At an elegant soirée, intertwined with the taste of selected wines, haute cuisine and the penetrating melodies of live opera, and under the vigilant eye of the celebrated sommelier Mira Šemić, the 2019 awards were presented for best Slovene waiter, best chef, who did the most for contemporary cuisine in Slovenia, best restaurant, the most talented young chef, the chef of tomorrow, the chef of traditional cuisine and the best Slovene POP place.
The evaluation process is anonymous. Over the last few months, reviewers dined at Slovene restaurants without prior notice – 130 restaurants in all. Hiša Franko and Gostilna pri Lojzetu received the same number of points, 17,5. The success of the "'two winning restaurants", which, besides the title of best restaurant of 2019, received 4 hats, is down to their loyalty to the local environment as well as to the audacity, style and technique of their maestros. "I thank all who come to Hiša Franko and appreciate our work. Our world of course does not stop here…," said Valter Kramer from Hiša Franko upon receiving the award.
Four hats (Gault & Millau evaluate restaurants using a scale of one to five hats) were also awarded to Hiša Denk, Oštarija Debeluh, Restavracija Mak and Strelec restaurant, but they received fewer points than the top two. Several restaurants received three hats. Igor Jagodic, who, in the opinion of the reviewers, successfully combines the past with modern techniques, was declared chef of the year. Jagodic says that such an award is great motivation for his future work. The best waiter award went to Matic Šubic from Maxim restaurant and Odprta kuhna received the best POP place for its versatility, uniqueness and its hint of playfulness. The 2019 young talent award went into the hands of a person who carries a chef’s passion in his genes and whose youth bestows upon him both courage and advantage. Passion, talent and devotion are the characteristics of the young talent Mojmir Marko Šiftar.
Meta Repovž from Gostilna Repovž is top chef of traditional cuisine. Meta's dishes satisfy both locals and foreigners, and her plates, which she creates with her own hands, speak for themselves. The chef of tomorrow is David Vračko, who has been cooking in the Maribor restaurant Mak for the last seven years. Janez Bratovž from the JB restaurant in Ljubljana was awarded for his contribution to the development of Slovene contemporary cuisine.
