting courses at events like this often sell out quickly. The program begins at 6 p.m., which leaves visitors enough time to arrive before the evening crowds, get acquainted with the offer and choose dishes with the recommended wines. The price of 10 euros per dish additionally opens the event to a wider audience, but the limited number of portions preserves the sense of specialness.
Chef’s Table in Karigador should therefore be viewed as a meeting of a fishermen’s festival, a wine evening and open-air signature cuisine. The announced combination of Skoko, Brajković and Hrvatin brings three different views of the sea, while the choice of blue crab, leerfish and shark opens a conversation about what can be a valuable seafood ingredient. When oysters with sparkling wine, Istrian wines, a vinyl DJ set and a disco funk band are added to this, Karigador on June 6 gains an event that is at once gastronomic, social and destination-oriented. In the best case, it can be an evening in which the sea is not viewed only as a backdrop, but as the main theme of the plate, the glass and the communal table.
Sources:
- Istria County Tourist Board, Istra.hr – events calendar and confirmation of the Sapori di mare date in Karigador on June 6, 2026. (link)
- Colours of Istria – description of the Sapori di Mare event, the Karigador location and the program context of the fishermen’s evening (link)
- Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries – information on the BlueDiversity project, the invasive blue crab and measures for preserving Adriatic biodiversity (link)
- Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries – information on sustainable ways of managing blue crab in the Neretva and the species’ impact on the Adriatic ecosystem (link)
- Veralda – official information about the winery, indigenous varieties and ecological approach to vineyards in the surroundings of Brtonigla (link)
- Cattunar – official information about the winery, vineyards and wine tradition of western Istria (link)
- Colours of Istria – information about David Skoko and his work with fish and local ingredients in the gastronomic programs of northwestern Istria (link)