European Food Summit - European Food Summit to Energise Ljubljana’s Saturday Food Festival

European Food Summit to Energise Ljubljana’s Saturday Food Festival

Sora pri Medvodah, 1. 3. 2019

European Food Summit (16–19 March), the most important food event in the region, was previously known as Gourmet Cup Ljubljana. It aspires to become the most important European culinary event and a unique platform that contributes to the shaping of a sustainable European future and promotes Slovenia, through a unique gastronomic identity,as an important gastronomic region and Ljubljana as its culinary capital.

The four-day event, organised by Jezeršek Catering in cooperation with partners Slovenian Tourist Board and Ljubljana Tourism and the Gourmet Ljubljana brand, starts Saturday, 16 March and is bound to bring a new energy to Ljubljana’s Saturday culinary activity.

So what’s ahead?

The European Food Summit will kick off with the pre-premiere of Open Kitchen, the most popular food market on the sunny side of the Alps. For this special occasion, Open Kitchen will exclusively take place at the beautiful Križanke and at Trg francoske revolucije (French Revolution Square) between 10.00am to 9.00pm, treating visitors to select dishes, highlighting the offer of Slovenian eateries and restaurants and complemented by Slovenian wine, gin and craft beer. Open Kitchen charges no admission fees.

Based on prior registration, foodies and gourmands will be able to register for Gourmet Ljubljana Crawl, the tastiest six-course tour of Ljubljana. During the Gourmet Ljubljana Craw, six of the most popular sights and landmarks in Ljubljana will transform into exclusive pop-up eateries hosted by Ljubljana’s top Chefs, treating visitors to innovative, inspiring and delectable original creations made from local ingredients and complemented by an assortment of select wines. Gourmet Ljubljana Crawl charges a €49.90 registration fee. After settlement of the registration fee, crawlers will receive QR codes for event registration between noon and 2.00pm at the Info point at the Ljubljana Central Market (event materials provided at the location).

The first stop of the culinary crawl is located atDobraVaga (Adamič-Lunder Embankment 5), where Chef Jakob Pintar (TaBar) will start the crawlers off with amuse-bouche. Today, Jakob is chef at Ljubljana’s most popular tapas bar, though not long ago he was still sharpening his knives in restaurants by world-famous Gordon Ramsey and the extraordinary Joël Robuchon.

At Kresija Gallery (Stritarjeva ulica 6), visitors will be met by Janez Bratovž (JB Restaurant), one of the pillars of high cuisine in Slovenia, who has succeeded at being recognised in the San Pellegrino’s list of the world’s 100 best restaurants. Crawlers are invited to visit the extraordinary black & white photography exhibition hosted at the Gallery, dubbed Spirit of the city, Ljubljana Old Town through the Eyes of Tihomir Pinter.

At the Museum of Illusions (Kongresni trg 13), crawlers will be warmly welcomed by Jorg Zupan (Atelje Restaurant), who despite his youth possesses an abundance of experience from kitchens from around the world and is considered one of the greatest Slovenian talents. The exhibition, certain to persuade visitors that nothing is as appears at first sight, charges no admission fees. Are you ready for an unforgettable and fantastic experience?

Appetizers will be available until 3.30pm.

At the Town Hall (Mestni trg 1), crawlers will be treated to an urban main course by Chef Igor Jagodic (Strelec Restaurant), mentored by Kaval Group, considered one of the top chefs in Ljubljana for years. At the Town Hall, visitors are invited to try to connect to their wild sides and see the admission-free and picturesque large-format oil painting exhibition by Gregor Pratneker, Into the Nature.

Ljubljana Castle (Grajska planota 1), accessible by foot or funicular, and Chef Peter Kovač (Maxim Restaurant) known for his delicious and organic recipes will be responsible for providing crawlers a genuine medieval main course. The castle guarding over Ljubljana offers a breath-taking view of the beautiful city and its cobbled streets and provides guided and admission free tours of three exhibitions: Eva Petrič: TRANShomoPLANTATION; Dušan Kirbiš: Fons opus and Edi Šelhaus: Photographic Highlights.

The main course will be served between 3.30pm and 5.00pm.

Finally, head for the once-in-a-lifetime ambiance of Ljubljana’s Križanke (Trg francoske revolucije 1). Dessert will be served by Chef Mojmir Šiftar (Evergreen Restaurant), named by Gault&Millau the Young Talent of 2019. We are positive that this final course will be the icing on the cake that is bound to leave you speechless.

Please join us at Open Kitchen offering a varied assortment of food and drink by eateries and restaurants from throughout Slovenia.

If you are a real foodie and love to investigate the streets of Ljubljana on a busy Saturday, do not miss Gourmet Ljubljana Crawl! Registrations are limited, so submit yours now!

Important information:

All pop-up eateries are located in the Ljubljana city centre. Estimated time at individual eatery 25 minutes, average walking time between eateries approx. 10 minutes. At each of the locations, crawlers will receive a glass (0.5dcl) of exceptional wine by select Slovenian winemakers. All recipes are fixed and cannot be adjusted. Any possible allergens will be indicated explicitly. Certain pop-up eateries might not be handicap accessible. On previous arrangement, free-of-charge transport between individual locations with the Cavalier – the most user and environmentally friendly urban public transport service – is also available.




Location description:

DobraVaga is an exhibition and project space, a sales gallery and open studio of various artistic languages, styles and content. It hosts in particular the aesthetic reflections of the younger generation of artists.  DobraVaga focuses on new, engaged and innovative formats to actively support, encourage and promote new releases of artistic stories and original artistic practices.

Kresija Gallery, the most representative exhibition area of the Municipality of Ljubljana, is located in the heart of the city not far from Plečnik’s Tromostovje (Triple Bridge). The most characteristic feature of the gallery is its transparency. Namely, the large windows effectively communicate the displays in the exhibition area to the curious passers-by on Ljubljana’s busy streets. The Gallery is a showcase for urban events. Its activities focus on showcasing Municipality of Ljubljana projects and planning of solo and group art expositions by Slovenian authors as well as exhibitions resulting from international and inter-city initiatives.

At the Museum of Illusions, though a picture might be worth a thousand words – an illusion is worth millions. The Museum of Illusions offers an exciting visual, sensory and educational experience through a collection of exclusive illusions and holograms. Enter the world where nothing is as appears at first sight and experience a magical realm of illusion.

At the Town Hall, projects by the Municipality of Ljubljana and others with a significance to Ljubljana as a city are exhibited. The four exhibition areas at the Town Hall are the Historical Atrium, Right Atrium, Glass Atrium and the Central Atrium. These spaces host exhibitions by artists, cultural and art associations, institutions and other establishments. In front is the Robba Fountain, one of the most famous landmarks in Ljubljana, modelled on famous Roman fountains.

Ljubljana Castle, the most popular tourist attraction in Ljubljana, has been offering exquisite views of Slovenia’s capital and its surroundings for over 900 years. It provides excellent opportunities to escape the stress of daily life in a pristine medieval setting. Ljubljana Castle hosts cultural events, concerts, performances, exhibitions, conferences and formal receptions that mould the city that we love.

Križanke, one of Ljubljana’s most notable sights, was first a large monastic complex. The then monastery was remodelled by architect Jože Plečnik. Along the church, the architect designed an area for archaeological remains while the aptly named Devil’s Courtyard was intended for chamber performances. Today, Križanke is known as one of the most beautiful open-air venues with unparalleled acoustics.