Interview - Jernej Zver and Maja Galuf: Jernejkitchen

The creative duo, which never rests, wants to inspire people to create in the kitchen with their culinary project. You can follow Jerne and Maja on social networks Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, s May 1st as well as on the website www.jernejkitchen.com.

What do you think about the flourishing of cuisine in our country, which we have witnessed in the last few years? Do you think that Slovenia is firmly anchored on the global culinary map?
We really like that more and more people, both in home and professional kitchens, are returning to local ingredients and to the support of excellent Slovenian producers, of which there are quite a few. With this, the new Slovenian cuisine is growing, and in our opinion, this is the essential thing that ranks Slovenia among the world's culinary destinations.
We believe that Slovenia is rising on the global culinary map. There is a lot of talent here and many skillfully wield the kitchen and contribute to the growth of Slovenian cuisine and its unique culinary growth. It is essential to connect, both between chefs and growers and other organizations, for faster and more successful growth on the culinary map.

What do you prefer to cook or which world cuisine suits you best?
If we focus on the blooming spring, which is already knocking on the door, I would highlight the delicious ingredients with which we will create. These are chives, asparagus, nettles, lamb, etc. We don't have a favorite dish, so we will create with the listed ingredients. It is also difficult to answer the question of which world cuisine we like best, because each one has its own characteristics, history and ingredients and is therefore unique and special.

What is typical Slovenian food for you and what are your favorite local Slovenian dishes?
Typical Slovenian food in our families most often came to life during holidays, Christmas, Easter, St. Martin's Day, and at various get-togethers, birthdays, weddings and the like. At that time, we prepared various poticas, roasts, cakes. Today, however, we prefer to make bread from Slovenian flour, which everyone is very happy about and somehow symbolizes the warmth of home.

"There is a lot of talent in our country and many people skillfully wield the kitchen."

As a true gourmet, where do you like to eat? At home, at a food market or in an elite restaurant?
It all depends on the mood and time. Most of the time we eat at home, where we love to experiment and create for jernejkitchen.com, or prepare something quick to eat when we are on the fly. Food markets offer a wide range of different tastes and cultures and are a great opportunity to taste the food in a city like Ljubljana and mentally transport yourself to nearby Prekmurje or distant Thailand. We let ourselves be spoiled by elite restaurants, especially when abroad, on vacation, when time permits, which of course does not mean that we do not have excellent restaurants in Slovenia. Here, too, the development of chefs is exponential and definitely worth a visit.

What do you think about combining cuisine with socializing through the organization of food markets and culinary festivals?
We believe that connection is essential and crucial for the spread of cuisine and the knowledge that each individual or various organizations have. We definitely support food markets and festivals. We also strive for people to get to know different cuisines, that the menu is varied and that creation in the kitchen is fun, creative and not just a necessity.

READ MORE: Jernejkitchen: PDF booklet with basic recipes for making sourdough and bread

The first rule of blogging should be to find your "niche" with which to attract readers. What do you think is the special feature that makes readers like to follow your work?
We always start from ourselves. Some create pictures, others products, still others write books, we both express ourselves through cuisine, tastes, composition, written thoughts, photography. We always liked to eat well, spend a lot of time in the kitchen, take photos, share our opinion with others, debate and seek new knowledge. It's a part of us, it's who we are, and what makes us immensely happy.

Where do you get your inspiration from? Do you each have a special role model in your field, a favorite culinary blog or culinary reality show?
Inspiration comes in all shapes and forms. Creation can be triggered by a film that is not necessarily related to food, a good book that is set in a certain environment, a trip, a family gathering, but certainly the greatest inspiration is people, their desires, habits, stories that encourage creativity, re-creation and research. More than a person in question, a blog or a culinary show, we like positive people who believe in themselves, in their story and follow their goal, their path.

They recently published an online booklet with recipes for baking bread. Will you impress us with another similar project/product in the future?
We have quite a few projects in stock, the first and most important at the moment is the website jernejkitchen.com, which is happily filling up with content these days - recipes, blogs, tips and photos. In addition, we are also looking forward to culinary education in the Azores and in Belgium, which we will definitely record and share with everyone who follows us on social networks and the website.