Renata Burić is an enterprising and versatile woman from Zagreb whose passion for cooking leads to new life chapters. The public met her as a finalist of the socially responsible project Start Croatia, thereby confirming that gastronomy is her real life calling. After years of business and private challenges, she found new strength and decided to devote herself to herself and what fulfills her – precisely that through cooking and entrepreneurship. MasterChef saw 2025 as an opportunity to show the acquired knowledge and persistence, and its positive energy and curiosity – as she says – know no boundaries in the kitchen.
Quick review by Renata Burić:
- Entrepreneur and creative cook from Zagreb, best known for the brand of handmade ravioli so-what.
- Finalist of the second season, start Croatia (2021), in which she secured a large SPAR order of 3,000 packages of her ravioli.
- Member of MasterChef Croatia 2025 (season 8), where she shows her culinary talent and desire to learn.
- She is married and mother of son; She improved her cooking skills by working in top restaurants and on a cruise ship in the USA.
Early childhood and family heritage
Renata Burić was born in Zagreb, and spent part of her childhood in Lika. Due to life circumstances, she was adopted into a traditional Zagorje family that especially appreciated local cuisine. Growing up among the smells and tastes of homemade pasta and štrukli, Renata adopted a love for traditional recipes very early. As she points out: ‘I grew up in a traditional family that respected local things, local cuisine…’. It is precisely these memories of old Zagorje dishes – the mention of štrukli, homemade pasta and other delicacies – forever woven into her personal and professional path. The family taught her to respect local foods and the tradition of food preparation, which she later translated into making her own innovative recipes.
Renata very quickly showed a strong work ethic. As a teenager, she fell in love with her lives – her future husband Marija – and already at the age of 18 she got married, and at the age of 19 she gave birth to a son. Although only the present and the future are its main drivers, early growing up owes many values of persistence, teamwork and love for family tradition. Her parents and foster parents, loving and supporting her, encouraged young Renata to follow her own interests, so cooking was both a game and a learning for her from an early age.
Career and Entrepreneurship: From cruise ship to own kitchen
After learning basic life lessons and a love for cooking at a young age, Renata built her career through different life stages. At the moment when a series of business flows ended the pandemic, Renata decided to take advantage of the opportunity and go to work on a cruise ship in America. At first she was a complete beginner (‘I didn’t even know how to open a bottle of wine’), but she soon learned a handful of new skills in catering. It was her work on the cruise ship that awakened her deeper passion for cooking and work in the kitchen. Although the journey away from her family brought her solid earnings, she decided to return to Croatia to be close to her son.
After her return, she got a job as a waitress and enrolled in a bartending school, but she soon started working in renowned Zagreb restaurants. She saw there ‘Food preparation at a high level’, acquired knowledge and technique that she decided to apply in her own kitchen. For example, she learned the importance of the quality of ingredients and precision in making. Through working in restaurants, she overcame the challenges of quality control and time management, and these lessons laid the foundation for a later entrepreneurial venture.
Renata was dedicated to innovation in food making. Her first prototypes were handmade by ravioli for days using natural colors (such as red beets) and rich filling cheeses. In the beginning, it took her about an hour to produce one kilogram of ravioli, but with practice and system optimization, today she can make up to four kilograms of the same ravioli in the same time frame. (For comparison, it took her much more time for a kilogram of product before.) This dedication to handmade and high quality allowed her to grow from home crafting into a recognizable brand.
Start Croatia and Brand so-what
In the fall of 2021, Renata Burić presented her brand so-what At the beginning of the second season of the Start Croatia project. What are handmade ravioli with three different fillings (eg cream cheese and prosciutto, fresh cow’s cheese with ricotta and parmesan cheese, cheese and spinach). Her product stands out with a large portion – an individual raviol weighs 50 grams – and a colorful design, which makes it unique in the domestic market. Renata designed the idea as a continuation of the Zagorje family tradition of cooking: memories of the smells and tastes of homemade pasta and štrukli from a foster family instilled in her the desire to creatively present her own culinary vision.
The path of the Pa-Šta brand according to store shelves was not without challenges. During the preparation of products for large retail chains, Renata faced a number of demanding conditions – from strict quality control to commercial packaging design. Nevertheless, with the professional support of the SPAR Croatia team, it managed to capitalize on project support. At the end of 2021, Spar ordered 1000 packs Each of the three flavors of her ravioli, a total of 3000 pieces. This was a key turning point: Pa-Šta ravioli thus became available on special ‘blue shelves’ of all Interspar hypermarkets and selected SPAR stores throughout Croatia.
Having won the support of SPAR, Renata became an example of a successful local producer who brought his original product to the market from the kitchen. In the media and on social networks, she emphasized that her ravioli “Handmade, different looking and richly stuffed”. Today, many consumers recognize Pa-Šta raviola as a domestic gastronomic brand that promotes traditional flavors with modern packaging designs.
MasterChef Croatia 2025: New culinary challenges
In the eighth season of MasterChef Croatia, which began broadcasting on September 15, 2024, Renata performed as a candidate in the team of the famous chef Stjepan Vukadin. Open and enthusiastic, Renata stated in the first interview that she loves meat (he eats it every day) and it is interesting to see how she will manage with fish and meatless dishes that tasks often require. In the show, she pointed out that she has yet to find out if she likes to cook and if she has a gift for it – which, considering entering Masterchef’s villa, is an indication that she is diligently studying and improving herself. ‘I see MasterChef as an opportunity to test my knowledge, show persistence and open the door to new possibilities,’ said Renata.
During the competition, Renata continued to show inspiration and creativity. For example, when the jury decided to tighten the criteria in the 24th episode, Renata remained calm despite the challenges and, aware that she was going for an additional test, commented that she was ready to do her best. Her presentations often required ingredients that she grew or chose herself – which is another indicator of her focus on quality. Although the competition continues, Renata has already proven that she does well under pressure and that she combines traditional and modern techniques in the kitchen with ease.
MasterChef continues to follow the published schedule and shows; We will certainly monitor whether Renata Burić will continue to delight the viewers and the jury with new dishes. For her, this is also a means to further popularize her entrepreneurial ideas and raise awareness of the importance of domestic products.
Conclusion
The life story of Renata Burić shows how persistence, creativity and love for tradition can give birth to success. From modest beginnings and personal challenges to success on public stages – from the start of Croatia to Masterchef – Renata remained true to her passion: cooking. Her brand Pa-Šta is available to thousands of people in Croatia today thanks to the Spar partnership. As a master of hand pasta, Renata encourages others to support domestic producers.
If you are interested in cooking and entrepreneurship, follow Renata to MasterChef Croatia and visit Spar or Interspar and find pa-what ravioli on blue shelves all over the country. Her story is an inspiration to everyone who wants to turn their hobbies into a career – and Renata’s creative recipes are a great start to any family meal.
