Mile Pupovac: The poetry of the plate

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Interview with Mile Pupovac

To open a kitchen is to unveil a secret garden. In Mile Pupovac’s world, green appears as a hidden breath: the fleeting spark of crushed basil, the scent of fresh grass suspending time, the tenderness of chives placed like a whisper. Published within Musarthis, this conversation shows how culinary art enters into dialogue with poetry and the sensitive arts, turning a plate into an inner clearing.

When you step into a kitchen, what small secret ritual awakens your hands… like a glimmer of green slipping into your gaze?
My first ritual is to place my hands on the countertop, as if to connect myself to the space. Then I open the window and let in a breath of air… it awakens my senses.

Among all the scents drifting through the air, which one always surprises you into a smile — a sharp, vivid green fragrance, or rather a tender one, like a new leaf?
The smell of freshly cut grass in spring and of basil when I rub it between my fingers. They always stop me in my tracks.

In your pantry, is there a discreet companion, perhaps dressed in green, that you always end up inviting onto the plate?
Chives. Discreet, yet able to bring a fresh and delicate note, even to the simplest dish. It always finds its place without stealing the scene.

Does your kitchen sometimes whisper stories in the hues of fine herbs or hidden gardens?
Yes. Sometimes a dish smells like the forest after rain, and sometimes like the garden where the first leaves of aromatic herbs have just begun to open.

If your dishes came alive on a canvas, would a green shadow appear in a corner of the painting?
Yes. Green would appear only as a seasoning on the canvas, discreet yet present enough to stir curiosity.

What encounter has, without warning, added to your life the freshness of a green zest or the sweetness of a pistachio?
An old gardener from my childhood taught me that mint is not only picked with the hand, but also with the nose… you must first breathe it in, then pick it.

Is there a dish you deliberately leave to others, even though its green shades might intrigue you?
The pea. Green, gentle… and completely undesirable in my kitchen. I prefer to leave it to those who truly enjoy it.

In your opinion, what makes a meal unforgettable: the recipe, the place… or the sudden appearance of a green detail that changes everything?
Always the detail. It may simply be a leaf of aromatic herb that touches exactly what the guest desired that day, without even knowing it.

When service speeds up, how do you still slip in, here or there, a green note like a calming breath?
Even when the rhythm accelerates, a small leaf of tarragon or a sprig of thyme can bring silence to the plate.

If Musarthis appeared as a dessert, would it carry a green leaf as its signature, or an unexpected color to unsettle habits?
It would be mint dressed in a cloak of chocolate. Recognizable at first glance, surprising at the first bite.

From the memory of a gardener to the delicate presence of herbs on a plate, Mile Pupovac reminds us that grace resides in simplicity. A green detail, a discreet leaf, and suddenly the meal becomes an offering, an indelible trace. Through Musarthis, this culinary art extends into a poetic meditation: a way of inhabiting taste with elegance, of turning dining into a shared and sensitive work of art. Mile Pupovac is currently working at The Cozy Hotel, Timmendorfer Strand, Germany

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