Slovenia – top culinary destination with award-winning chefs and new Michelin guide

At the JRE (Jeunes Restaurateurs) congress in Swiss Lucerne last week, Slovenian chef Tomaž Kavčič was declared the most innovative European chef. “Each member country of the JRE proposed their candidates. Tomaž received the highest number of votes of them all, which is a big success and recognition for him,” commented Uroš Fakuč, the President of JRE Slovenia and chef at Restaurant Dam in Nova Gorica. Tomaž Kavčič maintains the family’s cooking tradition at Dvorec Zemono (Gostilna pri Lojzetu) in the Vipava Valley. The restaurant is regularly ranked among the three best Slovenian restaurants, and in 2011 and 2012 it earned the enviable title of Best Restaurant in Eastern Europe.

At the bi-annual gathering of young European masterchefs from JRE, Michael Ellis, the President of the ‘Red Culinary Guide’, as some call the prestigious Le Guide Michelin, announced that its inspectors will soon come to Slovenia. The most important culinary guide in the world can no longer ignore Slovenia, since its gain in popularity and the number of its food awards.

Many Slovenian chefs have already contributed to the Slovenia’s world culinary recognition. In 2006, JB restaurant was the first Slovenian restaurant to rank on the list of the World’s Best Restaurants. This year, Hiša Franko with Ana Roš (the World’s Best Female chef) followed, ranking in 69th place. Ana Roš is receiving an award in the homeland too – Hiša Franko is the winner of the The Slovenia Restaurant's Awards, and the influential Slovenian magazine One Plus and its readers voted Ana the Woman of the Year.

Back to news