Igor

Igor’s parents can take the credit for him being a cook. As a child, he used to spend a lot of time at a hotel in Lipica where his mother worked as a housekeeper and where he gained his first cooking experiences. He enjoys challenges and the complexity of cooking, which motivates him to take on other projects. In addition to cooking in his kitchen in Divača, he holds cooking classes and tastings for Slovenian and foreign companies.

That is what he himself is – versatile. Chef Igor Peresson does not limit himself by specialising in a certain type of food. He says that he is stubborn and likes to think outside of the box. These are probably the reasons for him being able to bring his cooking vision to life in his own restaurant, which is actually a pizza restaurant that has long ago surpassed the usual offerings of a pizza restaurant. It includes haute cuisine, tasting menus with Slovenian and Italian flavours, and cooking classes for all who want to know more.

A good cook can be anyone who is willing to work hard, sacrifice family life, and always be available to others. Chef Igor believes that attending a cooking school is not essential: “It is good for the basics, but I believe that anyone can develop the creativity that is not taught at school. Perhaps cooking schools are too specialised and set limits on young creative cooks that others don’t have.”

Igor does not hesitate to answer the question of whether cooking comes from talent or learning. “I think you need both if you want to be on top, but one can’t exist without the other. Mere talent without hard work isn’t enough. Learning is a cook’s companion for life. When a cook says that they know it all, their growth stops and it’s downhill from there.”

In cooking, learning has several dimensions, one of which is openness to other people’s opinions and tastes. “New dishes for the menu that we change with the seasons are created by the team. I present the ideas that I collect throughout the year and then we try and discuss them together. An important aspect is also the waitresses who are in direct contact with our guests. Therefore, they see dishes through the eyes of our guests, helping us to create appealing dishes. We always take into account the seasons and the local character of ingredients. It doesn’t make sense to me to use ingredients from the other side of the world if we have so many good ingredients here.”

“We are all the more satisfied when the quality of ingredients is reflected in the dishes,” he says, throwing in an almost everyday occurrence at Etna to support it: “It is interesting that many Italian and other foreign guests say that they can’t get a pizza as good as ours in Italy, although Italy is the home of pizza.” He does not hide that working in the hospitality industry is strenuous, although a guest’s call to compliment a dish makes it all worthwhile.