Jorg

This is how he rediscovers his love for cooking year after year. While studying at the Higher School of Catering and Tourism in Maribor, he discovered that cooking is a beautiful and creative profession where you can succeed, and above all, that the possibilities are endless. He has a lot of cooking mileage behind him and already as a child he wanted to be a baker. At least that’s what his mother says. His dream has evolved into much more, but sourdough bread is still his greatest pride today.

Chef Jorg says that we humans instinctively seek balance in “salty” dishes and, as an example, he serves desserts that contain salty peanuts, pistachios and even salt flower. “You can’t beat a good dark chocolate ice cream with salt flower,” he says. And because he believes that the key to a good dish is good ingredients, he chooses them carefully – according to season, quality and freshness. He picks herbs himself, ferments them, makes soy sauces, miso, yoghurts and jams, and bakes bread. He loves classic French cuisine, but is inspired by Asian cuisine.

He is passionate about the process of selecting quality ingredients, from carefully considering the seeds and seedlings for his garden and working fruitfully with the best local suppliers, to choosing the last leaf of herb that completes the dish. By getting to know the ingredients he uses very well, he pushes the boundaries of what is known and accepted in the culinary world, and time and again makes his dishes shine in hitherto unknown combinations, stimulating and inspiring diners to explore further.

He has gained experience in Ireland, Australia and the UK, including at three Michelin-starred restaurants: Pied à Terre, The Fat Duck and Norway’s Maaemo. He has learnt about different cuisines, ways of working, people and, last but not least, the principles behind the workings of a kitchen.

When he returned to Slovenia, he transformed the former Smrekarjev Hram, a legendary Ljubljana restaurant, into Atelje, for which he was awarded the first Michelin star in Ljubljana in 2020. Today, he and his dedicated team are bringing his exceptional culinary ideas to life at two popular Ljubljana restaurants, Breg and Aftr.