Biskup will be simple in the best sense of the word: In conversation with chef Jirka Horák, on his new venture and more
Can you remember the moment when you started to enjoy cooking and realised you wanted to pursue it professionally?
I've wanted to cook since I was a kid. My grandfather was a chef and he always cooked when we visited him. At home, I often cooked for myself and my older brother. I'd say since I was about ten years old. I enjoyed it and was looking forward to finally being able to get into cooking at school. But it was a misconception, the cookery apprenticeship in Chrudim, where I come from, didn't exactly captivate me.
After graduating, you went to Prague. How did you get to Ambiente?
First, I had a summer job at Potrefená husa Na Knížecí. There someone directed me to Radek Chaloupka, and he offered me a job at the Pavilon Café (former Ambiente business in Vinohrady, ed.). That was in 2009.
The road to UM
At Ambiente, you moved through a lot of businesses. Where have you cooked?
I started at Pizze Nuova, followed by Čestr, then La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise, Eska and Grils.
Were you always looking to try something new, or was it usually someone from that restaurant that approached you?
It varied. At Pavilion, they told me, "Start here and see how Ambiente works, then you can go anywhere else." After two years, I moved to Pizza Nuova where I had friends, and when Čestr opened, I got an offer there. I really enjoyed my time at Čestr. Then I got into La Degustation through an internship - and they offered me a job straight away.
You were also at the birth of the now-defunct Grils bistro. What did that time give you?
It was part of my training to be a creative chef. It gave me a lot of experience that I will now use in my own business. I saw what went wrong in the beginning and I know I won't make the same mistakes again. I didn't have much experience with Markéta Libánská (then head chef of Grils, ed.), but we learned how to communicate with the team and what works well.
You've done internships in Norway, England, Brazil or Japan. Which one do you remember the most?
Every internship has something special, but the first one in Copenhagen was crucial. It was like touching gastronomy, which until then I had only looked at from afar. The fact that I was able to function normally for a month there was a big boost to my confidence. At that time I only knew about ten words of English, but I found that I could do it without fluent communication. It was extremely rewarding.
Each of the countries you visited has a different approach to ingredients and food. What appealed to you most about Japan?
How proud they are of their cuisine. They're humble, and they treat ingredients and techniques with tremendous respect. It's hard to understand - sometimes I think I could try something differently, but they know why they do it the same way. They're constantly repeating and refining processes and that has a huge effect on the outcome. And the best food I've ever eaten was in Japan.
When did you first go there? And is there a technique you learned there that you use a lot?
The first time I flew there was before covid with Honza Všetečka, Janča Jelič and Tomáš Karpíšek. Then we went there again, when the cooperation was already running with Torikai Farm which produces wagyu. Thanks to that, we also got into the kitchens of the local restaurants - we spent two weeks with the butcher and then two more weeks in the restaurant. In terms of special techniques, I learned how to fillet fish. And also the right stance for slicing. You wouldn't know how important it is.
You visited Japan again in August. What was the goal this time?
The goal was to try out first-hand working in a pub with a similar number of guests and a similar system to the one we want to have at Biskup. The chefs plated food, washed dishes, served food to guests, poured drinks and of course cooked.
The Katsu sando pop-up that you organised with your colleague František Skopec is also based on Japan. How did you come up with sandwiches?
We were in Tokyo at a place called Wagyu Mafia, where they make sandwiches just like that. They fry the Wagyu like a steak, put it in bread and it costs a lot of money. Ambiente is now importing wagyu, so we thought it would be interesting to try something similar - and put it next to pork from Přeštice Black Pied pigs, which we see as the best meat we can have here. The Czechs eat more pork than beef, so we thought we'd put these two sandwiches side by side. We wanted to give a little boost to wagyu sales and at the same time show how great the pork is and that it's world class. Plus it's such a Czech dish, basically "schnitzel in bread". (laughs)
How long did it take you to tweak the recipe?
Honestly? One day. (laughs) We bought the sauce from wagyu suppliers, bread from Nippan Bakery in Prague. Then we just sliced the meat, prepared fresh breadcrumbs and set the right temperature inside. All done. There's no need to do everything yourself - when you have bread and sauce from people who specialise in it, it's better to leave it to them. That's another Japanese idea I've instilled in myself: Focus on a few things and work on those. You can't be a master at everything.
UM and the position of creative chef
You've been Ambiente's creative chef for a couple of years now. How did you get into this position?
It followed the lockdown period. Being in a restaurant then started to mean something different. Businesses were closed for a while, then open again. It was a wild time. In addition, at that time, Sláva Grigorik and Honza Všetečka, creative chefs at the time, wanted to become independent and open a restaurant called U Kalendů, which they did. Tomáš Karpíšek then offered me the job of creative chef. It was a good time, because covid was "chewing up" the good mood in restaurants. I was extremely happy at Eska, but I thought it was a good time for a change.
