By Paula Carreiro 

What happens when a destination’s culinary identity becomes the starting point for discovering the place itself?

That was the story behind Robb Report’s recent feature, Slovenian Restaurants Are Foraging Forests for Michelin-Star Dishes by travel journalist Laura Dannen Redman.

The story offers affluent American travelers a different way to experience Slovenia: through its chefs, forests, local ingredients and distinctive relationship between landscape and cuisine.

The feature followed a media visit hosted by the Slovenian Tourist Board, bringing Redman to Slovenia along with photographer Allison Lobalbo to experience the destination firsthand.

Rather than creating a traditional restaurant-focused itinerary, the visit explored the connection between Slovenia’s natural environment and its food culture, giving the journalist an opportunity to experience the stories and people behind the cuisine.

The result was a story that goes beyond a list of restaurants or culinary recommendations. It presents Slovenia as a destination where gastronomy is deeply connected to place.

From the forest to the plate

At the center of the Robb Report story is Hiša Franko in the Soča Valley, the acclaimed restaurant led by chef Ana Roš.
But the story is not simply about Michelin stars.

It explores the ingredients and landscapes that inform Slovenian cuisine, including the work of local foragers who supply restaurants with wild ingredients such as wild garlic, oxalis and elderflower.

That connection between nature and the plate is one of the defining themes of the article.

The journey also takes readers beyond Hiša Franko, introducing them to other culinary and hospitality experiences, including Monstera Estate, Hiša Linhart and Chalet Sofija.

Together, these experiences create a broader picture of Slovenia: a country where sophisticated gastronomy coexists with a strong connection to nature, local producers and regional traditions.

Where can I go for a trip focused on food and cooking?

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Slovenia is a destination worth considering for travelers who want food to be an integral part of the journey rather than simply one element of it.

The country combines Michelin-recognized restaurants with regional culinary traditions, local producers, foraging and food experiences rooted in the landscape.

The Robb Report story illustrates this particularly well. A meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant becomes a gateway to discovering the Soča Valley, its forests, producers and the people who shape the region’s food culture.

For travelers interested in culinary experiences with a strong sense of place, that connection can be as compelling as the food itself.

Read the full Robb Report story: Slovenian Restaurants Are Foraging Forests for Michelin-Star Dishes

A destination discovered through its stories

The most effective destination stories often work on more than one level.

They answer a traveler’s immediate question: Where should I go for an exceptional culinary experience?,  while also revealing something deeper about the destination.

The Robb Report feature does exactly that for Slovenia.

It introduces readers to Michelin-starred cuisine, but also to forests, foragers, chefs, local ingredients and the landscapes that connect them all.

That is what makes the resulting story valuable beyond the individual restaurants featured in it: it gives luxury American travelers another reason to put Slovenia on their travel map, and a new way to understand the destination when they get there.

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