Soft opening
Invited guests. Full menu. Real tickets. The brigade learns the room before the public does.
Open ↗
Singapore · Europe · International
Executive Chef
Djordjo Cetkovic
Restaurant & F&B Consultant
Restaurant openings, kitchen budgets, menu engineering, food-cost control, zero-waste systems and team development for Singapore, Asia and Europe.
Singapore · EuropeEst. 2003
23+Years in professional kitchens
6Countries across Europe and Asia
145Recipes in the signature cookbook
6Core consulting disciplines
01 — The Chef
Precision with
a point of view.
Djordjo Cetkovic is a Serbian gastronomy consultant based in Singapore.
His cooking is grounded in the generosity of Balkan and Mediterranean tables, sharpened by more than two decades of international restaurant experience. His career has moved through Serbia, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Portugal and Singapore — each place adding technique, discipline and a deeper understanding of hospitality.
As an Executive Chef and independent Restaurant & F&B Consultant, he leads with clarity: strong flavours, honest ingredients, disciplined execution and kitchen cultures where standards are understood, not merely announced.
Singapore is his base. From here he represents Serbian culinary heritage across Asia — through restaurant work, professional exchange and the international chef community.
His ambassadorial message reaches beyond cuisine: Serbia is a country of culture, education and remarkable historical depth. The Vinča culture, one of Southeast Europe’s most important prehistoric civilisations, flourished millennia before the Egyptian pyramids. By sharing this wider story, Djordjo aims to replace outdated stereotypes with curiosity, respect and genuine connection.
“A memorable restaurant is built when identity, people and discipline move in the same direction.”
Djordjo Cetkovic Executive Chef
Culinary philosophy
Rooted in memory.
Built for now.
Tradition is not a museum piece. It is a living language — one that can be respected, questioned and expressed with contemporary technique.
- 01 Flavour before fashion
- 02 Discipline without losing soul
- 03 Hospitality as a complete experience
02 — Consulting
From vision
to service.
Practical advisory for Singapore restaurant owners, investors and hospitality groups — from feasibility, kitchen budget and menu development to opening, training and daily performance.
01
Restaurant openings
From feasibility and concept to soft opening: a practical launch plan for new restaurants in Singapore and across Asia.
Open service ↗02Concept & menu
A distinct culinary identity and executable menu shaped by local demand, seasonality, speed of service and guest appeal.
Open service ↗03Kitchen budget & design
Equipment planning, production flow, staffing assumptions and capital priorities aligned with the business model.
Open service ↗04Food cost & zero waste
Recipe costing, yields, smart purchasing, whole-product use, waste tracking, SOPs and quality standards that protect both margin and resources.
Open service ↗05Team training
Hands-on station training, leadership coaching, service simulations and clear standards for confident kitchen teams.
Open service ↗06Operational recovery
Focused audits and corrective plans for restaurants facing inconsistent food, slow service, high cost or weak structure.
Open service ↗Planning a restaurant in Singapore or strengthening an existing operation?
Request a consultation ↗Flash openings
The week a restaurant
becomes a restaurant.
Soft opening, tasting night and the first Saturday on the pass — the work an Executive Chef does when the door is almost open.
Tasting night
Investors, press and private tables taste the house — staged as service, not a speech.
Open ↗First Saturday
Live pass support through the first busy services, then a written review the team can keep.
Open ↗The Executive Chef method
How a project
actually moves.
Not a slide deck left on the table. A working chef in the room — from the first questions to the first busy Saturday.
Discover
Site, concept, numbers and the ambition behind the name.
Open ↗Build
Menu, costing, kitchen flow and the tools required to cook it.
Open ↗Train
Stations, timing and the language of the pass.
Open ↗Launch
Flash opening, first Saturday, then a kitchen that can hold the standard.
Open ↗Who this is for
Owners. Investors.
Houses that need a chef.
Selected projects in Singapore, Asia and Europe — new openings, groups that need a standard, and kitchens that have drifted.
Owners
Independent restaurants that want a point of view, not a copied trend.
Open ↗Investors
Capital that needs the culinary idea translated into equipment, labour and food cost.
Open ↗Hotels & groups
Outlets that need a chef’s standard — identity, systems and the brigade.
