Matija

At the centre of everything are sauces. Considered, structured, the kind that pull a plate together and make clear that genuine thought went into it. For local ingredients, he reaches for dairy: buttermilk and sour milk, because they work across every dimension of a dish and resist being used in just one way.

Lelas brings considerable experience to his role. Before Vila Podvin, he led kitchens at Terme Dobrna, Hotel Best Western in Kranjska Gora, Hotel Metropol in Portorož, and Casa Nostromo in Piran. He holds a WSET Level 2 sommelier qualification and a Master of Coffee recognition from the Illy Coffee University in Trieste.

Early in his career, Matija Lelas believed technical skill alone would impress guests. He later came to a different conclusion: nothing beats good ingredients that are not over-processed.

Lelas does not cook for silence at the table. He wants guests to enjoy themselves, and he wants something on the plate to spark a real culinary debate. The French framework gives him discipline, the Alpine landscape gives him direction, and the occasional unexpected turn gives the whole thing a sense of surprise.

Dairy is his most loyal local ingredient. Buttermilk and sour milk appear across his cooking, from sauces to less obvious contexts, reminding guests that a familiar ingredient is always worth reconsidering. Sauces are never decoration in his kitchen. They are what holds a dish together and gives it depth.