Meet Ana RoÅ¡, world’s best female chef

March 09, 2017
Travel

By Kate Springer, CNN

Updated 0923 GMT (1723 HKT) March 7, 2017

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(CNN)Five years ago, few people would have put trying Slovenian food on their bucket list.

The Slovenian chef has hired foragers to help her source local mushrooms, berries and fish. Located in a remote part of western Slovenia, Hia Franko is now the most well-known restaurant in Slovenia.

Ana Ro and partner Valter Kramar age rounds of local Tolminc cheese for up to seven years.

Chef Ana Ro subscribes to a quot;1 kilometerquot; rule -- sourcing her produce within walking distance of her restaurant Hia Franko. Self-taught chef Ana Ro changes her menu with the seasons -- or on a whim -- to incorporate the freshest produce and ad hoc inspiration. She sources herbs and vegetables from her own organic garden, and works with foragers and local fishermen to source often overlooked ingredients. Slovenias fermented cheese is a unique flavor. quot;When we were young, we had this fermented cottage cheese with bald potatoes, but it is such a strong spicy taste that it was too strong for the new generation, and the trade died out,quot; Ro tells CNN. She combines the nostalgic ingredient with fresh squid and lamb sweetbreads in this elegant dish. Ravioli is a traditional staple in western Slovenia thanks to its proximity to Italy. Ro takes the humble pasta and injects fresh flavors -- such as hops, goat kid brain, drops of black beans and anchovies. Inspired by quot;Kruh in Mlekoquot; (Bread and Milk) -- a 2001 film by Slovenian director Jan Cvitkovi -- this dish interprets the bittersweet story using traditional Slovenian ingredients. Chef Ro puts her creative spin on quot;brodetto,quot; a traditional fish strew thats commonly consumed along the coast in Croatia and Monte Negro. Chef Ro works with local foragers to collect fresh mushrooms, herbs and berries from the Soca Valleys lush landscape. In this forest-inspired dish, Ros combines fresh mountain berries, spruce and unexpected textures. Sourced from the nearby rivers, trout comes in myriad forms at Hia Franko. In this incarnation, Ro combines the fish and its liver with white asparagus and pink grapefruit for a surprising medley of flavors. Raw ingredients, fermentation, surprising textures -- these are a few of Ro secret weapons in the kitchen. For dessert? A specialty 21-day kefir. The fermented milk drink comes accompanied by walnut bread, pear and chamomile. ana ros worlds best female chef dishes Ros says her inspiration comes from the Slovenian countryside and her life story, which means youll never have the same meal twice at Hia Franko. Ros is constantly evolving, and so are her dishes.