Did you know right away who you would eventually be with on the creative team? Or was that still being worked out?
Tomas offered me the job and asked me straight away if I wanted to do it alone or with someone. I didn't know at first, of course. Tomas Valkovic was my favourite, because we'd already had a lingua pop-up together and spent a lot of time together in Eska. We were good together. In retrospect, I found out that before Tomas Karpíšek asked me, he told the management at Eska to get ready for Tomas and I to leave. Visionary. (laughs)
Did you build on the work of the previous creative team or did you start from scratch?
We had a meeting with Jana Jelic, who is still part of the creative team today, and Tomas Karpisek to outline what was done before and what direction they would like to see. It wasn't very specific and we kind of floated around for a long time. It wasn't until František Skopec that our team got the most organised system it has ever had - planning a year ahead and knowing what's going on and what's needed. In the pub you know exactly what's coming up and at the end of the day you're done. Here, we have to make up our own work. Sometimes Tomáš Karpíšek would give us directions, but mostly it was more thinking and looking for ways than actual manual work.
Did you find yourself in it, or do you miss the restaurant sometimes?
I'm glad for the experience, but working in a restaurant is what I want to do and what fulfils me the most. So I'm looking forward to the Biskup project. I'm really looking forward.
A new experience: Biskup
Let's get right to it. What stage is it currently in?
Biskup, which will be a snack bar with a shop, preparations are underway. We have an architect and a store manager. We've actually tested the restaurant with the Šnek pop-ups - we know how many guests is ideal, how many staff we need and what the kitchen should look like. The shop, which will be part of the bistro, is new. We're learning as we go. It will be a similar model to U Kalendů - a restaurant and a shop in the same building, connected but each with its own opening hours.
Šnek had six courses. What's the concept for Biskup?
We've been talking about a tasting menu for a long time, but we'll eventually go the à la carte route. We're going to offer about eight courses and the guest gets to choose what they want and how much they want. The portions will be smaller, so thye can do four courses. The menu will change as we go along.
The food will be based on your favourite ingredients?
The shop will be fruit-vegetable-poultry and its range will be reflected in the food. I'd like to push rabbit or tongue, but we have to be judicious with our choices. The basis will definitely be Czech cuisine - broths, horseradish, onions, seasonal vegetables.
And what about Japan, where will it be reflected in Biskup?
In attitude, simplicity and service. The "Japanese" lies mainly in the way of dining and hospitality - but of course guests will not be eating with chopsticks. (laughs) It will still be a Czech pub.
Will the Japanese influence also be present in the visual aspect?
More in the atmosphere than in the look. We first talked about Bishop in an izakaya - an ordinary Japanese pub where they drink beer, smoke and bring small plates to the table. We ordered one course after another - like boiled beef tongue with a little wasabi and broth. It was quite simple and I thought to myself that if there was horseradish instead of wasabi, it was actually Local. Czech and Japanese at the same time. It'll be similar here - you come in, you're greeted, you sit around the kitchen and you see what's going on. You get your food straight from the chef, even as the contents of your plate sizzle and smoke. It couldn't be fresher.
Do you feel more excited or worried at this point?
Both. I'm at peace with the fact that the kitchen will be run by Elizabeth Zeman of Goodlok - we're already matched from the pop-ups. We're still finding our feet in the store, but we'll be operating under Ambiente, so we have a lot of experienced people behind us. It's fast-paced and intense, but I'm confident that everything will work out.
Looking back and looking forward
What would you say to young Jirka, who is just starting out?
If I were starting out today, I would probably ask more questions and take a deeper interest in everything. I would have gone into it very broadly, so that I would have a better understanding of wine and other things that go with food. I might even change jobs faster to meet more people. But in the end, I'm just here and it's all right.
Do you have any tips on how to re-energise when you're feeling demotivated?
It's good to talk to someone about it. I'm also gonna go for a run and clear my head. Or I'll open a nice cookbook and read and look at the dishes. It brings me right back.
What would you cook if it was the last meal in the world?
If I wanted to cook, it would be something extremely long. Dumplings, maybe sirloin steak, I'd slow cook the meat and chop the vegetables.
And the last meal in the world you'd want to eat?
Well, that's a tough decision, but probably a slider from Mr. HotDoG.
Is there anything you don't like?
Natto. I think that's the first and last time I've tried them. It looks and smells awful. (laughs)
Do you like to cook with music?
I like it a lot. But even without it, I can enjoy both. But it's a fact that sound makes cooking. We'll see how it goes at Bishop's, maybe we'll find that we need silence when we cook.
And what do you like to do when you're not cooking?
I play sports, I live a partner life, I'm learning to make pottery on the wheel. I was so passionate about it that I bought a potter's wheel for my house. The truth is, I go for a run, or I'm at home with my girlfriend and sometimes we go out with friends. Just the kind of stuff that everyone does and it's boring to read about. (laughs)
