Velvet Dinner

Velvet Dinner 2025, in a fresh new guise and at a new location, but with the same goal: to create an extraordinary setting where the past meets the future, where young talents collaborate with top masters, and where gastronomy shines as both an art form and a calling.

In front of the majestic backdrop of the Guinness World Record holder, the World's Oldest Grapevine, the fourth edition of the Velvet Dinner will take place on Thursday, 5 June 2025. The event is moving to the renovated Lent district, to Trg Najstarejše trte Square. At this new venue, we will pay tribute to rich heritage, the local community, and a vision of the future co-created by new generations.

At the heart of Velvet Dinner remains its core mission – to connect education and real-world practice, to link emerging talents with established chefs, and to foster the exchange of valuable experience. The dinner is the result of the knowledge and skills of students from VSGT Maribor and pupils from SŠGT Maribor, working under the guidance of experienced and renowned mentors.

This kind of collaboration highlights the importance of developing young professionals in the fields of hospitality and tourism. More than 80 students and pupils will impress 160 guests in a single evening – with innovative approaches in both cooking and service. Hospitality professions will thus be presented as both an art form and an opportunity to push boundaries.

With the support of three well-known mentors, four young hopefuls in culinary arts and service will present their skills and ambitions:

• Žiga Salkić, student of SŠGT Maribor, mentored by Rok Smonkar (Restaurant Gjerkeš)
• Pija Frešer, student of VSGT Maribor, mentored by Janez Bratovž (JB Restaurant)
• Gabrijel Majerhofer, student of SŠGT Maribor, and Eva Kositer, student of VSGT Maribor, mentored by Smiljan Benkovič, Tadej Ljubec, and Jernej Lubej.

Each mentor-chef represents a different region and their own approach to tradition, culinary interpretation, and modern thinking about food. Their dishes will reflect the landscape, local ingredients, and their personal culinary philosophies.

Rok Smonkar is a 25-year-old culinary virtuoso from Josipdol who, despite his young age, boasts an impressive gastronomic journey and 11 years of experience. He began cooking as a child, gaining his first hands-on experience at the age of 14 at the renowned Maribor restaurant Mak. He later honed his skills at prestigious schools in Villach and at Italy’s ALMA culinary institute.

Smonkar worked at the world-famous restaurant Steirereck in Vienna, and made a significant mark on his career as a member of the management team at Italy’s legendary St. Hubertus, ranked among the top 30 restaurants in the world. There, he also served international celebrities such as Rihanna and Maroon 5. Until recently, he led catering operations at Jezeršek Catering, managing teams, executing events, and preparing food for hundreds of guests.

Today, he creates at Estate Gjerkeš, where with his signature precision and dedication, he fuses the influences of Prekmurje and Styria. A simple yet passionate perfectionist, he swears by high-quality, local ingredients and believes that food must express honesty and love.

Janez Bratovž is a legend of Slovenian gastronomy, a pioneer of modern Slovenian cuisine, and the first chef to place Slovenia on the global culinary map – his JB Restaurant was the first in the country to shine on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. His culinary style is clean, sincere, and grounded in the philosophy of “less is more.” He creates dishes with a deep respect for the essence of flavor, seasonal and local ingredients, and childhood memories – especially those of his grandmother’s cooking.

After years of working both in Slovenia and abroad, and showing unwavering dedication to JB Restaurant in the heart of Ljubljana, he has symbolically passed the culinary torch to the next generation. His son Tomaž is already making a name for himself as a chef, while his daughter Nina was named European Sommelier of the Year 2024 by the JRE congress.

Today, Janez Bratovž is writing a new chapter – at the invitation of a longtime friend, he has joined the team at Hotel Plesnik in Logar Valley, where he now leads a young team and co-creates a new culinary story. This chapter is deeply rooted in locality, nature, and his wealth of experience.

Sebastjan Plevčak will once again be an indispensable member of the culinary team at this year’s Velvety Dinner. As the head of Restaurant Sedem—which also serves as a training ground for young chefs and has received the Michelin Recommendation for the fifth consecutive year—Sebastjan combines mentorship, a deep understanding of the local environment, and a modern approach to cuisine.

His dish at the Velvety Dinner will be a tribute to the Drava River, which flows through Maribor and carries with it the stories of both the past and the future.

Price: 130 EUR per person

Reservations are not possible. Seating is limited.

The alternative date for the Velvety Dinner is 5 June 2025.

Velvet Dinner 2025 is sold out.

The co-organizers of the event are the Maribor Tourist Board (Zavod za turizem Maribor), the Secondary School for Hospitality and Tourism Maribor (SŠGT Maribor), the College of Hospitality and Tourism Maribor (VSGT Maribor), and the event organization company Factumevent.