A self-taught chef with no training, Ana Ros was recognised as the world’s best female chef in 2017 and won 3 Michelin stars for her restaurant Hisa Franko in Slovenia. In India recently, cooking at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Delhi and Taj Palace Mumbai, she has also won a Michelin Green Star and the Best Chef Pristine Award for using high-quality locally sourced produce.
What is the strangest combination of ingredients you have put together?
Probably lamb sweet bread and calamars! And yet, the strangest combination is always the one waiting to be discovered in my wild and creative gastronomic style, one that pushes the boundaries and creates an unforgettable food journey for our guests. I haven’t been to culinary school, and that has given me the creative freedom to experiment a lot, embrace the unexpected and create some great surprises. For example, I do the mayonnaise the other way around! I am not the one to shy away from unconventional approaches and that is what I worked on with the team of chefs from Taj Mahal New Delhi. Even while visiting the local markets with the local chefs, I was constantly thinking about the final menu to serve here in India.
Cooking in India, what ingredients have you picked out?
India’s vibrant markets are a sensory playground for any chef. The medley of spices, the freshness of local produce—it’s an endless source of inspiration! As always, my focus is seasonality and locality. The teams here introduced me to some incredible finds. I’ve been particularly drawn to tamarind’s tangy complexity, its ability to add depth and balance to dishes. And, of course, green cardamom, with its sweet-earthy aroma. We picked out jamun vinegar, sugar cane vinegar, tomato chilli, teja chilli, coriander seeds, onion seeds and mustard oil.
Is your menu full of staple recipes or new ones all the time?
As I see it, the kitchen is a synergy of three elements—the territory, the season and the personality of the chef. Hence, my menu is ever evolving—it’s hand-in-hand with nature. While we don’t have ‘signature dishes’ in the traditional sense, there certainly are beloved creations that our guests love. We served two such dishes at the Taj Mahal New Delhi and The Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai. We’ve run the ‘Fifty Shades of Life’ so well at Hisa Franko, we are working on our new menu now that is themed on celebrating ‘art’.
In the age of vegetarianism and food allergies, how are you adapting your cooking?
We take note of dietary restrictions when taking orders, and our team is geared to crafting delicious and satisfying options for vegetarians and those with allergies. We respect vegetarian choices; we have many plant-based options and we use most parts of the plant/vegetable. We are a family at Hisa Franko, and that extends to our guests. Freshness is our guiding principle. We take pride in sourcing the freshest ingredients. Our own gardens provide a bounty of fruits and vegetables, forming the foundation of our dishes. While Slovenia doesn’t have a bounty in spices, we source them responsibly, using them to add depth and nuance to our vegetarian creations.
Do you prefer real products like meat, dairy, sugar or are you open to alternatives too, like mock meat, stevia, etc?
My philosophy is simple—follow nature. Hisa Franko is a Green Star restaurant where we combine culinary excellence with outstanding eco-friendly commitments. I have a strong preference for high-quality, fresh ingredients in their natural form. We take what the season offers, combine the unexpected, soak up all the influences from travels and our diverse, international team and are not afraid to take risks. Mock meat is surely a popular trend, but I personally like to consume food/dishes in their original form.
