You probably heard the story about when a vegan pizza from UK’s Purezza Pizzeria took the first prize at the World Pizza Championships in Italy. Can you imagine a plant-based burger winning the best burger contest without anyone realising that it is vegan? It happened in a far-away Siberian city of Omsk, in Russia. A young chef Artem Shiryaeev experimented with plant-based meat from the Russian brand “Hi!” (a new product from the large oil and sauce producer EFKO) and presented his version of the burger to the jury without telling them that the burger was meat-free.

Ondřej is the head chef at the Spojka Karlín restaurant and an ambassador of the Rostlinně project. In this interview, he talks about what it was like to be a chef at two restaurants at the same time (for a couple of months, Ondřej also ran the kitchen at the Etnosvět restaurant). Ondřej also tells us about his positive attitude towards plant-based cuisine and discusses the coronavirus lockdown.

Jakub is the owner and chef of Marshal Food in Szczecin, Poland where traditional dishes are intertwined with their entirely plant-based counterparts. According to him, introducing such a plant-forward offer was a great idea, and the interest among customers is still growing. In our conversation, Jakub talks about why he decided to go green, his plans for the future and his favourite plant-based ingredients.

He is still very young but his culinary skills were appreciated by the jurors of the S. Pellegrino Young Chef world contest and the Polish guide Gaullt&Millau. On a daily basis, he is a Chef Patron of the Biały Królik restaurant in Gdynia, Head Chef of Biôłi Trus restaurant in Leśny Dwór and a dedicated ambassador of #ChefsForChange project. During a walk around his restaurant’s garden, he told us about his inspirations, the beginnings of his professional career, his favourite plant ingredients, and the reasons why he supports the idea of limiting meat in Polish people’s diet. With his modesty, creativity, and positive attitude, he has won over many people associated with the world of gastronomy, as well as regular guests, who wait for Marcin’s new, surprising (and also vegan!) dishes.