Food event of the year kicks off – European Food Summit

The European Food Summit, the largest culinary event in the region hosting the biggest names in food, kicks off tomorrow in Ljubljana. The first guest speakers who will attempt to inspire with their stories towards a more progressive attitude and behaviour for a better and sustainable future have already arrived in Slovenia. Today, they will be visiting Hiša Franko for the spring menu premiere and meeting the best chefs from Ljubljana and throughout Slovenia. During the summit, the four-day period will also include other events for foodies as well as professionals.

In recent years, substantial progress has been made in gastronomy in Slovenia, helping realise the goal of becoming an appealing and recognisable five-star destination. “The gastronomy scene in Slovenia has not been this busy in years. Across Slovenia, chefs and eateries, wineries and brands are becoming established, attracting local and foreign visitors. These have also been brought to the attention of the professional sector, having received various awards and recognitions, reported on by recognised media outlets and social media influencers. In Slovenia, strong international brands like Gault&Millau, The World's 50 Best Restaurants, JRE, Slow Food International, Decanter World Wine Awards are already well established while we are also extremely pleased for Slovenia to be named the European Region of Gastronomy 2021. A lot has been done, though our efforts have only just begun if we wish to improve Slovenia’s standing not only as a green adventure tourism destination, but also as a popular gastronomic destination catering to the needs of the most demanding guests via a boutique offering. Events such as the European Food Summit featuring prominent guests promote this end. That is why the Slovenian Tourist Board has decided to become an active partner in the event and to provide foreign media representatives excursions of Slovenia. Such projects improve the visibility and reputation of our catering offer abroad. But what I find particularly important is that, by listening to the stories about the work and lives of our famous guests, we will be let in on a series of best practices that will assist in our daily activities and future developments,”mag. Maja Pak, director at the Slovenian Tourist Board points out.

The four-day European Food Summit held between 16 and 19 March 2019 is a fresh gust of wind on the culinary scene. The much awaited event will host many important names in food, personally invited to Slovenia on behalf of event partners Slovenian Tourist Board (STO) and Ljubljana Tourism byAna

Roš and curator Andrea Petrini, and offers foodies, chefs and caterers alike a chance to embark on an epic culinary adventure.

The conference sponsored by STO will see appearances by the most influential chefs in the world who will attempt to inspire with their stories of success and sustainability. Joining us will be Andoni Luis Aduriz (Mugaritz, ranked 9^th on The World‘s 50 Best Restaurants, two Michelin Stars, Spain), Jordan Kahn (Destroyer and Vespertine, USA), Andreas Caminada (Schloss Schauenstein, ranked 47^th on The World‘s 50 Best Restaurants, three Michelin Stars, Switzerland), Christopher Pelé (Le Clarence, two Michelin Stars, France), Esben Holmboe Bang (Maaemo, ranked 35^th on The World‘s 50 Best Restaurants, three Michelin Stars, Norway), Leonor Espinosa (Leo Restaurant, Best Female Chef Latin America 2017 and Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants, Colombia) and Riccardo Camanini (Lido 84, named Chef of the Year 2017 by Identità Golose, Italy).

The conference will host not only famous international speakers from the media, including reporter, writer and editor Georges Desrues (Italy), reporter Ivan Brincat (Food and Wine Gazette, Belgium), food critic and author Joe Warwick (Great Britain) and researchers Afton Halloran (Independent Consultant on Sustainable Food Systems, Denmark) and Roberto Flore (DTU Skylab – Technical University of Denmark, Denmark), but also notable and inspirational guests from Slovenia, including Valter Kramar (Hiša Franko, Hiša Polonka), Anka Lipušček (Mlekarna Planika Dairy), Mateja Gravner (Vinarstvo Gravner) and Lior Kochavy (Open Kitchen).

Gastronomy is becoming increasingly popular as confirmed by the fact that every single event in the scope of the European Food Summit, i.e. the conference, the Experience Dinner with Ana Roš (Hiša Franko), Riccardo Camanini (Lido 84) and Luka Košir (Gostišče Grič) and the I FEEL SLOVENIA Cable Car Dinner, has been sold out.

Mag. Petra Stušek, director at Ljubljana Tourism, also adds, “At Ljubljana Tourism, we have recognised gastronomy as the feature, in line with global trends, that appeals to visitors. That is why we have been partnering with caterers at individual locations, promoting networking, helping introduce traditional local dishes made from local ingredients into their offers, and finally marketing the entire package. Recently, on 6 March at ITB Berlin, the world’s largest tourism trade fair, Ljubljana won in the Best in Cities category, specifically with its Exchange of Local Foods, a culinary project organised by Ljubljana Tourism and partners. The European Food Summit will aim to intertwine high cuisine with unforgettable and exclusive experiences, topped with a technical conference and an opportunity to exchange knowledge at the highest level. Tomorrow’s culinary tour of Ljubljana will be a blend of fine dining and culture, well, because gastronomy is culture. The objective is to make the European Food Summit the most important food event in Europe and to attract domestic and foreign tourists to Ljubljana during low season.”

A number of participating Slovenian chefs will be given the opportunity to share their stories during Saturday’s happening sponsored by Ljubljana Tourism. Their creations will be available for tasting during the Open Kitchen pre-premiere in Križanke, which will kick off the entire event. At the sold-out Gourmet Ljubljana Crawl, the culinary tour of Ljubljana’s sights and landmarks, foodies and gourmands will be treated to the best by Jakob Pintar (TaBar) – DobraVaga, Janez Bratovž (JB Restaurant) – Kresija Gallery, Jorg Zupan (Atelje) – Museum of Illusions, Igor Jagodic (Strelec Restaurant) – Town Hall, Peter Kovač (Maxim) – Ljubljana Castle and Mojmir Šiftar (Evergreen) – Križanke.

Krvavec will once again be the host location to the best chefs from across Slovenia. On Sunday during the Gourmet on Snow, attendees at the Krvavec Ski Resort will be pampered by chefs Tadej Gašparin (Pikol), Ago Špacapan, (Špacapanova hiša), Luka Gmajner and Marko Magajne (Galerija okusov), Tomi Češek (Zebra Patisseries),Sebastjan Elbl (Blejski grad Restaurant) and Tomaž Bolka(Gostilna Krištof).

Tuesday’s Argeta Exclusive breakfast will start with the inventive Luka Košir and continue with the Gourmet on Snow featuring mouth-watering creations by Gorazd Potočnik (Sladkozvočje), Sebastijan Kovačič (Hiša Torkla), Tomaž Bevčič (Rizibizi), Urh Kapelar (Skipass Kranjska Gora Restaurant) and Uroš Klinec (Klinec Plešivo).Finally, we have also prepared a special surprise. We will be paid a visit by sensational Chef Nicola Dinato (Feva Ristorante), proud owner of a Michelin Star whose “fried air” dish has been making headlines for months. Exquisite food will be accompanied by delectable sparkling wines and champagne. Competitors will take to the slopes and compete for gold in the Audi Gourmet Cup complete with entertainment for an unforgettable gourmet party on snow. Visitors of the Krvavec Ski Resort will be able to purchase food vouchers at the location and exchange them with individual Chefs for the desired degustation dishes. Individual vouchers are priced at €4.50 and there is no event admission charge.