"Two chefs, two recipes, great price" is the slogan that succinctly accompanies Lidl's culinary project Tomaž vs. Mate. What is it all about? The Slovenian chef star Tomaž Kavčič, who impresses even the most demanding guests at Gostilna pri Lojzet at Dvorec Zemona, and the Croatian Mate Jankovič agreed to a very special gastronomic experience. Since September of this year, they have been entertaining us with unique culinary duels, which we can follow (on Lidl's website) in the form of advertisements, recipes and cooking tips.
We already introduced you to us last year, when you collaborated with a renowned pate brand. What prompted the decision to participate in Lidl's cooking competition this time?
It is definitely a challenge to work with a large international company. To look behind the scenes of its structure and see how I can combine my own operation, which stems from more than a century of family inn tradition, if not with global business challenges, at least with pan-European ones.
Are the recipes we follow on Lidl's website tried and tested many times or do you create new ones?
A recipe always consists of several elements. These are tradition, knowledge, ingredients, current inspiration and the chef's personal touch. Thus, the recipes on Lidl's website are at the same time traditional, but also always new. In any case, they are adapted to a wider range of people.
What influences your decision when choosing recipes and ingredients (for Lidl's project)?
As always, this time I am betting on two basic elements, the pillars of my activity. Each recipe must combine, in one way or another, locality and tradition. By locality, of course, I also mean seasonality.
Your favorite dish that is also basically cheap (and the ingredients for it can also be found in Lidl)?
It's hard to talk about a favorite dish. However, it is definitely related to the ingredients available in Lidl. These are seasonal and local ingredients. I could say that my favorite dish is the one whose ingredients traveled the shortest way to the plate, both in terms of distance and time. So my favorite dishes change with the seasons and with the places where I am.
Which dish brings back the best memories for you?
Definitely a sandwich, excuse me, panini with mortadella and young cheese.
What would you eat if you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life?
There is no food that you can eat for the rest of your life. That would not be life for me! I bet on variety and, as I said, I want to eat local, seasonal food all my life!
Which cuisine around the world inspires you again and again?
Local. So all that is indigenous in a certain space and time. My bets are on Asian cuisine in Asia, Italian in Italy and French in France. Of course, as a creative chef, I am always fascinated and interested in new techniques and innovative approaches to cuisine.
More information:
www.lidl.si
