Iztok Gumzej, the chef of the restaurant in the Hotel Špica and the main initiator of the Chefs Care humanitarian action
I come from Zasavje, so I used to come to the municipality of Laško only on weekends. In December, my father’s house was decorated with so many lights that the municipality of Laško helped him pay for electricity! The lights went to the fire department years ago, and my wife and our three teenagers now live in Trnovo above Laško. In the meantime, I worked abroad so I was not on these horizons for quite some time. Now I am cooking with a team that consists of seven members in the new Hotel Špica. It is great because I know we are doing something right and good.
GOOD FOR THOSE WHO ARE HUNGRY AND FOR GOURMETS
During the weeks when we were able to experiment more than actually work in the kitchen of the Hotel Špica (you know – the COVID-19 and its limitations!), we have developed many innovations. We completely changed the pizza dough that Špica was famous for even before it became a hotel. The dough is now fermented and light in a tasty way. We also have dishes with the Taste Laško certificate of quality on the menu. For example, we use warmed cream which is typical of Laško. I highly respect it because I know how much milk, effort and time is put into it. There are also top-quality dry meats from the neighbouring hill and the best dark beer from the town, which we used for a wonderful ice cream in the summer and in which we marinate the ribs. We know how to satisfy the hungry guests and at the same time spoil the gourmets. Moreover, I would like to support those who love to socialize with what we do!
HUMANS ARE SOCIAL BEINGS
Many things from the eighties and nineties are becoming trendy again in gastronomy and event planning. I grew up during those years so I know that back then, cooking went hand in hand with social occasions. In this day and age, it is important to remember that we need to socialize, connect, go out, have a beer with friends and enjoy a good meal. An essential part of good cookery is savouring it with other people!
During the worst COVID-19 restrictions, we converted our home garage into a kitchen. The Garage Kitchen family project was intended to overcome the strange epidemic funk. (If you are interested in how everything came to be, find us on FB and YT!). Three kitchen savvy teenagers, a nutritionist and a chef, set up a little family competition in burger preparation and summoned a competent judge – a chef and a friend Branko Podmenik. With the help of 130 chefs, including Branko Podmenik, Marko Pavčnik and Miran Ojsteršek, we made several thousand free meals. The Chefs Care initiative covered the entire Slovenia and I am extremely proud of us chefs (professional workaholics), for we cooked for those in need when we could not work full time. Our motivation was simple: let’s do it together – as friends.
PROFESSIONAL, BUT UNCOMPLICATED
Today, cooking is a popular pastime. A TV entertainment! I myself have tasted the brilliance of cameras and many competitions. However, whenever I meet the students of culinary schools, I notice that nowadays everyone would like to make high-quality plates – even before they know how to cook a traditional bone broth. If you cannot cook a noodle soup and make pot roasts, fried chicken, roasted potatoes, salads and bake a strudel for a hundred people, you are not a chef yet, and therefore not ready for more demanding challenges. Unfortunately, the western world has lost a bit of the feeling that less is more. I have spent some time in India, where you quickly realize you do not actually recognize truly fresh foods and certainly do not know how to make a top-notch dish from just four simple ingredients. Delicious and simple cooking is always the best. Moreover, you will always cook something new and exciting. For example, I love the understated beetroot. It can be used to make countless fine dishes – from chips to tartar, from borscht to baked delights.
Do not get me wrong, I love that the cooking procedures and utensils have evolved. In the Hotel Špica we also use the sous vide technique and other modern approaches, for they preserve all the healthy nutrients. However, I also like funšterc – a traditional simple Zasavje omelette (similar to the pancake batter). Whenever I prepare it in front of the guests, it becomes a great delicacy. Slovenians would appreciate a dish like this abroad, but at home we are a little embarrassed of the simplicity of it.
A HOLIDAY DISH AND BEST WISHES
Slovenian cuisine is especially wonderful, seeing as it also drew inspiration from its neighbours. Let’s celebrate like the Romans do! In the restaurant of Hotel Špica we included osso buco on the menu – a widely known dish for which almost every village in Italy has its own recipe and without which there is no Christmas. The recipe itself is not difficult, it will only take a little more time. For all of you cooking enthusiasts, the following instructions will do:
We take a chunk of beef shank with the visible bone and bone marrow. We then fry the meat in olive oil and set it aside. Next, we fry the celery, carrots and onions, pour wine over them and season them with wintry spices. We add the meat and simmer it until it is soft. We sprinkle the dish with an orange peel or grated truffles and that’s it! The dish is meant for two people, so it encourages us to socialize. Toast with dark wine or even beer. Cheers and bon appétit!
Do not forget to make a wish and take a turn on the dancefloor. As an extreme fan of folk music and a proud owner of all the cassettes of the Avsenik Ensemble (now they adorn the wall of our Garage Kitchen), I sometimes dream of becoming a manager of a young ensemble, with an accordion and other instruments of this genre. If not, I promised myself this year that I will be able to sing a song that I love, even though I do not possess any special musical talents.
Best wishes friendly people!
I will see you in the Hotel Špica.