Lately two problems might be discussed under that title, the first being the fact that the best Slovenian restaurants are having a hard time in finding personnel, and the second that some of the best Slovenian chefs have quietly left their base units.

The avalanche was triggered a year ago, when Andrej Kuhar left Maxim, the Ljubljana institution. The veteran chef is now creating in a less exposed Vila Herberstein in Velenje, while Maxim is being directed by the young chef Peter Kovač (28), who worked for four years under the leadership of chef Kuhar, and had been warmly recommended by him as his replacement. It seems the decision was correct, as Maxim keeps getting the best grades also under the new leadership.

In March one of the best Slovenian restaurants temporarily closed its door - Pri Danilu in Reteče. It was the place where the pioneer of the slow food motion in our country Vesna Čarman performed her art. The mother of the leading sommelier of Slovenia Gašper Čarman (eVino) decided to take off her apron. It won't be easy to find her successor.

Patajac left Tabar, Volčič and his bistro
Tabar from Ljubljana is again looking for kitchen staff. At the opening in the beginning of 2014 they boasted of being the first tapas bar in our country – with an emphasize on Slovenian, Karst tapas, as the kitchen was led by the chef from Ruj, Peter Patajac. The concept proved extremely successful – also because Tabar's kitchen remained open longer than the others, in a Spanish fashion. It is rather difficult to get a table there on weekend nights.

Yet they experienced the typical Slovenian fate – internal dissent within the team flushed Patajac out. He returned to his native Ruj, and this summer they remained without probably one of the best member of the waiting staff (not so easily found!) Nejc Farčnik. In spite of the alluring offer by Bine Volčič (we will get back to Volčič soon) he found new challenges in one of the best restaurants of Middle Europe, Steirereck (2 Michelin stars) in Vien.

Back to Volčič – the former head of the Promenada restaurant in Bled is also looking very hard for qualified staff. But not for the contestants of the POP TV show An Inn Looking for a Chef, but for the bistro Monstera he intends to open in the very centre of Ljubljana, at the Gosposka street, this June. Volčič promises a modern bistro in the Parisian style, with few tables, different menus daily, evening tasting menus at 18 euros, and a wine list based on natural wines.

Vander without the Frenchman, and Celje without Borut Jovan
In the meantime the old part of Ljubljana has lost another great chef – Benjamin Launay. The Frenchman married to an Australian of Slovenian nationality seemed an ideal choice for the chef of the trendy Vander, the boutique hotel at the Krojaška street. The hotel is now expanding into the premises of the former Stara mačka, but it started to slip. We have not yet checked the influence it has at the menu of Vander, which used to be very pleasing indeed.

A similar problem is facing also the Gallery of Tastes, Galerija okusov in Petrovče; unfortunately they have remained without Borut Jovan, without any doubt one of our most talented young chefs. Two years after the opening the ambitious project in the very centre of the baroque park and Novo Celje castle, in cooperation with his business partner Gašper Puhan, Jovan left the restaurant Galerija okusov and has withdrawn from the kitchen world – at least for the moment.

Presently he is working in his wife's family owned garden centre in Šentjur, but he will probably appear at least as a guest on June 29 in Maribor, at the Sladolent as a part of the Lent Festival. Galerija okusov will be represented a day later, under the leadership of his successor Luka Gmajner.

Changes at Obala and in Brda
Since February the Smrekar hram (Hotel Union) has a new chef as well - Kristjan Ključevšek was replaced by the very promising chef Jorg Zupan (28), who has learned his trade from two of the three Bled chefs: at first from Bine in Promenada, and then from chef Igor Jagodic in the Strelec restaurant at the Ljubljana Castle. He has gained additional experiences in Sydney and in London. In Smrekarjev hram the fresh, creative wind is already showing results.

Also the kitchen staff of the most prestigious hotel at the coast, Palace Kempinski in Portorož, which was sold to Serbs last September, went through changes. At the opening of this year's season the most expensive hotel restaurant Sophia introduced the new chef, Ivo Rodrigues from Portugal, who had worked also in restaurants with Michelin stars. Cosmpolitanism is already influencing the Sophia menu.

A look at the Goriška brda hills shows that also the chef of the most prestigious boutique hotel there, Gredič, has a new chef. Christiano Avenanti, the Italian chef who introduced the authorial kitchen of the restaurant, was replaced by the local young chef Adi Blaško, who until then led the restaurant of the San Martin hotel in Šmartno. His place in San Martin was taken by another local form Brda, the former contestant of the show An Inn Looking for a Chef Polonca Bregantič, which brings us back to the beginning of this article...