The November Gourmet Ljubljana Festival is back this year with a rich programme of food and drink events all concentrated within Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana.
Kicking off on November 2 and lasting till the end of the month, the highlight of the first week of the Gourmet Ljubljana festival is the European Food Summit, during which Visit Ljubljana is organising the Gourmet Ljubljana Crawl (a culinary walk through Ljubljana’s cultural hotspots with top Slovenian JRE chefs) and Ljubljana Soul Chefs (where six exceptional Slovenian chefs will pair up to present their creations in three restaurants).
Read about the 1st European Food Summit here:
Slovenia: The Perfect Host for First European Food Summit
Following last year’s absence of events caused by the pandemic, the November Gourmet Ljubljana culinary festival is back with a programme that is even richer than in 2019. Last year, when live culinary events were not possible, Ljubljana Tourism and its partners held a virtual version of the festival that encouraged people to prepare meals and taste wines at home. This year, the events will go back to being held in various locations, including popular Ljubljana restaurants.
(Photo: Marko Delbello Ocepek)
This fifth festival edition will involve a celebration of new tastes, innovative dishes, fresh approaches, unusual experiments, new contacts and fruitful collaborations that will resonate throughout the year and enrich Ljubljana’s culinary offer.
A novelty for this year is the first edition of the Gourmet Ljubljana lifestyle magazine that will be distributed throughout the festival. Aimed at both tourists and locals, it will be entirely dedicated to Ljubljana’s gastronomic offer, paying homage to tradition and inspiring modernity. It will take readers to the most hidden, cult parts of Ljubljana and to the tables of the best culinary artists, revealing the ideas of Ljubljana’s famed chefs.
November Gourmet Ljubljana 2021 Programme (Highlights)
The November Gourmet Ljubljana 2021 programme will consist of gourmet themed events, wine and beer experiences, and workshops. Some highlights from the November Gourmet Ljubljana Festival 2021 include:
- November 3 and 5 at 4pm, Broken Bones Distillery: A unique guided experience with a tasting of the gin and whisky by Broken Bones.
- November 6 from 10am to 2.30pm, at BIC Ljubljana: Children’s workshops, where children learn about food handling, basic cooking techniques, table setting, and table etiquette.
- November 6 – 8: European Food Summit, organised by Jezeršek catering in collaboration with Visit Ljubljana and the Slovenian Tourist Board, curated by food god Andrea Petrini. (Read my interview with Andrea Petrini here: Interview: Andrea Petrini.) The summit will consist of a Gourmet Ljubljana Crawl, a culinary walk through Ljubljana’s cultural hotspots with top Slovenian JRE chefs (Ljubljana will be represented by Jorg Zupan and Luka Košir), and Ljubljana Soul Chefs, during which exceptional chefs will pair up to present their creations in restaurants JB (Janez Bratovž and Igor Jagodic), Pen klub (Mojmir Šiftar and Jakob Pintar) and Gostilna na Gradu (Luka Jezeršek and Sebastjan Elbl and Bine Volčič and Gregor Jelnikar).
- November 13: Ljubljana Wine Route
- November 26, from 7pm till midnight, at Cukrarna: Brina cocktail evening.
(Photo: Marko Delbello Ocepek)
You can also follow what’s going on at this year’s November Gourmet Ljubljana festival online via the Gourmet Ljubljana website, and their Facebook and Instagram profiles.
