It’s been 8 months since our memorable trip to Croatia, and the one experience we are still enthusiastically talking about and recommending is an evening at the Papak’s home. This is a unique group ‘breaking bread’ experience in the beautiful garden dining area of two generous and talented Croatians whose goal is to immerse their […]

There were 9 of us at the dinner party and what a fantastic dinner party it was. Marija and Zlatko were perfect hosts and we felt like friends around for a evening of good food and conversation. The food was amazing. Beautifully prepared and so fresh, the nicest we had had since arriving in Europe […]

Marija and Zlatko were such gracious, warm hosts, the food and wine was so delicious and abundant, and their back yard was so cozy and green, that we quickly forgot that we were half way around the world and that it was raining. Foodies everywhere speak the same language – traditional ways of cooking, where […]

The previous comments on this site are so “on-the-mark” that there’s no reason to repeat what has already been so eloquently said by others. Let us just add that no matter how terrific the food we ate, the warmth of our hosts was even more so. Within minutes of meeting Marija and Zlatko, we already […]

My husband and I were welcomed into Marija and Vlatko’s home for a traditional Croatian dinner. They made us feel like we were at home! We started with homemade cherry and walnut liqueur. It was fabulous. Marija made delightful snacks for us to try. Then the Peka which was cooking for hours in cast iron […]

Everywhere I travel, I make it a point to seek out where the locals are and how they live – how else are you ever going to truly experience a city’s culture through food, drink and people? This trip to Dubrovnik was no different, other than the fact that Marija and Zlatko are at the […]

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien And that is exactly how dinner at Marija and Zlatko’s home started and ended. It was my first time in Dubrovnik and won’t be my last after this food journey at Marija and […]

I was traveling solo in Dubrovnik and decided to book this experience for my birthday dinner. At first, I was a little nervous about spending my birthday dinner with complete strangers but Marija made me feel like part of the family. I ate the best food, drank too much of her homemade cherry liquor and […]

We had the pleasure of having dinner with Marija Papak and family while in Dubrovnik. It was arranged by Jay Way Travel. The food was amazing. We enjoyed hearing about local customs and dining on Peka and enjoying some great Croatian wine. The conversation was lively and we were delighted with all the wonderful food. […]

Our Croatia trip could not have started any better, as we had our first meal in Marija and Zlata’s back yard. Hamo met us on the street nearby to guide us to the place we were about to spend a very enjoyable evening at. Marija first served us rakia while we waited for the remainder […]

My three young adults (ages 21, 19 and 17) joined me at an evening dinner at Maria’s home, and it was absolutely superb! We so enjoyed the food — cooked with love, with care and with tremendous concern for teaching about the many traditional foods that can be found in the villages and the farms […]

On my recent trip to Croatia, I and my friend wanted to eat peka. We intended to have it in a restaurant, but my Airbnb host recommended that we have the dish in a setting where we could experience the food in a domestic context, have other traditional food and drinks alongside the meal, and […]