Gault & Millau, one of the best-known French restaurant guides published its first Slovenian edition a year ago. This year, in the third week of gastronomic festival November Gourmet Ljubljana, Slovenia launched the second edition, the 2020 version. Also, in the month of November, the gastronomic Bible Michelin announced that it will finally enter the Slovenian culinary scene and launch the country’s food excellency into the gourmet space. It will announce its results in March 2020.
Gault & Millau 2020 edition was published in Slovene and in English and it additionally got its Ljubljana version. So not just Slovenia, but also its capital got its own Gault & Millau guide. With rich content and recommendations, the Guide presents a great tool for exploring Ljubljana’s versatile culinary character. In 2019, Ljubljana has been with the European Food Summit reaffirmed as a real star and with the award for one of the Best Food Destinations of the world its dedication to green and sustainable food supply was acknowledged as well.
Even more so the symbol of gastronomic eminence and prestige lies in Michelin stars that work very well into any country’s favour. Slovenia, until recently, was only hoping for the gastronomic Bible to enter its lands. And finally that moment arrived. In November, the Michelin Guide announced its entrance into the country ‘on the sunny side of Alps’ . The whole project was carried out with the support of the Slovenian Tourist Board (STB) which says on its website that it “considers gastronomy as one of the key tourist products and has thus actively participated in the project of bringing this distinguished guide to Slovenia.”
According to the Slovenian Tourist Board, the arrival of such an important guide is not a coincidence. STB has put great efforts in the field of development and intensive promotion of Slovenian gastronomy also with the support of internationally renowned Slovenian chefs. Among them the most important role was played by the internationally most acclaimed Slovenian chef Ana Roš whose restaurant Hiša Franko was just recently ranked as the 38th among the 50 best restaurants in the world.
“Slovenia is an extremely exciting destination for gastronomic tourists, and we are delighted to present Michelin’s selection of the best Slovenian restaurants and talents to the global public in March 2020,” says Romain Perrier, Sales and Marketing Director for Michelin Food & Travel. “Talented Slovenian chefs transform Slovenian assets into unique culinary creations that, through Michelin’s eyes, position Slovenia as a ‘must go’ destination,” adds Perrier.
Both guides come to Slovenia just a year before the country enters into the year of its title as the European Region of Gastronomy. “Michelin Guide along the second edition of the Gault & Millau and together with the title of the European Region of Gastronomy 2021 gives us an additional impetus for our work,” says Maja Pak, STB director. “All these are great stories that we will proudly include in the central two-year promotion theme of Slovenian tourism which will focus on gastronomy in 2020 and 2021.”
Culinary rise of Slovenia contributes also to success of its meetings industry as it goes without saying that every country or city that wants to continuously attract larger international conferences or congresses needs a proper gastronomic reputation. And certainly the world-renowned culinary guides play the key role in giving an insight into the destination for the ever more demanding gastronomic public. Particularly so when it comes to participants in the diverse set of international meetings that love to try a top-notch culinary offer.
