Otto Grundmann (31) from Zagreb is a professional Bartender and cocktail master who specializes in creating drinks adapted to the guests’ personalities. He became known to a wider audience as a prominent Contestant of the MasterChef Croatia 2025 show, in which it stands out by combining mixology and cooking. This biography provides an overview of Otto’s life path – from early culinary beginnings, through a successful career as a bartender on the international stage, to challenges and successes at MasterChef – as well as interesting things from his private and professional life.
Early life and bartender career
Otto Grundmann is a native of Osijek, where he fell in love with cooking with his mother and grandmother in his childhood, preparing cakes. Although his early passion for gastronomy directed him towards cooking, the professional journey began in the world of cocktails and bars. In Zagreb, he graduated from the bartender school under his mentor Saša Lovrenščak (Barology Studio) and gained experience working all over Croatia – from Opatija to Split and Hvar. This dedication to the craft of the cocktail master soon took him abroad.
Looking for new challenges, Otto set out to the Netherlands where he worked for a short time in Rotterdam, but the real breakthrough happened by moving to London. He got a job there in the famous Japanese-Peruvian restaurant nobu, a world-famous gastronomic empire founded by chef Nobu Matsuhisa and Robert De Niro. Grundmann’s talent and innovation came to the fore – after only a year and a half of work in NOBA London took the title “Employee of the Year 2019.” in that prestigious restaurant chain. With this success, Otto proved his skills on the world stage of mixology, which would later become a key trump card in his culinary career.
MasterChef Croatia 2025 – Culinary challenges
Returning to Croatia, Otto applied to MasterChef Croatia (8th season) With clear ambition – to show your culinary skills and combine experience from cocktail mastery with the kitchen. As a member of the chef Goran Kočiš’s team, he quickly attracted attention with his creative approach and bold combinations of flavors. He entered MasterChef Kitchen assured that 2025 is his year to win and that he can win the title of the best amateur chef in Croatia.
During the competition, Otto profiled himself as one of the most prominent candidates. it is often excelled in challenges, impressing the jury with its technique and imagination. For example, after winning one demanding challenge, he gained a special advantage – in a later test of creativity He chose the main foods himself (like frogs, perch and trout) with whom the other candidates will have to cook. On that occasion, his victory was not only symbolic; He assumed the role of leader by defining the direction of cooking of the other competitors. Such moments confirmed that Otto possesses both culinary knowledge and competitive instinct. As the season drew to a close, it became clear that Otto Grundmann was one of the faces that marked MasterChef Croatia 2025 with his originality and passion for gastronomy.
Private life and motivation
In addition to professional success, Otto draws motivation from his private life. In March 2025, he became a father Girls Lada, which brought him new strength and encouragement on a personal and culinary level. The new role of his father inspired him to approach the realization of his dreams even more devotedly. Through the MasterChef competition, he often emphasized that the support of his family motivates him to show his best. Thus, behind his desire for victory is the effort to be a role model for his daughter and to one day show her that with dedicated work and creativity, the greatest goals can be achieved.
Fat Beaver and further gastro projects
Already during the showing of MasterChef, Otto began to realize business plans outside the TV kitchen. At the end of 2025, he presented Own gastronomic brand “Bel Beaver”, under which he launched the original street-food offer. He partnered with a known Urania barom from Zagreb and since November 26, 2025, he has been present at the joint Advent house at the event Fooling around next to the Esplanade Hotel. While the television audience continues to follow him in MasterChef challenges Mondays to Fridays, Otto cooks in parallel live for Advent visitors – showing that he immediately turns his culinary ambitions into action.
at the Advent house fat beaver, Grundmann offers visitors several creative dishes with their own signature. It stands out in particular “Legend Picek”, Innovative interpretation of tradition – smoked toasted chicken served on a pastry played by a grinder, finished on chicken fat and stock, with slightly spiced red cabbage, kimchi mayonnaise and crunchy onions. The result is an extremely tasty, rich and juicy dish, with a generous portion of which ‘very likely no one will go hungry’ according to the reviews of gastronomic journalists. In addition to chicken, there is also an imaginative dish on offer ‘Sauerkraut kobaja’ – pastry coated with sausage filling, stuffed with sauerkraut, smoked mayonnaise and sprinkled with crispy onions. As Otto himself says, he wanted to present a classic dish like sausage with greens in a more modern, wackier way. His Advent offer is also rounded off with sweet delicacies (like Cinnamon Brownie with white chocolate and cinnamon cream) and creative winter cocktails in collaboration with the team from Urania Bara – thus reuniting his cocktail skills with culinary arts.
this project Grundmann shows entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to take advantage of the popularity gained at MasterChef. ‘The Fat Beaver’ attracted the attention of gourmets at Advent, and Otto’s breakthrough in street food suggests that we could soon see him in even bigger gastronomic endeavors – perhaps his own restaurant or bar that combines his two passions, cocktails and cooking.
Interesting facts about Otto Grundmann
- For the culinary role model, he states – no less – Google. Namely, Otto says that he often finds inspiration for recipes by searching for ideas online.
- As a favorite dish he could eat every day, he highlights children’s chocolate porridge Chocolino. This cute selection shows his playful side and love for simple sweets.
- His great desire is to one day improve under the guidance of a respected Croatian chef Hrvoje Zirojević, which speaks of his ambition to learn from the best in domestic gastronomy.
- He called his gastro project “fat beaver”, which is also the name of his Instagram profile. With this witty name (literally: ‘fat beaver’), Otto gave the brand a personal touch, by which the audience easily remembers it.
Conclusion
Otto Grundmann It is a unique combination of a superb cocktail master and passionate local chef, which makes him one of the most interesting new faces on the Croatian gastronomic scene. Through MasterChef Croatia 2025, he proved how far versatility and creativity can take an amateur chef – from a television competition to his own Advent house with original dishes. His biography is an inspiring example of how, with a lot of work on yourself and the courage to step outside the comfort zone, dreams in the world of gastronomy can come true. whether it will win the title of MasterChef or not, Otto has already won the hearts of many viewers and foodies, and he certainly has a brilliant career ahead of him. Let’s continue to follow his path and support new projects – we can expect many more creative surprises on the plate (and in a glass) from Otto Grundmann!
