• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Travelling oven

food & travel

  • Home
  • About
  • travel
  • Recipes
  • Portfolio
  • Stock Images
  • Contact
    • Work with me
  • Workshops
  • Photography

Tournant Open fire cooking retreat in Istria, Croatia

November 7, 2019 By travellingoven 2 Comments

I met Mona and Jaret, American Chefs behind the brand Tournant, two years ago at the Food photography & styling workshop by Eva Kosmas Flores, a renowned American food photographer, cookbook author, a blogger at Adventures in Cooking and now a dear friend of mine. You can check out my blog posts about those workshops here (for year 2017) and here (for year 2018).

There are those people that instantly change something within you, when you meet them there is an immediate connection and you feel like you’ve known them forever. People that inspire you, bring something incredibly positive and powerful into your life, you feel like you want to absorb as much as possible everything they share with you, their wisdom, friendship, creativity, kindness and love. Mona and Jaret are those people. I feel very grateful to have met them and connected with them both privately as friends and professionally at their first International cooking retreat held this Autumn in beautiful Croatian region of Istria, famous for its lush green hills, truffles, wine and olive oil, picturesque little hilltop towns and much more…

It was such a pleasure to work with them on this exciting project, helping in organization, capturing all those special moments with my camera and being kind of a local travel guide as well. Hope my photos can take you on this little journey where there will be delicious food prepared over open fire, cobbled streets of charming little towns, pretty details of Autumn in Istria, cute truffle hunting dogs and some very happy people that gathered to share this experience and create something beautiful together…

culinary workshop in Istria, Croatia

culinary workshop in Istria, Croatia

culinary workshop in Istria, Croatia

culinary workshop in Istria, Croatia

culinary workshop in Istria, Croatia

culinary workshop in Istria, Croatia

culinary workshop in Istria, Croatia

culinary workshop in Istria, Croatia

culinary workshop in Istria, Croatia

culinary workshop in Istria, Croatia

culinary workshop in Istria, Croatia

open fire cooking workshop

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

We were staying in a beautiful stone villa called Luigi & Luisa that is situated on a hill above tiny little village called Livade in an area rich with lush forest, green meadows, little hills where olive trees grow. Magical place and perfect for a creative retreat like this. The nature and the mood of the region is just so inspiring, specially in Autumn and let me tell you, often I had to force myself to stop taking photos as there were other things to do as well lol! 😀

Our days would start with all of us gathering for breakfast (ok, I had something to do with preparing that breakfast too haha) around long rustic wooden table and feeling of excitement for what the day will bring. Every day we went on a little trip after breakfast, like to charming little hilltop towns Motovun and Groznjan or colourful  and pretty seaside town Novigrad or to the forest to do some truffle hunting but more on that a bit later…

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

After walking, exploring and photographing around this part of Istria, we would have lunch somewhere with  a breathtaking view and after lunch slowly made our way back to our little hill and our gorgeous home for those 5 days. Afternoons were when the magic would start happening! Mona and Jaret would start a fire and the cooking could begin…

Watching them work and learning from them was such a special experience, you can tell from the first moment you participate in their cooking process just how much they love their job, how passionate they are about using fresh seasonal ingredients in their cooking being inspired by all the beautiful produce that is in season at the moment. So, we learned, cooked, had fun, took hundreds of photos, had delicious snacks and some wine too along the way…

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

culinary retreat in Istria, Croatia

One of my favourite little trips was going truffle hunting with Karlic tartufi and their adorable dogs Lela and Candy and spending the morning in the forest walking, having fun and watching these cute truffle hunters do their job. So much fun! We also had incredibly delicious brunch there, I’m talking delicious frittata with a mountain of truffles and Parmesan cheese, little bites with different truffle spreads, amazing cheeses with honey and jam and probably my favourite, warm fritters filled with dark and white chocolate spread with truffles, so good!

