Barba
Ive
Chef
Ivo with Placido Domingo at a post-performance
reception at the Croatian Embassy for Mr. Domingo
and the cast of "Il Guarany" hosted by
H.E. Ambassador and Mrs. Miomir Zuzul on November 26, 1996.
The reception was reported in The International Herald Tribune and
the Style Section of The Washington Post.
Ivo Svircic was born on March 25, 1939 in Krapanj near Sibenik, Croatia. Today, he is the Chef at the Embassy of Croatia. Here at the Embassy, we call him "Barba Ive", barba meaning uncle and mister in Dalmatian dialect of the Croatian language. He is like an uncle here to us at the Embassy. Prior to becoming Chef at the Embassy, he acquired a great deal of culinary experience during his unique life which took him to all the corners of the globe.
His exposure to the culinary arts began at the age of thirteen, when he boarded a passenger ship "Sinj" which sailed between ports of the Adriatic Sea. Over the following several years, he developed culinary skills aboard various domestic and international passenger ships. In 1959 he completed the High School for Tourism, Maritime Affairs Unit, in Opatija, Croatia. In 1962 he finished community college for Hotel Management in Zagreb, and enrolled in the Faculty of Economics at the University of Zagreb.
Deciding to put his culinary experience and expertise to use, in 1969 Chef Ivo opened his first restaurant in Brodarica, near Sibenik. He was the first owner of the restaurant "Gold Fish" (Zlatna Ribica), a prominent fish restaurant still standing today. However, in 1971, Chef Ivo decided to head back to the sea where he spent the following decade. He was a chef on various international cruise ships—Sitmar Line, Home Line, Holland-American Line, Costa Line, and Premier Cruises Line.
At the end of the decade, Chef Ivo moved to the United States. Utilizing the perfected culinary expertise, in 1982 he opened restaurant "Cheval" in New Jersey specializing in French and Italian cuisine. By 1988, Chef Ivo moved to New York where he opened his third restaurant "Villa Dubrovnik," serving Croatian and Italian delicacies. In 1992, Chef Ivo had another restaurant in New York specializing in Italian and Continental cuisine. Chef Ivo moved to Chicago by 1994 where he opened his fifth restaurant "Adriatic," featuring Croatian and Italian cuisine.
A new chapter in Chef Ivo's life began in the summer of 1996, when he joined the culinary staff of "Croatia House," a hospitality house Croatia established during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta for promotional efforts. Following the Olympics, Chef Ivo came to work for the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Washington D.C. as the chef. Chef Ivo is responsible for and manages all culinary events at the Embassy, from cooking Croatian delicacies for dinner parties and receptions at the Embassy to presenting Croatian cuisine at various international culinary festivals. Most recently, Chef Ivo co-hosted a month of Croatian cuisine at the prestigious "The Historic George Town Club" in Washington, D.C.
Chef Ivo explains the meaning of his work in his own words: "After spending a large portion of my life working abroad, I wanted to do something for my homeland. Being the Embassy's chef is ideal for me, since I have the opportunity to combine my culinary art with the love of my country. With my Croatian culinary selections, I try to provide the Embassy's contacts and visitors with a taste of diverse Croatian cuisine, whose delicacies aren't widely known outside Croatia."
December 1997