Mira Šemić, Director of Gault & Millau Slovenia, pointed out that 2020 was a difficult year, but they nevertheless managed to find many beautiful culinary stories. "The awards also serve as an inspiration to other restaurateurs and are proof that creativity is recognised," she highlighted.

Mag. Maja Pak, Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board, added that the Gault & Millau awards are a great recognition for Slovenian gastronomy, especially at a time when Slovenian tourism and its hospitality industry are facing the greatest crisis in their history. "The situation is very challenging, and a lot of time will be needed for the industry to recover," she summarised.

However, she added that today is a day for celebration. We have just started a year in which Slovenia is the European Region of Gastronomy. Despite many challenges, Pak believes that there are also many opportunities ahead for us to jointly bring Slovenian gastronomy to another level. "The announcement of the Gault & Millau winners is an excellent introduction to a year that will be focussed on gastronomy," she assessed.