Three culinary enthusiasts Špela Vodovc, Andreja Kopitar and Mateja Šefman met at professional training.
Špelo is fascinated by the traditional Slovenian cuisine, knows Andrej very well Slovenian wines and the use of various herbs, Mateja is a real master at preparation culinary classics in a new way. The word got out and the project was born Cook Eat Slovenia. Together they form a three-unit society and drive of culinary workshops Cook Eat Slovenia for foreigners, curious gourmets and lovers of culinary masterpieces.
Cooking courses of Slovenian specialties for foreigners. Where did the idea come from?
Slovenian cuisine is an incredible mix of different cultural influences and high-quality ingredients, so we think it's a great way to get to know our cultural diversity, history and customs, in an extremely pleasant and fun way. With a glass of excellent wine, our participants can learn something new, meet new people and have immense fun.
What is the essence of your culinary gatherings?
Above all, learning new skills, where each participant can get involved in the preparation of the dish as much as he or she wants. In addition to the cooking knowledge itself, we take them through all the Slovenian regions through explanations about the ingredients, dishes and wines - in three hours in the very center of Ljubljana, they get to know Slovenia in miniature. The contents of the workshops are always adapted to the individual group. We create cooking with everyone, from closed groups of businessmen, random tourists to groups where children join us.
Where do the recipes for preparing treats come from?
Slovenians have excellent food, where the menus still breathe with nature, and we follow that too. We adapt the menus to the seasons and we always use only the best local ingredients, and most of the recipes can be attributed to our grandmothers. Sometimes, of course, we refine them a bit with our cooking tricks to give them a modern touch. In any case, we remain loyal to the "old school". We also publish recipes on our website. The last one is for making a sinfully good tarragon ice cream with olive oil. In addition to workshops for foreign guests, we also design various thematic workshops for Slovenians, where experts from individual fields join us, each with their own culinary tricks and tips. This month, you can join us at an open potica baking event, where you will learn how to prepare potica in six different ways.
Is prior cooking knowledge necessary?
Everyone is invited to our workshops, both kitchen experts and those who may just enjoy food. Guests are actively involved in the preparation of dishes according to their abilities. The emphasis is on them spending a fun, relaxing evening, learning about our history and customs, and at the same time, other foodie enthusiasts. Just last week we had a guest from Japan who was completely fascinated by our rain (a wooden container for storing rice), as the container is the same shape as the container they use to store rice. We had a bit of an in-depth debate about whether its origin is Slovenian or Japanese. At the workshops, we find out again and again how culinary similar and at the same time diverse our world is. Also in the culinary sense.
