Ana Roš awarded the title of UNWTO Ambassador for Gastronomy Tourism

The event was organised by the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Madrid, the Slovenian Tourist Board (STB) and the Government Communication Office (UKOM).

Slovenia continues to be in the spotlight as a destination of supreme gastronomy. Last week, the news about the arrival of the acclaimed Michelin gastronomic guide to Slovenia in 2020 and the revelation of the top Slovenian restaurants and chefs of the Gault & Millau culinary guide for 2020 hit the headlines and today, Ana Roš, who was also proclaimed the Chef of 2020 by Gault & Millau, was awarded the title of UNWTO Ambassador for Gastronomy Tourism.

The whole team of Hiša Franko is currently in Madrid at the In Residence event, which is annually organised annually by the Mateo & Co culinary consulting agency. The aim is to present renowned Spanish and international restaurants at a unique culinary pop-up experience in the capital of Spain, Madrid. This year, top chef Ana Roš and Hiša Franko were selected.

Hiša Franko has moved to Hotel NH Collection Madrid Eurobuilding for almost three weeks. From 19 November to 7 December 2019, a unique culinary experience for more than 650 visitors will be provided here. Not only did the entire team of Hiša Franko move to Madrid, the architects recreated the look of the Kobarid restaurant at the hotel to give visitors the best possible authentic experience.

As part of the residency of Hiša Franko in Madrid and together with the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Madrid and the UKOM, the STB organised a special event to introduce Slovenia as a destination of supreme five-star culinary experiences. Selected guests from the business sphere, tourism, culture and sports were able to take a look at the new promotional video about Slovenia, Green Slovenia, and taste the dishes prepared by top chef Ana Roš.

At the invitation of the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Madrid, the event was also attended by Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organisation, who awarded Ana Roš the title of UNWTO Ambassador for Gastronomy Tourism.

On the basis of local and seasonal high-quality ingredients, unique culinary creations come to life in Hiša Franko in Kobarid from the hands of top Slovenian chef Ana Roš, which excite gastronomic critics, foodies and culinary media representatives. Roš swears by the philosophy “from farm to table”. If she does not produce the ingredients in her own herb and vegetable garden, she gets them from local suppliers. She loves combining traditional local dishes with modern cooking methods.

When Ana received the awarded, she highlighted: "There comes a time in life when you have to accept awards and titles and be proud of them. I consider this particular title to be a kind of a guide to what Slovenian gastronomy, or any other similarly ambitious activity, can achieve. Achieving goals means that you need to give up on a lot of things, sometimes you have to ask yourself if you are on the right track, and when you reach the peak, you have to want to go even further and work even harder for it. I am proud of the entire team of Hiša Franko – this title belongs to all of us. For me, being an ambassador is not a reward, but an incentive to remain a good example to all those who do not dare to believe in their own success and need a slight encouragement to become a better of themselves."

Gastronomy contributes greatly to increasing the interest of the global public in Slovenia, particularly of global media, ever since Ana Roš was featured in Netflix’s Chef's Table and pronounced World's Best Female Chef 2017.

Msc. Maja Pak, Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board: "Slovenia is becoming a recognised and desired foodie destination. Exceptional chefs such as Ana Roš take great credit for this since they represent Slovenia in unique and personalised culinary stories. Roš is one of the most outstanding chefs in Slovenia and globally with the prestigious title of the World's Best Female Chef. Her restaurant is placed at the very top of best restaurants and she has also become the Gault & Millau Slovenia Chef of the Year 2020. Sincere congratulations to Ana Roš for the distinguished title of UNWTO Ambassador for Gastronomy Tourism, which once again confirms the exceptional knowledge, creativity and dedication with which she creates gastronomic experiences that contribute significantly to Slovenia’s recognisability as a superb gastronomic destination."

Msc. Maja Pak further highlighted that Slovenia is becoming recognised as a destination of unique and authentic culinary experiences with great potential for further growth. Together with the renowned and recognised chefs and other stakeholders, the STB showcases the country in the most important emitting markets for Slovenian tourism as the holder of the title of the European Region of Gastronomy 2021, the destination highlighted by the acclaimed Michelin and Gault & Millau, and as a destination of boutique five-star gastronomic experiences. In accordance with the great significance attributed to gastronomy by the 2017–2021 Strategy for the Sustainable Growth of Slovenian Tourism and as per the objectives of the Action Plan for the Development and Marketing of Slovenia’s Gastronomy 2019–2023, gastronomy is also the central development and promotional theme of the STO in 2020 and 2021.

Msc. Renata Cvelbar Bek, Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to Spain and the Representative to the World Tourism Organisation: "The successes of, and accolades to, Ana Roš are the result of immense talent and complete dedication to perfect every dish. Her cuisine represents dedication to sustainability which is also typical of Slovenia and Slovenian tourism. We rely on sustainable tourism that is based on the abundance of green nature in our country. Tourism and gastronomy go hand in hand, which is why we strive to enhance and promote cuisine that is based on locally produced ingredients. It is not a coincidence that Roš is one of the leading advocates of such cuisine. But it is a pleasant coincidence that her visit to Madrid coincides with COP25."

Msc. Kristina Plavšak Krajnc, Director of the Government Communication Office: "Gastronomy is certainly a field in which Slovenia is an undiscovered gem, and food is known to be one of the oldest and most powerful ways of communicating and connecting people. We are sometimes surprised that in such a small geographical area we can pride ourselves on homemade cheese from Alpine farms as well as homemade olive oil from the Mediterranean and Karst regions. The saying goes that the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach, while the word love is actually integrated in our national brand, I feel sLOVEnia."

During Hiša Franko’s residence in Madrid, an exhibition of photographs by Ana Roš with the motifs of green Slovenia will also be on display at the hotel. Every guest attending one of the dinners will receive the new STB publication, Taste Slovenia. 

Back to news