Skopje Residents will have gjevrek with a new taste – the winning recipe was selected

On the 26th of December, the finals of the competition for gevrek (bagel) with a new flavor “Invent the circle” were held at the “Lazar Tanev” catering high school in Skopje. The jury committee declared the winning recipe of Maja Lazarevska – a gevrek (bagel) that offers wonderful flavors of sesame, apple and cream cheese. 

“When I read the call I wanted to play with the chemistry behind it, but keep what are the basic characteristics of the bagel: a rich and strong sesame aroma (so I toasted it extra, to enhance the aroma), a crispy exterior and a soft interior. However, I also made it with something that is a Macedonian local ingredient – Tetovo’s Delicious apple. I also added some cream cheese so that it could slowly melt into the roast and stand as some background flavor. That was my idea, that the gjevrek should remain as an interesting recipe for the students and a new taste to try,” said the winner, Maja Lazarevska.

Members of the jury committee that evaluated the recipes were Aneta Redzepagic – professor of practical teaching-baker; Vlatko Gjorgjievski-professor of practical teaching-chef, professors at SUGS “Lazar Tanev”- Skopje, chef Antonio Gjorgjievski from the program “Coolinari.mk”/ARNO and representative of the donors-implementers of the project, Jordan Bajraktarov- representative of the Union of Scouts of Macedonia

The contest was open to all residents of the Skopje Planning Region who were invited to submit a recipe in which the gjevrek retains its round shape and offers new, local, flavors and textures. This initiative aroused great media interest and made many citizens of Skopje hungry. In the next phase of the project, the winner of the final will be tasked with teaching the young students (cooks and bakers) from SUGS “Lazar Tanev” how to prepare the recipe through trainings in which they will participate.

The competition was conducted within the framework of the project “Coolinary in Action – Social Entrepreneurship 4 Impact” which is an initiative of ARNO which is implemented in cooperation with SUGS “Lazar Tanev” – Skopje. This initiative is implemented with the support of the European Union within the project “Youth – Agents of Change” which is implemented by the Center for Intercultural Dialogue, Union of Scouts of Macedonia and Center for Research and Analysis NOVUS.

The project focuses on improving the skills and knowledge of students from SUGS “Lazar Tanev” by presenting the concept of social entrepreneurship, raising awareness of social entrepreneurship, informal education, motivating students for career development, promoting success stories from culinary social businesses, and all this with a great emphasis on eco-practices in these areas. The project is financed with the support of the European Commission. The content of this article is the sole responsibility of the author and can in no way be considered to express the views of the European Union.