Talents

JRE Chef Nicu Crăciun × Talents: Less Waste. More Flavor.

On May 27, Talents once again hosts a 6-course JRE guest chef dinner — an evening dedicated to contemporary gastronomy, the ideas behind it, and the people who create it. 
Our guest is Chef Nicolae (Nicu) Crăciun — member of JRE – Jeunes Restaurateurs and founder of Cimbru Author, a restaurant in Cluj-Napoca built on seasonality, local products, and an honest approach to food. The concept is simple but impactful: Less Waste. More Flavor. It is based on one clear idea — when we use ingredients in their entirety, flavor becomes stronger. The menu is not focused on complexity, but on clarity, taste, structure, and conscious culinary decisions. A menu built around using ingredients fully — from the obvious to what is often overlooked.
At its core lies the use of whole products, seasonality, and technique, where every element has its purpose.
After years spent in some of the world’s most demanding kitchens, Chef Crăciun has returned to Transylvania to build a cuisine driven by identity, simplicity, and respect for the product.
Menu:
Amuse Bouche
Butter | duck fat | crispy skin | bread
Spinach | egg | aged Transylvanian cheese
Crayfish | asparagus | shell sauce
Duck | spring potatoes | jus
Baba | whey | strawberry | rhubarb
The dinner approach will also be applied during service, where students from HRC Culinary Academy will be part of the real restaurant process.
No unnecessary complexity. No showmanship. Only meaning, technique, and identity.
Price: 90 euros
Price with wine pairing : 129 euros (1 sparkling wine, 2 white wines, 1 red wine)