I’ve been lucky to go truffle hunting with them for the last 3 years every Autumn as we did that as well at Eva’s Food photography workshops where I worked previous two years. I must admit Lela is my favourite, she is 16 years old truffle hunter and very much loved by her family. I find her so elegant, proud and incredibly beautiful, hope this portrait shows her personality well..

truffle hunting, Croatia

truffle hunting, Croatia

truffle hunting, Croatia

truffle hunting, Croatia

truffle hunting, Croatia

truffle hunting, Croatia

truffle hunting, Croatia

Time flies when you are having fun (and when you love your job!) so the last day arrived and Mona and Jaret prepared a feast with so many delicious veggies, they know how to let even the simple cabbage or cauliflower shines and manage to convert some people who never eat vegetables haha! Everybody loved the food and gathering around our magical little table on the meadow near the forest to share stories, food and wine. Later we gathered around the open fire and talked and laughed till late in the evening… There may have been some gin & tonic involved but let’s leave it at that! 😀

So here are some more photos from that last evening of the retreat. I hope you enjoyed the story and the photos and maybe it inspired you to participate in one of these future workshops or attend something similar, whatever can fill you up with some creativity, positive energy and offer you a different and special life experience creating beautiful memories…

open fire cooking workshop in Istria, Croatia

open fire cooking workshop in Istria, Croatia

open fire cooking workshop in Istria, Croatia

open fire cooking workshop in Istria, Croatia

open fire cooking workshop in Istria, Croatia

open fire cooking workshop in Istria, Croatia

open fire cooking workshop in Istria, Croatia

open fire cooking workshop in Istria, Croatia

*Thank you so much for being here, that makes me so happy! You can also follow my Travelling oven on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, as well as sign up to receive new blog posts via email and subscribe to my newsletter. 

 

 

 

 

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Filed Under: travel, Workshops Tagged With: Chefs, cooking, cooking retreat, croatia, culinary workshop, food photography, food photography workshop, istria, retreat, tournant, travel, workshop

Previous Post: « Figs oat bars
Next Post: Chocolate babka (chocolate brioche bread) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarMarisa Franca Stewart says

    November 8, 2019 at 9:06 pm

    Beautiful photos – I can see eva’s influence. your photos brought tears to my eyes. i was born in isola d’istria when it was under italian rule. I believe our town may be under slovenian rule rather than croatia. we left when i was a child and i haven’t been back. i’d love to see it and try to find the places my mamma and papà talked about. I enjoyed the post.

    Reply
    • travellingoventravellingoven says

      November 9, 2019 at 8:06 am

      Thank you very much dear Marisa! I’m so glad these photos brought back some childhood memories and I hope you get the chance to visit this beautiful part of the world again soon…

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I’m Lili and I’m so happy
to welcome you on my blog!

First things first. Why Travelling oven you’re wondering? Well, when this blog was created I had been living as an expat for about 8 years in beautiful countries like Scotland, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Turkey...READ MORE...

lili.basic

Lately my body is craving all things refreshing so Lately my body is craving all things refreshing so every day I've been drinking lemonade made with organic lemons from my parents' garden and sweetened with honey. What is your favourite citrus fruit? I love the smell of lime and taste of mandarines, specially if they are not too sweet. But all citrus fruit is just great! 😊✨
...

I am entering this image to ‘Minimalism’ #onourcreativetable theme of @onourcreativetable.  @violaminerva @bakingmydays @berryhunting @haniyeh.nikoo @lionelandhetta
@panyaskitchen @story_on_a_plate_ 
...
I’m also entering this photo to @useyournoodles citrus challenge #useyourcreativenoodles 

.
.
.
.
.

#onmytable #seekthesimplicity #citrusfruit #healthyfoodshare #lifeandthyme #foodphotography #theartofslowliving #foodwinewomen #fellowmag  #foodfluffer #createtoinspire #slowlived #storyofmytable #realsimple #ljepotaizdravlje #ljepotaizdravljehrvatska 
#still_life_gallery #punkuferhr #dobrahrana #canonhrvatska #travellingoven
Slice of rye bread with butter and raspberry jam, Slice of rye bread with butter and raspberry jam, a cup of coffee and positive thoughts. Breathe in, breathe out, everything will be fine... ❤️
.
.
.
.
.

