Located 30 kilometers (19 miles) outside of Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana, the restaurant has an abundance of fresh produce in its gardens and surrounding forests. It is from here that 80% of the menu’s ingredients are sourced and dishes are inspired.
“Our philosophy of getting products in the restaurant is very simple,” says owner and head chef Luka Košir. “When we start to develop a dish, we check our gardens, what grows there. We check the forest, what is growing in the forest.”
Košir believes it is important to have an intimate understanding of where his produce comes from. For his meats, he relies on local producers in the region, and in 2013 he opened his own organic duck farm. “It’s very important, I think, for each chef not to lose this feeling of how your products come to the table or how somebody has to produce it so that you can serve it,” says Košir.
This approach to cooking has paid off, and in 2021 Grič was awarded a Michelin Star. Grič was also recognized with a Michelin Green Star for the restaurant’s role in blazing a trail for a more sustainable restaurant industry — something he hopes will be replicated by others.
Košir believes his philosophy of buying locally and seasonally should give everyone inspiration to explore different ways of getting food to the table. “If you have a garden, go outside to the garden, pick stuff from the garden and prepare something from it,” he says. By doing so he hopes we can all make better and greener food choices for the planet.