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Go JRE-Inside+Interview with Jure Tomič
Jure Tomič is chef at restaurant Debeluh in Brežice, Slovenia. He has turned the traditional Balkan grill, which still occupies a prominent position in the heart of the kitchen at restaurant Debeluh, into haute cuisine. Chef Jure's dishes are simple, but his ingredients are high quality and he uses traditional and modern cooking methods. In addition to being an excellent chef, Jure is also a top-notch sommelier. He represented Slovenia at the 2010 European Championships in Strasbourg and was crowned sommelier champion of Slovenia. We asked Jure some questions to get to know him better, about his culinary career, his favourite dish, and much more.
Jure, how would you describe your cooking style?
My culinary philosophy comes from respecting tradition with an innovative approach to updating dishes, and using fresh, local ingredients. My dishes are simple, yet they still surprise my diners with their purity of taste and bold flavour combinations. There are usually only three to four ingredients on the plate, but always of top quality and mostly from the local environment.
What's your favourite dish to make?
It would be very difficult to single out one dish because I enjoy preparing just about every dish.
What is your favourite ingredient to work with?
Again, I find it difficult to highlight one ingredient. It’s a special challenge for me to prepare both meat and fish dishes. I also love the colourfulness of vegetables, which is not lacking in our local environment.
At local farms, I find ingredients that inspire me in creating new dishes
restaurant Debeluh
Who is one of your top suppliers or producers?
We are lucky that in our local environment there’s a wide selection of suppliers who produce very high-quality ingredients. For example fruit, vegetables, cheese, oil, meat products, fish, you name it. At local farms, I find ingredients that inspire me in creating new dishes. For quite some time now, I have been getting the products for our best-selling dish at one of the local farms. They also grow pumpkin flowers, just for us.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your culinary career?
A very big challenge was when we decided to move from traditional grilled (open fire) dishes to modern cuisine. We completely changed the style of the restaurant, which today offers gourmet artwork as seen in top European restaurants. Fortunately, our transformation was very well-received and we gained a whole new segment of guests.
Which gastronomic trend are you excited about the most?
I am equally creative and traditional. I flirt with world trends, and at the same time, I respect my homeland, regional climate, customs, and tradition. I lean towards a trend that respects tradition with an innovative approach to updating dishes and using fresh, local ingredients.
If you could only eat one dish for the rest of your life, what would that be?
I would probably choose fried eggs with pork cracklings.
What’s one thing in the area that guests have to see or do?
They must visit the many top winemakers in our region, taste excellent wines, and hear stories of individual wineries. As a sommelier, I am always looking for new additions to our rich wine list.
Thank you, Jure.
Book your table at restaurant Debeluh
Experience chef Jure Tomič’s excellent traditional Slovenian cuisine for yourself at restaurant Debeluh in Brežice, Slovenia. Make your lunch or dinner reservation through our website – it only takes a few minutes.