Open ↗Recovery
Houses that opened, then lost tempo, quality or margin.
Open ↗Restaurant openings
From feasibility and concept to soft opening: a practical launch plan for new restaurants in Singapore and across Asia.
AssessmentClear action planHands-on implementation
Discuss this service ↗Concept & menu
A distinct culinary identity and executable menu shaped by local demand, seasonality, speed of service and guest appeal.
AssessmentClear action planHands-on implementation
Discuss this service ↗Kitchen budget & design
Equipment planning, production flow, staffing assumptions and capital priorities aligned with the business model.
AssessmentClear action planHands-on implementation
Discuss this service ↗Food cost & zero waste
Recipe costing, yields, smart purchasing, whole-product use, waste tracking, SOPs and quality standards that protect both margin and resources.
AssessmentClear action planHands-on implementation
Discuss this service ↗Team training
Hands-on station training, leadership coaching, service simulations and clear standards for confident kitchen teams.
AssessmentClear action planHands-on implementation
Discuss this service ↗Operational recovery
Focused audits and corrective plans for restaurants facing inconsistent food, slow service, high cost or weak structure.
AssessmentClear action planHands-on implementation
Discuss this service ↗03 — Career
A journey across
cultures and kitchens.
Executive Chef & Consultant
Independent restaurant and F&B consulting, menu direction, kitchen systems and team development.
Culinary Ambassador
Representing Serbian culinary heritage and building professional bridges across Asia.
Worldchefs Community
Active participation in the global culinary community, including Worldchefs Congress & Expo 2024.
Professional Foundation
A career shaped through Serbia, Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Portugal before Singapore.
Chef’s Field Notes
Principles behind
the precision.
Practical ideas developed through twenty-three years of opening kitchens, leading teams and serving guests across Europe and Asia.
01 · Flavour
Season in layers
Build seasoning through the process. Salt should reveal flavour, not announce itself at the end.
02 · Texture
Create contrast
A memorable plate needs tension: crisp against tender, bright against rich, warm against cool.
03 · Service
Design for the pass
A dish is only successful when the team can reproduce it beautifully during the busiest service.
04 · Leadership
Make standards visible
Show the result, explain the reason and repeat the standard until excellence becomes habit.
05 · Costing
Cost every component
Profit is protected in grams, yields and waste control — never by compromising the guest experience.
06 · Identity
Edit with courage
Remove anything that does not strengthen the story. Clarity is the foundation of a signature style.
✦
“The recipe is the map. Technique is the vehicle. The chef’s judgement decides where the journey ends.”
Signature repertoire
Bold flavours.
Quiet confidence.
A personal culinary language connecting Balkan memory, Mediterranean generosity and contemporary restaurant craft.
01 · Fire
Beef · Ember · Jus
Depth, restraint and the clean power of open-fire cooking.
02 · Heritage
Lamb · Herb · Earth
Mediterranean warmth interpreted with modern precision.
03 · Hospitality
The Shared Table
Food designed for conversation, generosity and return visits.
HERITAGE ✦ PRECISION ✦ HOSPITALITY ✦ LEADERSHIP ✦ HERITAGE ✦ PRECISION ✦ HOSPITALITY
Worldchefs · Singapore 2024International representation
Serbian roots.
Asian perspective.
Serving as a culinary ambassador for Serbia in Asia, Djordjo champions the country’s food heritage while building connections through the international chef community.
Culinary Federation of SerbiaAmbassador for Asia
Association of Chefs of SerbiaProfessional community
Worldchefs / WACSInternational culinary network
Culinary diplomacy
A professional bridge
between two worlds.
As Ambassador for Asia of the Culinary Federation of Serbia, Djordjo connects chefs, associations and hospitality communities through food, education and professional exchange.
His role is a form of culinary diplomacy: representing Serbian culinary heritage with dignity while building practical relationships in Singapore and across Asia. Serbia and Singapore established diplomatic relations on 22 August 1967, and official sources describe the relationship as friendly and developing.
1967 Bilateral relations establishedAsia Culinary Federation of Serbia ambassadorial scopeSG × RS Culture, chefs and hospitality exchange
Read the full story ↗A bridge built through hospitality.
