Slovenian gastronomy honoured in Italy
Ljubljana, 6 October - Slovenian gastronomy has been developing rapidly in recent years thanks largely to chefs and wineries. Now, Slovenia as a whole has been honoured by a major Italian magazine, Food and Travel Italia, with the title Nation of the Year.
Ljubljana, Pogačarjev trg.
Odprtje pete sezone kulinarične tržnice Odprta kuhna.
Foto: Daniel Novakovič/STA
"The recognition raises awareness about Slovenia as a gastronomical destination," Slovenian Tourist Board (STO) director Maja Pak said about the award, which is based on the votes of readers of the magazine.
The readers - the magazine has some 600,000 worldwide according to the STO - also honoured several Slovenian individuals.
Ana Roš, who was recently awarded two Michelin stars for her Hiša Franko, was named International Chef of the Year, a recognition she said was an inspiration for her and her team to work even better.
Chardonnay Opoka Cru 2017 by Marjan Simčič, one of Slovenia's best known winemakers, was named International Wine of the Year, in what was the only award for a foreign winemaker that the magazine conferred this year.
Simčič said the recognition from such a large and important market as Italy was the result of ten years of strategic work.
Leonardo Simčič, Marjan Simčič's son, was named Young Entrepreneur of Wine 2020.