#postitfortheaesthetic #onmytable #seekthesimplicity #lifeandthyme #foodphotography #theartofslowliving  #foodfluffer #createtoinspire #slowlived #storyofmytable #makeitdelicious #realsimple
#still_life_gallery #morningslikethese #morningslikethis #canonhrvatska #punkuferhr #travellingoven
I’m in love with this purple! 💜 Can you guess I’m in love with this purple! 💜 Can you guess the food? 😃
...

I am entering this image to ‘Minimalism’ #onourcreativetable theme of @onourcreativetable. ✨ @violaminerva @bakingmydays @berryhunting @haniyeh.nikoo @lionelandhetta
@panyaskitchen @story_on_a_plate_ 
.
.
.
.
.

#postitfortheaesthetic #seekthesimplicity #bonappetit #saveur #huffposttaste #beautifulcuisines #lifeandthyme #foodphotography #artofvisuals
#artofliving #wholefood  #foodfluffer #createtoinspire #slowlived #macrophotography #macrophotographylove #realsimple #dobrahrana #canonhrvatska #punkuferhr #travellingoven
For a sweet start of the new week! I hope all of y For a sweet start of the new week! I hope all of you who are single gave yourself some extra portion of self-love yesterday. I sure did! ❤️
...
I am entering this image to ‘Minimalism’ #onourcreativetable theme of @onourcreativetable. ✨ @violaminerva @bakingmydays @berryhunting @haniyeh.nikoo @lionelandhetta
@panyaskitchen @story_on_a_plate_ 
.
.
.
.
.

#postitfortheaesthetic #onmytable #seekthesimplicity #lifeandthyme #foodphotography  #foodfluffer #createtoinspire #storyofmytable #makeitdelicious #butfirstdessert
#still_life_gallery #dobrahrana #feedfeedbaking #gloobyfood #punkuferhr #canonhrvatska #travellingoven
Don’t forget your vitamins (together with fried Don’t forget your vitamins (together with fried dough + sugar 😅)! This is such a refreshing juice made with squeezed oranges, lemons, carrots and a bit of ginger and turmeric! 😋 
.

By the way, this is a new edit of an older photo and if you want to see that older edit, find out a bit about my editing process and what I changed in post-processing that made a real change to my photography, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter. You can sign up for the newsletter on the left side of my blog’s homepage or at the bottom if looking on your mobile (link in profile). I will send it out next week.😊
.
I’m also entering this photo to @useyournoodles citrus challenge #useyourcreativenoodles...
.
.
.
.
.

#postitfortheaesthetic #onmytable #seekthesimplicity #healthyfoodshare #lifeandthyme #freshjuices  #foodfluffer #createtoinspire#realsimple
#still_life_gallery #seasonalfeelings #slowandglow #slowlive #alliseeispretty #slowlivingforlife #livebeautifully #livesimply #punkuferhr #awakethelight #travellingoven #canonhrvatska
You probably know already how much I love eating h You probably know already how much I love eating healthy but sometimes there is nothing better than fried dough sprinkled with sugar! 😁🙌Today I  posted these yummy Yogurt sweet fritters on my blog, I’ll put direct link in stories if you want to see more photos or a recipe. ☺️❤️
.
.
.
.
.

#postitfortheaesthetic #onmytable #seekthesimplicity #bonappetit #eattheworld  #huffposttaste #lifeandthyme #foodphotography #foodfluffer #createtoinspire #storyofmytable #makeitdelicious #butfirstdessert #punkuferhr #dobrahrana #canonhrvatska #travellingoven
I was inspired by these lovely lemons from my pare I was inspired by these lovely lemons from my parents' garden that they sent me few days ago and after a long time I actually baked something!  I have more photos to share and I might post them as well as the recipe to my blog in the coming days. 😊
.
.
I’m also entering this photo to #useyourcreativenoodles citrus challenge run by incredibly talented Anja of  @useyournoodles. 🍋
.
.
.
.
.

