Four hats were awarded to six Slovenian restaurants and twenty-five restaurants received three hats. Two of the most prestigious awards went to Kaval Group. The title Chef of the Year was awarded to chef Igor Jagodic from Ljubljana’s Strelec Restaurant in Ljubljana Castle. Chef Igor Jagodic has been at the helm of Strelec restaurant ever since 2012. His masterful plates and polished dishes have shot the restaurant at Ljubljana castle between the culinary stars, says Gault & Millau’s website. In addition, Strelec Restaurant received four hats and 17 points out of 20.
Jagodic’s dishes represent the crossroads of the Alps, the Adriatic Sea and the Pannonia Plain, connecting the past with modern technologies and trying to reinvent traditional food in a new, fresh way. He had always known he wanted to become a chef and was educated in prestigious hotels and restaurants at home and abroad. For example, the famous Noma restaurant in Denmark – chef Rene Redzepi taught Jagodic the whole philosophy of preparing contemporary dishes from local ingredients.
While for the Young Talent of 2019 Mojmir Marko Šiftar from Evergreen Restaurant also owned by Kaval Group was awarded. The 26-year old says that passion for cooking is in his genes and confirmed it with a tattoo on his hand that says Chef for life – a life in which he is only beginning to spread his wings. His youth is the origin of his boldness, creativity and his constant strive towards greatness. In 2018, he won the 2nd place in the semi-finals at the San Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 competition with his dish The Tradition of Koline.
