BIG BERRY Chef: Doris Valković

Photos by: Tjaša Miketič and Sara Mužar

Doris Valković, our sweet and healthy cook

With her delicious dishes, Doris shows that healthy can be very tasty. Eating healthily does not necessarily mean tasteless!

With summer that is right around the corner, it is time to start eating more healthily. This sunny and warm weather inspired the first BIG BERRY chef of 2018 season: Doris Valković, who prepared a really nice, light and natural meal for all of us. The radiant 28 year-old-cook started her own business, Seed, in partnership with her friend in December 2017. According to Doris, the aim of both of them is to teach people how to eat healthier by providing whole and natural food. For instance, In February 2018, they began to manufacture two types of whole and natural granola and will soon commercialize new products. Being given the opportunity to make people to try some food they never had the chance to eat and make them appreciate healthy dishes is what challengedDoris and gave her the incentive to participate in the BIGBERRYChef project.

"Our mission is to educate people, provide them with clean and natural food and make them change their perception of food"

Besides the new company, she created a blog "Foodoris" about 5 years ago, in which she shares her delicious recipes, in order to complete her mission and help people adopt healthier eating habits, As funny as it may be, Doris did not like vegetables as a kid and was always adding extra sugar in everything she was eating until she felt the need to change her eating habit: "You can always find a replacement for that bad food that is always around us" she added. Yet, Doris emphasized that eating in a healthier way helped her feel better both physically and psychologically: "I've been cooking this kind of food for five or six years now and It really helped me to overcome some illness, bad mood and every sort of bad feelings about my body and about my mental health."

"You can always find a replacement for that bad food that is always around us"

"I was always curious, always looking at my grandma, how she was cooking and I was always copy-pasting them"

During this lovely meal, all the guests got a taste of what she is capable of in the kitchen. Even the most skeptical enjoyed it. Before the meal guests even had the opportunity to try the two types of granola manifactured by her company. They are both delicious whether with seasonal fruits or plain yogurt. For the first dish, Doris prepared mushroom and bean bruschetta, followed by warm spring quinoa salad with roasted lemon dill carrots and chickpea pancakes.As for the dessert, Doris cooked a chocolate millet pudding with strawberries on the top, and a nice glass of wine from the BIG BERRY partner Kmetija Šuklje. To prepare this entire meal, Doris used products from some of BIG BERRY's partners, such as Kmetija Kočevar's delicious bread, Ekološka Kmetija Totter's natural yogurts, Oljarna Pečarič  oil and Duke Group's dish equipment and Status kitchen utensils. For this lunch, BIG BERRY hosted some special guests: the artists, who participated in the BIG BERRY Art Colony  project and painted on the BIG BERRY houses their representation of freedom; some BIG BERRY partners from Domačija Kuzma, Kmetija Kočevar and Zlati Ghee. who gifted our cook Doris with some local products. The chef also received a gift from Berryshka.

"When we arrived here in the resort it was really WHOAH! This river, this green scenery... "

"Being a BB chef was hectic but it was a really great experience!!"

2nd BIG BERRY chefs On the 28th of April 2018, for the opening of the resort, BIG BERRY will welcome two great cooks. Gorazd Potočnik, a cook professor and owns the Gox label, and Damnjan Draganić, who works for the NIDUM Casual Luxury Hotel.

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