Loza means grapevine, and it also carries the idea of family lineage. I chose it as a name that connects my work to where I come from.

I grew up in Belgrade in a family with deep connections to cooking. Balkan food, Mediterranean influences, and fresh ingredients shaped my early understanding of hospitality. I later studied at Cooking High School and Hospitality College in Belgrade.

New York became my home in 2010. Working and staging in kitchens including Picholine, Eleven Madison Park, Juni, and Jung Sik expanded my technical skills and introduced me to different approaches to service.

Winning Chopped’s “Booza Blues” episode became another milestone in that journey.

Through Loza, I now prepare private dinners and tasting menus and teach hands-on cooking classes. Those experiences give me room to share both sides of my background: the food traditions I grew up with and the techniques I developed in New York.