UROSHMITRASINOVIC
Growing up in Serbia, Urosh Mitrasinovic’s love for food began with his passion for experimentation at a young age. Family gathered around a table for all meals, there were no restaurant outings, just the inspiration he found all around him. He was particularly fond of Sunday lunches at his grandmother’s house – which forever will be his favourite. By the time he was 8, he already knew that he would be a chef, even though he hadn’t fried an egg. Years went by, burning pans and failing to create anything remotely edible, his opportunity finally came about the time he went to college. A trip to the US at 21 to work at a small Mexican place in Cape Cod. All he needed was one rush hour and he was totally hooked on cooking. This made him go door to door to every restaurant in the Cape until he got a spot, and a few more in American, Italian and Mexican restaurants in Massachusetts. It was that summer he realized he loved cooking a lot more than he thought.
“21 Grams brings you honest yet daring Balkan soul food, inspired by a wonderful melting pot of cultures that truly is the Balkan Peninsula.”
Upon return to Serbia, he began cooking around the country and exploring his love of the diverse local ingredients, dishes and cultures that make his homeland unique. In 2017, one injury-fated break landed him an opportunity, making his way to Dubai as a head chef of 21 Grams. 21 Grams is a family-style, home grown, neighbourhood bistro that brings an honest yet daring Balkan soul food inspired by the diverse ethnicities, cultures, and cuisines of the Balkan Peninsula. With freshly sourced ingredients, Urosh executes traditional and family recipes where he tells a story starting from an amuse bouche to the dessert. He combines emotions and techniques, and strives to create each dish to satisfy at least two of three conditions: memory, texture, and surprise. Having learned a great deal about life in the kitchen and beyond from the chefs in the US, Urosh pushed himself to further his culinary knowledge – trial and error, following new trends and techniques, cooking for himself afterhours or for the staff. Unfortunately, he never had a chance to work for some of the big names in the industry, but those that he worked with along the way taught him a lot that he doesn’t feel that he missed out. Urosh sees 21 Grams as a busy, bustling family with everyone playing a vibrant role and showcasing their own talent - his being the creation of honest yet daring soul food from back home and introducing the warmth and comfort of Balkan favours to the people of UAE.
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