The Stoveside Stories Podcast

Interview with Chef Roš of Hiša Franko

Born in Slovenia, very close to the Italian border, Ana Roš never considered cooking as a career. After trying her hand at being an alpine skier at a young age and a diplomat after university (she graduated with a degree in international and diplomatic science and worked for a period in the field), she met Valter Kramar, her ex-partner - and her whole life changed.

 

The two took over Hiša Franko, the restaurant that Kramar's parents owned. Situated in Kobarid, a rural part of Slovenia, it was rather isolated from other places. When the existing chef left the restaurant, she taught herself how to cook from scratch and became the head chef. Her hard work was rewarded by numerous well-deserved accolades and awards.

 

In 2016, Chef Roš was featured in Netflix's Chef's Table. In 2017, she was named world's best female chef by The World's 50 Best Restaurants. In 2019, Travel + Leisure named Hiša Franko one of the world's 30 best restaurants. The restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars in its first ever rating for Slovenia in 2020. And in 2023, Hiša Franko was awarded 3 stars by Michelin Guide and a green star for sustainability.

 

In this episode recorded in 2022, Chef Roš talked about her Slovenian heritage, how a culture defines itself, why is it so difficult to cook in a remote area, what challenges women face in the kitchen and more.

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Interview with Chef Rasmus Munk of Alchemist

Born in Jutland, Denmark, Rasmus Munk did not have any culinary history in his family. Purely by chance, he decided to attend culinary art courses at the Danish association Silkeborg. He started to fall in love with cooking, entered various student competitions for young chefs and went on to work at various kitchens in London, England and in Copenhagen, Denmark.

 

In 2015, he opened the first version of Alchemist. There, he created one of his hits, a lamb tartare that promoted the Danish blood donation campaign. He eventually closed it in 2017 and relaunched the much grander iteration in 2019. Situated in an old shipyard, it boasted 5 different rooms, each replete with its own audio, visual and sensual experience in addition to the courses (or "impressions" as they are called) served.

 

Just seven months after the new opening, Alchemist was honored with Two Michelin Stars as well as a Green Star. In 2024, it was ranked 8th by The World’s 50 best restaurants. Rasmus Munk was voted as #1 top chef by The Best Chef 2024 ranking. Recently, in 2025, Alchemist is ranked as the 5th best restaurant by The World’s 50 best restaurants.

 

In this episode, Chef Munk talked about his Holistic Cuisine manifesto, the difference between Alchemist and other restaurants, how he creates his dishes, the future of fine dining and more.

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Interview with Chef Grattard of yam'Tcha

Born in Dijon, deep in the French wine region of Burgundy, Adeline Grattard started training at the School of French Cuisine at Ferrandi and worked under a number of master chefs like Flora Mikula, Yannick Alleno and Pascal Barbot. She moved from Paris to Hong Kong with her husband Chi Wah Chan for two years, where she worked alongside at creative restaurants like BO Innovation with Alvin Leung as well as a local spot that focuses on dim-sum. During that time, she also took a deep dive in exploring the culinary scene in China.

 

In 2009, the couple returned to Paris and together opened Yam'Tcha in the Les Halles neighborhood. They garnered their first Michelin star in 2010 and still hold that honor in 2025. They have since expanded to two other concepts - a tea house and restaurant that bears the same name, and Lai'Tcha, a casual bistro.

 

In this episode that was recorded in 2021, Chef Grattard talked about how the concept was born, what it is REALLY like working in Hong Kong, how the French and Chinese cooking styles work together amazingly that results in creative explosions, and more!

 

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Interview with Chef Bowerman of Glass Hostaria

Born in Cerignola, Puglia, in the south of Italy, Cristina Bowerman grew up in an internationally minded family. She studied foreign languages at school, continuing her academic studies at university where she earned a law degree. A spell working at a law firm followed, before the pull of overseas travel became too much and she left for San Francisco in the United States. After completing a course at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Texas, she secured work in a series of restaurants.

 

After fourteen years in the United States, she returned to Italy in 2004 to work at Convivio Troiani in Rome, going on to become head chef of two restaurants including the Cuoco a Domicilio. In 2005, she met the owners of Glass Hostaria, a modern architectural gem in Rome, and soon took over the kitchen.

 

Although her time in the United States has influenced her style, she has all the ingredients and ideas of an Italian chef driving Italy’s food into the next era. 

 

In this episode that was recorded in 2021, Chef Bowerman talked about how the American way-of-life impacted her, how she creates new things from traditions (and walk us through her process), and even some common misconceptions about Italian food!

 

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Interview with Chef Lastra of Kol

Born and raised in Cuernavaca, Mexico, Chef Santiago Lastra was trained in various institutes in Mexico and Spain, then began his career at different locations all over the world, including Mugaritz and the Nordic Food Lab.

 

He also worked through 27 countries, working at different venues such as The Tate in London and Hija de Sanchez in Copenhagen in different capacities. The turning point of his career, however, came as he worked as the Project Manager at Noma Mexico with René Redzepi for its seven-week pop-up in 2017. 