#lemonsfordays #postitfortheaesthetic #onmytable #seekthesimplicity #lifeandthyme #foodphotography #foodfluffer #createtoinspire #storyofmytable
#still_life_gallery #canonhrvatska #stilllifephotography #punkuferhr #travellingoven
You remember few days ago when I posted hot dark c You remember few days ago when I posted hot dark chocolate? Well, here's white one too because I want to sweeten your day! ☺️
.
.
.
.

#postitfortheaesthetic #onmytable #seekthesimplicity #lifeandthyme #foodphotography #theartofslowliving
#fellowmag  #foodfluffer #createtoinspire #slowlived #storyofmytable #makeitdelicious
#still_life_gallery #hotchocolate #punkuferhr #canonhrvatska #littlemomentsofmylife #littlemomentsofmine #whitechocolate #travellingoven
I wish this new month will bring more light, good I wish this new month will bring more light, good news and hope to all of us! 💛✨
.
.
.
.
.
.

#seekthesimplicity #darlingdaily #inspiremyinstagram #flashesofdelight #pursuepretty #petitejoys #morningslikethese #thedulcetlife #thatauthenticfeeling #littlestoriesofmylife #thehappynow #canonhrvatska #punkuferhr #travellingoven
When I think of my happy place, I visualize this.. When I think of my happy place, I visualize this... mountains, nature, snow in winter, green meadows and forests in summer, house like this (it can be smaller I’m ok with that 😅), fireplace... How about you, how does a happy place from your imagination looks like? 
Reality is nice and cozy too, going to have a slice of cake and a glass of milk now and watch a movie. Have a nice Saturday evening everyone! 🤗
.
.
.
.
.

#swissalps #switzerland #visitswitzerland #tasteintravel #passionpassport #cntraveler #bbctravel #mytinyatlas #ourplanetdaily #lonelyplanet #travelphotography #worldtravelpics #wonderful_places #punkuferhr #canonhrvatska #travellingoven
Each day I find a thing to be grateful for. 😊 T Each day I find a thing to be grateful for. 😊 Today it was a beautiful cold and sunny morning, a long walk in the park with a friend talking about life. There is something that I noticed about myself lately, a shift within me, a change in a way I live and feel. The more I focus my gratitude on small moments, the more I feel at peace. The more I accept that not everything happens the way I would want to, the more I’m happy with what I have. Two years ago when life circumstances were actually much better for me in terms of work, socializing, opportunities for fun and travel, I was fighting depression, horrible anxiety, panic attacks, PTSP... Today when life is more challenging on every level, I feel more like myself again, stronger and hopeful. Sure bad day happens but that’s normal and that’s ok. It only shows how much we can do for ourselves with hard work, therapy, introspection, taking small steps each day... Sharing this in case somebody needs a bit of encouragement.❤️
.
.
.
.
.

#fellowmag  #foodfluffer #createtoinspire #slowlived #momentsofmine #livethelittlethings #morningslikethis #still_life_gallery #slowandglow #punkuferhr #canonhrvatska #slowlive #alliseeispretty #slowlivingforlife #livebeautifully #livesimply #travellingoven
Some of the things that lift my spirit when I’m Some of the things that lift my spirit when I’m down: thick rich dark hot chocolate, good music, candles, writing down in my journal dreams - big and small, no matter how unrealistic they may seem at the moment... 😊 One thing that I’m grateful for is that no matter how difficult the circumstances, I can always daydream and imagine beautiful exciting things, places and experiences. Sometimes all we need is a bit of hope and imagination...✨
.
.
.
.
.

 #onmytable #seekthesimplicity #bonappetit #huffposttaste #lifeandthyme #foodphotography #foodstyling #artofvisuals #theartofslowliving
#artofliving #fellowmag  #foodfluffer #createtoinspire #slowlived #storyofmytable #makeitdelicious #butfirstdessert #hotchocolate #realsimple #punkuferhr #canonhrvatska #travellingoven
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Copyright © 2021 · The Travellling Oven · THEME BY SHAY BOCKS · DESIGNED BY TABITHA EMMA · Privacy Policy

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok