From Banja Luka to the World's Oceans: Turning Hedonism into a Profession

Easter Island. Bora Bora. Madagascar. Rio de Janeiro. Buenos Aires. Sydney. Mozambique. Iceland. Voyages through the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. A circumnavigation of the globe. The finest regional cuisines, exceptional cigars and some of the world's greatest wines became part of everyday life rather than once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

"From Ushuaia at the southern tip of South America to Tromsø above the Arctic Circle, I've been fortunate enough to visit virtually every corner of the world," Slavnić tells HEDONIST Magazine. "I've crossed the Equator several times, sailed through the world's great canals and straits, navigated countless seas and reached every continent. The highlight was undoubtedly sailing around the world - a voyage considered one of the greatest professional milestones in our industry."

Editor's Note: This interview is part of the HEDONIST archive and was originally published in the fifth print edition of the magazine in 2021.

Although wine remains the foundation of his career, Slavnić believes that food is just as essential to understanding a destination.

"Wherever we travelled, we ate and drank locally. Some of my happiest moments came from tasting an unfamiliar fruit, vegetable or even an unexpected local delicacy, prepared according to the traditions of world-class chefs. Every destination tells its story through its cuisine, and discovering those flavours has always been one of the greatest rewards of travelling."

His fascination with what he calls "the art of living well" did not begin aboard a luxury cruise ship. In fact, its roots can be traced back to his earliest childhood, long before he understood concepts such as gastronomy or wine appreciation.

During the war years in Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the defining places of his childhood was the now-legendary Underground, a café in Banja Luka that, true to its name, also served as an air-raid shelter for families from the surrounding neighbourhood. While adults sought safety below ground, they also brought with them whatever food and drinks they could find, turning moments of uncertainty into rare opportunities to gather around a shared table.

"Every family arrived carrying something different," Slavnić recalls. "Some brought simple drinks; others opened bottles reserved for special occasions. Without anyone planning it, those wines found their way alongside different homemade dishes prepared in the kitchen. I was only a small child, but I absorbed everything. I listened to conversations about what paired well together, what should be tasted first and how certain flavours complemented one another. Looking back, that was probably my first lesson in gastronomy, even though I had no idea it was happening."

His parents, however, were the people who truly shaped his appreciation for food. Together with a close circle of friends, passionate home cooks and devoted gourmets, they created an environment where every meal became an occasion to experiment, share and celebrate.

His father specialised in game, freshwater fish, grilled dishes and traditional meals prepared ispod sača, while his mother mastered both local recipes and international cuisine. The family table was never static. New ingredients, new techniques and new ideas constantly found their way into the kitchen, making curiosity as important as tradition.

"Innovation was always part of our home," he says. "My parents surrounded themselves with people who genuinely loved cooking, so I grew up believing that discovering new flavours was simply a normal part of life. I started cooking while I was still in primary school, learning from everyone around me. Only years later did I realise that I had unconsciously spent my entire life surrounded by people who, in the truest sense of the word, were hedonists."

In his teenage years, Slavnić says, life revolved around wine and guitars, travel, carefully prepared local delicacies, and, above all, the company of close friends, whom he still considers the cornerstone of true hedonism. That carefree philosophy, however, was challenged by a familiar question: what should he study? The careers his peers were choosing held little appeal, seeming entirely disconnected from the life he imagined for himself.

“Back then, I believed you simply couldn’t make a living from wine, food, music, travel, and good company. At least, that’s what I thought. While trying to figure out my future, I found myself becoming increasingly fascinated by wine - not just drinking it, but understanding it. One day, a friend asked why I didn’t study fruit growing and viticulture at the Faculty of Agriculture. To be honest, I didn’t even know such a program existed in Banja Luka. The excitement I felt in that moment has never really left me,” Slavnić recalls.

University introduced him to the world behind every bottle of wine. For the first time, he worked in orchards and vineyards, completed hands-on field training, distilled fruit brandies, harvested and crushed grapes, participated in winemaking, bottling, labeling, and sales, and followed the evolution of wines in both oak barrels and stainless-steel tanks.

“I even climbed inside barrels to clean them. My classmates and I spent hours preparing for exams, and when we weren’t studying, we talked about grape varieties, wine, and cooked together. It was more than an education - it became a way of life.”

During his studies, Slavnić joined the Work & Travel USA program twice, gaining valuable professional experience while discovering a lifelong passion for exploration. He traveled from the East Coast to the West Coast, city by city, and made a point of visiting wineries throughout California’s celebrated wine country.

“Armed with the knowledge I had gained at university, I introduced myself at every winery as a wine specialist from Southeast Europe exploring potential partnerships and imports. I honestly didn’t expect anyone to take me seriously, but the story worked every single time. Those conversations often ended with several bottles of wine being handed to me as gifts.”

By then, travel had become an addiction. A career aboard an international cruise ship seemed like the perfect way to combine exploration with a profession. Initially, he was willing to accept almost any position. Then, during a recruitment presentation, one opportunity immediately caught his attention: sommelier.

Once he learned that the role required a professional wine expert, everything suddenly fell into place. He enrolled in the Serbian Sommelier Association (SERSA) in Belgrade, one of the region's leading institutions for wine education, and immersed himself in an entirely new level of learning.

“That experience completely transformed my understanding of hedonism. Becoming a sommelier had been my dream long before I even knew the profession existed. We tasted exceptional wines from around the world, learned how to pair them with food and cigars, visited prestigious wineries, craft breweries, wine fairs, specialty wine shops, and bars. Most importantly, I was surrounded by people who shared the same passion. It was one of the most demanding, and one of the most rewarding, chapters of my life.”

Freshly certified as a sommelier and armed with experience gained in the United States, Slavnić joined Viking Ocean Cruises as a Wine Steward in 2016. Looking back, he describes that moment as the true beginning of both his professional career and his journey of discovering the world.

After completing his first contract, he mastered every aspect of the ship's beverage operation and was promoted to Head Sommelier, taking full responsibility for the wine programs across the vessel's restaurants and bars.

His curiosity, however, extended far beyond wine. By continuously expanding his expertise in every area of hospitality, he earned another promotion - this time to Beverage Manager, a position carrying responsibility for the entire beverage operation aboard one of the world's leading luxury cruise lines.

"Making important decisions or managing complex operations was never the challenge," Slavnić says. "What bothered me was realizing that some of my team members knew things I didn't - for example, cocktails. That was enough motivation to keep learning."

After returning to Banja Luka, he enrolled at the Bar Academy - Bartender & Barista School of Central Europe, where he completed professional bartending training and immersed himself in another branch of hospitality.

"Today, I use those skills purely for the pleasure of sharing them with friends and family. Creating cocktails has become another way of bringing people together and celebrating life's special moments."

For Slavnić, education has never been something to finish - it is a lifelong pursuit.

Cheese, Spirits, and Cigars

His fascination with gastronomy and fine beverages continues to lead him toward new disciplines and new corners of the world.

"I recently completed the Cheese Academy in London, the first institution of its kind in Europe. Believe it or not, I became the first certified cheese specialist from this part of the world - a sort of cheese sommelier. But that's only the beginning."

His ambitions stretch far beyond wine.

He plans to study tequila in Mexico, attend the Whisky Academy in Edinburgh, earn the title of Cigar Sommelier in Cuba, and complete specialized courses in France's renowned Armagnac and Cognac regions. He is also intrigued by California's emerging educational programs dedicated to cannabis, viewing them as another opportunity to better understand one of the world's evolving gastronomic and lifestyle cultures.

For Andrej Slavnić, travel has never been just about collecting destinations. Every journey is an invitation to learn, every bottle tells a story, and every new flavor offers another perspective on the world.

• By Ognjen Tešić / HEDONIST
• Originally published in HEDONIST Magazine, Issue No. 5 (2021).