 

After the successful run, he returned to London to open his own restaurant Kol in 2020.

 

In 2022, Kol received its first Michelin Star, was named Number 15 in the OAD Top New Restaurants in Europe list and Number 1 in the UK, and entered the World's 50 Best at Number 73. In the same year, he was listed in Top 100 Chefs in the World in 'The Best Chef' awards.  In 2023, Kol entered the World's 50 Best Restaurants at Number 23. And in 2024, Kol climbed to Number 17 in the World's 50 Best Restaurants.

 

In this episode that was recorded in 2022, Chef Lastra talked about how he substitutes British ingredients for Mexican one (yes - including lime and avocado!), how the disparate regions in Mexico differ and even shared the truth of what real Mexican food is made of!

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Interview with Chef Niederkofler of Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler

Norbert Niederkofler was born in 1961 in Luttago, a small town in the heart of the Italian Dolomites mountains. Growing up with a family that runs a hotel impacted him greatly.

 

Despite the deep love for his home town, he studied to be a chef in order to see the world. So he left to work in Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, Milan and New York.

 

In 1993, he returned home. And before long was offered the chance to run the kitchen at Hotel Rosa Alpina in San Cassiano, at the base of the Dolomite mountains. He turned that old pizzeria into a fine dining restaurant and eventually came up with the Cook the Mountain philosophy. His commitment to the Dolomites meant he had to research extensively and build close relationships with the region’s farmers and producers. He also had to start using uncommon ingredients and new approaches.

 

In this episode, Chef Niederkofler talked about his big mistake in the beginning, how that inspired his Cook the Mountain philosophy, the inevitable slowing of great chefs and even dished on the similarities of the majority of Michelin-starred restaurants in the world!

 

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Interview with Professor Johan Nordensvärd

Professor Johan Nordensvärd, an associate professor in management and technology at Royal Institute of Technology and also an associate professor in political science at Linköping University, both located in Sweden.

 

He has lived overseas in multiple countries, including China, Great Britain, Germany and currently resides in Stockholm.

 

He published a comparative study about Covid-19's influence on food supply for cities that had different lock down policies - including Stockholm, London, Singapore, Sydney, Seoul and Wuhan - and looking at the resulting impact.

 

He is a fellow food-enthusiast and started a blog and Instagram account that chronicle the restaurants he visited during the pandemic as he felt that a lot of them were in danger of closing; so he wanted to create a virtual memory of these places.

 

In this episode, Professor Nordensvärd talked about experiencing new foods, the rise and legacy of "New Nordic cuisine", the current state of Swedish culinary and fermented herrings!

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Interview with Chef Hiroko Shimbo

Chef Hiroko Shimbo is an authority on Japanese cuisine who has earned world-wide recognition. She is a native of Japan and currently live in New York City. 

 

She teaches the Japanese Concentration Course at Culinary Institute of America. And she is also a consulting chef to diverse food service industries based in the United States since 1999.

 

In addition, she has written three award-winning cookbooks. The Japanese Kitchen, The Sushi Experience and Hiroko’s American Kitchen.

 

In this episode, Chef Shimbo talked about how she grew up in Tokyo and ended up moving to America, the nuances of different Japanese cuisines, her in-depth tours where she shows participants the real Japanese food and culture.

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Interview with Chef Gresham of Acquerello

Chef Suzette Gresham has been the head chef of Acquerello, the iconic Italian restaurant in San Francisco since it opened its door in 1989.

 

Originally from San Carlos, California, her interest in food and cooking started with her family - that emigrated from France to the United States - in an unconventional way.

 

Though she is of French descent, she has long been creating Italian dishes, even prior to opening Acquerello. The restaurant is a famous two-Michelin-starred destination and she is only one of three female chefs in the United States to run a kitchen that has accomplished that feat.

 

As successful as she is in the kitchen, her belief of educating the next generation of chefs is even more inspiring. She is committed to helping those who work at her kitchen in any way possible. Though it sometimes involves tough love, she never resorts to abuse or exploitation of others.

 

In this episode, Chef Gresham not only shares with us her personal journey and culinary philosophy; but also talks about her management style and offers advice to leaders and young people alike on sustainable careers.

 

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Interview with Chef Alex Hong of Sorrel

Chef Alex Hong was born in Colorado and first discovered his passion for cooking through his aunt and uncle, a pair of Missouri farmers who shared homegrown organic produce with him.  He attended Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York; also staged at the Jean-Georges restaurant in the city. He also worked at Quince in San Francisco under the legendary Chef Tusk at all stations, and learned the art of hand-made pasta over the course of three years.

 

After working as a personal chef and starting a pop-up at Hotel Rex in Union Square, he met Colby Heiman and the partners began the process of opening Sorrel Restaurant.

 

A year and a half after its opening, Chef Hong was nominated for a James Beard Award and secured a Michelin star.

 

In this episode, Chef Hong discusses the path to owning his restaurant and how he build different courses.

 

Don't miss this Stoveside Chat - and bon appetit!