There is a parallel universe where David Žefran is an academic, perhaps a professor in his chosen subject sociology, or a community worker.
The chef owner of Milka Restaurant in the luxury boutique hotel of the same name in the beautiful area of Kransjka Gora in Slovenia was not meant to be a chef, much less one with two Michelin stars. Still, this is what happened within six years of his cooking career, and in just two years at the helm of the fine dining restaurant.
Growing up in eastern Slovenia, Žefran did enjoy cooking and often took responsibility for preparing meals in the family home when his mother was out. When it came to choosing a career path, however, culinary college was not encouraged. The life of a chef was not considered attractive or stable, so he went to high school and then the University of Ljubljana where he joined the school of social sciences to study human society.
Flipping burgers to fine dining
It was a gradual process that saw him turning back towards a life on the cookline. In the final years of his studies, during a postgraduate degree, he took a job to make ends meet, flipping burgers in a café.
The experience reignited that spark for the kitchen; he went on to work in a brunch restaurant, then a bistro and before he knew it, he was staging in the fine dining three-Michelin starred Restaurant Frantzen in Stockholm.
For somebody who had never been to culinary school and only cooked professionally for a few years, this must surely have been a slightly intimidating experience.
“I was so terrified to go there,” laughs Žefran, but adds that he soon saw his skills were not that far from the level of the other chefs staging there. “I had already worked as a sous chef in a Michelin starred restaurant, so I had good experience,” he explains.
During his time in Stockholm the call came to head up the restaurant at the boutique hotel, which was being redeveloped. Though the young chef had envisaged taking a longer time learning his craft while travelling, he figured this was as good a chance as he’d ever get to start something new from scratch.
He returned home and soon found himself poring over every detail, from picking the glass and crockery, deciding on every little detail and working with local artisanal producers, to specifying the equipment in the kitchen – an effort to keep costs down.
He may not have pursued the path of sociology but his time at university has clearly informed his way of viewing the world of cooking and he sees the kitchen through a different lens. “Yes, just being with people I see the world differently. It is not just about the food and cooking – we all fit into the bigger picture, the economy, agriculture and the wider culture in the world around us,” he says.
Completing the story
From the restaurant in the wondrous surroundings by Lake Jasna and the majestic mountains all around and high above, it very definitely feels like it has its place in the local ecosystem. The produce comes from local farmers and Žefran has personal relationships with most of them.
The dairy farm is minutes away and the milk comes in bottles that are returned for refilling; the old school way, which is very familiar to Žefran who grew up on a farm and has memories of crossing his grandmother’s yard carrying a tin full of milk.
It is important, he says, that the produce served on the plate provides a time and place. “It makes the story complete when the food is local,” he says, adding that he doesn’t serve ingredients that are not accessible to him. “I don’t bring in lobsters from far away, it doesn’t make sense. If we did, we could just drop the restaurant anywhere in the world and it would feel the same.”
Instead, he focuses on the freshwater fish from local lakes and includes ingredients such as bear on the menu – an overpopulation in Slovenia means the state instigates a slaughter of bears each year and some ends up on the Milka menu. “By putting bear in one of our signature dishes we are telling the story of this place where we are lucky enough to be,” he says. He prefers describing the restaurant as responsible rather than sustainable – there have been too many examples of greenwashing in the sector for him to use it credibly in the restaurant, he says.
Putting Slovenia on the global gastronomic map has largely been taken on by another self-taught chef, Ana Ros from the three-Michelin starred Hisa Franko. She remains the most – if not only – well-known chef from the country.
Žefran seems frustrated that the country’s gastronomy is all resting on one person. “We are all incredibly grateful to Ana, but I feel the sector is very fragmented and we need to work together for our country and the image abroad,” he says.
Into deep water
The start-up journey has been similar to the steep climb to the Vrisic Pass, visible high above the covered terrace of the restaurant and a favorite of the chef’s. Today, two years in, Žefran still wears many hats – heading up the kitchen, dealing with recruitment and HR, mentoring his team of young chefs. For somebody who is only six years into a cooking career and not yet 35 years old, it has been overwhelming.
“I was pushed into a situation that I never been in before, so I had to be a leader. And for me, it doesn’t come that naturally,” he says. So, he decided to try psychotherapy. “To make myself a better person and learn how to react to certain things better,” he explains. He has also joined a management and leadership school to continue learning.
“It is not easy to find the time for it, but I know that I need to do it. It’s important that we build this restaurant to be something different,” he says. His mentoring role takes him out to speak to students about the hospitality sector. “I think we are heading into a deep crisis in recruitment in hospitality. I recently attended as a speaker at a graduation award for a hospitality school and the director told me that they only had 11 people enrolled into the course next year.”
Why do young people today not want to join the profession? “We have exploited them,” he says bluntly. “We allowed it to happen because we also let ourselves be exploited.”
Young people want balance in life and they want kindness, he says. To that end he is committed to a different approach, determined to see staff thrive. “It’s always been hard work, but we can do it a little bit differently, be a little bit kinder and more supportive,” he says.
Every Friday he holds sessions where staff members give a talk on a certain topic, to improve their public speaking.“It is also a way to get to know each other better; what they want is a nice life and being able to smile when they’re at work.”
Perhaps Žefran would have made a great sociologist, but he has found his calling in the kitchen. The Michelin Guide awarded Milka a star soon after opening in June 2022 and the second came hot on the heels. As somebody who admits to suffering from imposter syndrome, how much pressure does that kind of success come with? “Mostly it’s when people ask me, ‘when is the third star coming?’,” he says, adding that while reaching for the next step comes naturally to him, it is not the raison d’être of Milka.
“We enjoy the small victories, but it is never about the stars; personal satisfaction for me is seeing the staff happy and producing good food,” he says. “When you chase these awards, you lose yourself in the chase.”
The meal at Milka ends in in the kitchen where Žefran greets diners for their last bite – a spin on the classic madeleine and a range of homemade liqueurs that guests can try in a moment of interaction with kitchen staff and other guests.
No doubt it can become chaotic but it seems completely in the young chef’s spirit, painting the tapestry of people and produce and experiences all together in his kitchen. Whatever comes next, it seems certain he will enjoy it.
Tina Nielsen
