About
I love cooking, eating, and sharing food. That's the whole thing.
I spent years in the hospitality industry, managing American cafes and fine-dining bistros. Held every title from Beverage Director to Assistant General Manager. But the real education happened standing next to the line, watching chefs work. How they moved. How they tasted. How they respected the product in front of them. I learned more watching a chef break down a whole branzino than I ever did reading about it.
My cooking pulls from everywhere I've eaten and everywhere I come from. Italian pasta, French classical technique, and the Balkan flavors I grew up on. Grašak, sarma, ćevapi. The stuff my family made. I've been making vinaigrettes since middle school and butchering whole fish and game since my early twenties.
I don't believe in shortcuts. I believe in honoring the ingredients, cooking with the seasons, and experiencing the deep satisfaction of a meal made the long way. The home table comes first, always.
I also grill with wood fire year-round in Chicago. January, snow on the ground, doesn't matter. If you're not grilling in winter, you're missing out.
Damir's Kitchen is a collection of recipes for those who want to honor the ingredients, cook seasonally, and experience the deep satisfaction of a meal made the long way through improving techniques.
Every recipe here has been cooked at home, for real people, on a real weeknight or a real Saturday afternoon. No studio lighting, no food styling tricks. Just food that tastes like what it is.
I built an AI cooking agent that plans meals the way I'd plan them for a friend. You tell it who you're cooking for, what you're in the mood for, and how much time you have. It walks you through five phases: discovery, creative development, recipe refinement, timeline building, and a printable menu card. Plus cook mode with step-by-step timers when it's time to actually fire the stove.
TRY THE CHEF AGENT