Djordjo’s work brings together Serbian culinary identity and Singapore’s international hospitality culture. As Ambassador for Asia of the Culinary Federation of Serbia, he promotes professional exchange, education and connections between chefs and associations—not as a state diplomat, but as an official culinary representative.
The wider relationship has strong foundations: Serbia and Singapore established diplomatic relations in 1967; both participate in multilateral cooperation, and official Serbian sources describe bilateral relations as traditionally friendly and moving forward.
Professional culinary network
Built through
people and craft.
Kitchens recognise one another. Colleagues from Serbia’s professional culinary world — federation leadership, HoReCa and the European competition circuit — with whom Djordjo shares the same respect for the craft.
Tables of honour
Hospitality beyond
the kitchen.
Private tables, not red carpets. Chef Djordjo cooked personally for these Serbian artists — and composed the entire menu for the birthday celebration of Premier Ivica Dačić.
DJORDJO CETKOVIC · THE COOKBOOK
The Grand
Heritage Cookbook
Five tables. 145 illustrated recipes for four, with complete methods and estimated nutrition.
Choose a cuisine. Open its chapter.
299 pages · English edition
01Српско наслеђе
Serbian Heritage
The generous Serbian table.
40 recipesOpen chapter
02Ελληνική κληρονομιά
Hellenic Heritage
Olive, grain and sea.
40 recipesOpen chapter
03Хиландарска трпеза
The Hilandar Table
A Hilandar-inspired table for Great Lent.
25 recipesOpen chapter
04Трпеза Стефана Немање
The Table of Stefan Nemanja
Fifteen historical reconstructions.
15 recipesOpen chapter
05Ђорђо · Савремена трпеза
Djordjo Fine Dining
Memory in a new form.
25 recipesOpen chapter
06 — Selected Work
On the plate.
Made to gather.
A selection of contemporary plates and generous Mediterranean tables by Executive Chef Djordjo Cetkovic.
Beyond the kitchenMy wife.
My wife.
My greatest support.
Masziana Ali Cetkovic is the steady presence beside every demanding service, new beginning and international chapter.
Before beginning the next chapter of her life, Masziana served for 15 years with the Singapore Police Force. Her career reflects a deep commitment to public service, discipline, responsibility and the community—qualities she continues to bring to everything she does.
Her support gives strength to a life built between Serbia and Singapore. Together, we believe that respect, family and genuine hospitality are the foundations of every lasting achievement.
“Behind every professional journey is someone who believes in it before the world sees the result.”
07 — Public Record
Verified professional presence.
08 — Frequently Asked Questions
Clear answers.
Practical next steps.
Restaurant consulting tailored to the stage, scale and commercial priorities of each project.
What restaurant consulting services does Djordjo provide?+
Djordjo supports restaurant openings, concept and menu development, kitchen planning, recipe costing, food-cost control, SOPs, staff training and operational recovery.
Is Djordjo available for projects outside Singapore?+
Yes. Djordjo is based in Singapore and is available for selected hospitality projects across Asia and internationally.
Can Djordjo help before a restaurant opens?+
Yes. Pre-opening work can include concept review, kitchen workflow, equipment priorities, menu engineering, recipe standards, staffing plans, training and soft-opening preparation.
How can I request a consultation?+
Send an email or WhatsApp message with your location, restaurant concept, opening timeline and the main challenge you want to solve.
What is a flash opening?+
A flash opening is the controlled week before and after the public launch: a soft opening with invited guests, a tasting night for investors or press, and live pass support on the first busy Saturday. The kitchen learns the ticket rhythm while the menu is still allowed to move.
How does an Executive Chef engagement usually begin?+
With a discovery walk-through of the site, kitchen drawing, target guest and numbers. From there the work moves through menu and costing, station training, then a flash opening — not a slide deck left on the table.
Can Djordjo stay on the pass during opening week?+
Yes. Opening-week support can include tasting nights, soft-opening services and live ticket control so the brigade holds the standard when the room fills.
Selected international projects
Build a restaurant
with a point of view.
Restaurant openings · F&B consulting · Kitchen budgets · Menu engineering · Food cost · Zero waste · SOPs · Team training
Start a conversation ↗