My beginnings

My name is Petar Simić. I'm a Serb by birth, born in Belgrade. By profession I'm a cook, a culinary trainer and a promoter of Balkan cuisine in Poland. I went to culinary school in my hometown of Belgrade, and my love of cooking was planted in me by my mum, my grandmother and my aunts, with whom I cooked from early childhood. I have lived in Poland since 2008, where I'm putting down roots.

Knowledge from homes, the river and three kitchens

I developed my skills under head chefs in restaurants in Belgrade, Warsaw and London. I also learned a great deal outside the professional kitchen. Fishermen from the Danube passed on knowledge I could not have got from anyone else, and as a guest in Serbian homes I kept discovering more and more flavours. Traditional dishes are best learned from the “little heroes” of the kitchen.

And today, in Poland...

For over ten years I have been running culinary courses and workshops, shows and events in Poland, for amateurs and professionals. As a cook and trainer of Balkan cuisine I want to refine these dishes, understand them and pass on the knowledge and the meaning behind them. That is why, alongside technique, I tell stories about flavours and culinary cultures. I care that participants not only cook good food, but also have a good time and take away something they will remember. And on creating a setting and atmosphere that will bring them back for further classes and practice at home.

I run my events in culinary studios and venues across Poland, from Szczecin, Gorzów Wielkopolski and Reda to Rzeszów, Białystok and Kraków. So far that has been 19 venues in 17 towns, among them Warsaw, Łódź, Toruń, Katowice, Kielce, Rybnik and Częstochowa.

The list keeps growing...