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Ino Kuvacic: Living the Dalmatian dream down-under

Jessica Wright
Jessica Wright

Now here is a chef with an impressive pedigree – and the good burghers of Port Melbourne and beyond have been enjoying the spoils for almost a decade.

Born on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia, Ino Kuvacic moved to Australia in 1996, aged 20, and immediately joined the kitchen at iconic St Kilda beachfront restaurant Donovans.

From there, Kuvacic plied his trade at Melbourne culinary institution Grossi Florentino, respected old-school Italian eatery Scusami and Sydney's famed Otto Ristorante before taking up the head chef's position at Melbourne fine diner Bottega.

But such coveted positions in the kitchens of respected Australian restaurants could not quench the appetite to own his own restaurant, so nine years ago Kuvacic purchased premises in Port Melbourne's busy Bay Street, named them Dalmatino (after the region of his birth, specialising in Croatian cuisine) and has worked the joint around the clock as a proud owner/operator since.

Kuvacic says his philosophy for food comes from deep within his DNA.

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"There is a lot of diversity when it comes to food in Croatia and we take pride in the culture and tradition of our foods," he says.

Kuvacic's cooking reflects the heart of Dalmatia – simple, with few ingredients, and always big on freshness and flavour.

"Living in the south, we have a Mediterranean climate, so our native plants are rosemary, sage and olive trees, and that influences our cooking," he says.

Garlic, onion, olive oil, white wine, tomato, cured meats and seafood feature in any number of combinations and dishes found on his seasonal menus but today Kuvacic is demonstrating a dish using one of his favourite delicacies of the deep: octopus.

The method and recipe is steeped in family history.

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"I learnt how to cook from my family: my grandmother, my aunties and my mum. As a child you see and then you taste and then you try. You develop a passion for it. It's in your blood; it's in your genes. You learn it as part of your culture. I still use some of my grandmother's recipes."

Seafood features heavily on the menu at Dalmatino, and Kuvacic takes extraordinary steps to ensure his customers receive the freshest product available.

"Every Tuesday I am out the door at 4am to the wholesale market," he says. "This way I am able to get the freshest product, I can handle it myself. I get to see the quality and it is also the cheapest way to buy.

"I find it comforting. It is the best when you buy your own produce: you get the best quality, you are doing it yourself."

Kuvacic says the demands of being an owner/operator are many and varied – including staff turnover, wildly fluctuating trade and balancing food and operating costs with what a customer is prepared to pay per plate. But he is living his lifelong goal of bringing a little of his native culture – the food, the feeling, the family ways – to Australia.

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"That is what makes me get up every day," he says. "I am living my dream and it is wonderful."

Discover peka, a traditional Croatian special-occasion dish of meat slow-cooked under a bell-shaped lid, at a special lunch prepared by Dalmatino chef Ino Kuvavic on November 17 and 24. Choose from octopus or veal peka. See melbourne.goodfoodmonth.com for details.

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Jessica WrightJessica Wright is a breaking news reporter for The Age. Previously she was the national political correspondent for The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age and a breaking news reporter for the <i>National Times</i>.

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