Marko

Marko was first a restaurant co-owner before a combination of circumstances led him to become a creator of colourful and complex gastronomic delicacies. The basis for his hospitality philosophy was the desire to change the business in his local environment. It led him to stories that soon required the development of all cooking techniques. Everything that a person needs to make their gastronomic visions come true can be learned. But knowing how to stay true to your story requires a special will and resolve.

How does a geography student who – like everyone else – mostly makes pasta dishes, start dreaming of opening his very own restaurant before the age of 30? He earns additional income with Valter Kramar of Hiša Franko, who needs help with catering from time to time. A few years of this type of work infected Marko Stankovič with a gastronomic mindset of new dimensions: “Classic chefs usually start by learning cooking skills before realising they also need good stories and real reasons for doing what they do. And less classic and not properly trained chefs (following the example of Hiša Franko) can clearly arrive at original solutions the other way around,” says Marko.

When Marko was a child, he would go fishing with his grandfather. In addition to fish, they sometimes caught the protected freshwater crayfish, which they would religiously release back into the water. One day, when the crayfish were really jumping, they came home to a dinner of a famous Southern bean dish. The memory of that day appeared in Marko’s grownup mind like an image worth a new culinary creation. The result was crayfish pasulj.

The broad horizons explored by chef Marko, who has always loved trying out menus at restaurants around the world, are now reflected in his local environment. Marko Stankovič believes that, at least in the way he chooses his suppliers, he can contribute to preserving the production of homegrown ingredients both in his local environment and in Slovenia as a whole. Decades from now, he wants his children to be able to choose food from their local surroundings and turn it into great experiences.

Marko Stankovič was searching for a story that would place his hometown of Postojna on the world map of gastronomy. It seemed as if this town of horse and cart drivers, influenced by forests and the sea and people of different origins, did not belong in any culinary region. But it could become a culinary town! Because Postojna is a melting pot, it is possible that is the source of his fondness of fusion on plates. He likes to mix fish and other types of meat, novelty and nostalgia that takes him to new interpretations of past experiences.

“No, I don’t have a specific guest in mind when I’m creating my dishes. When I conceive of a plate, it is more a reflection of who I am, who we are as a team, what our story is and where we live. I don’t have an image of an ideal guest, but I am grateful to anyone who is a little curious and gives me the chance to show them what we’ve created,” says Marko Stankovič. The man behind Štorja thinks the biggest compliment is seeing guests coming back for new experiences.

He wants to create new dishes for them, collaborating not only with select suppliers, but also with other creators of culinary stories in Postojna. “Better gastronomy will allow the town marked my mass tourism to offer good reasons to visit 365 days a year,” says the chef, who has rightfully caught the attention of demanding food critics.