Ana Roš

Who they are

Ana Roš is a self-taught Slovenian chef who turned a small inn in Kobarid into a world-renowned, three-Michelin-starred restaurant. A former skier and diplomacy student, she took over the kitchen without any formal culinary training and became one of the most celebrated chefs in the world.^[1][2][11]

Asked a hundred times — skip these

• How she went from diplomacy studies to cooking without any formal training.^[1][2]
• What it means to be a chef without formal schooling and how she learned on the job.^[1][5]
• The impact of Chef's Table on her career and visibility.^[1]
• Why she insists on local ingredients sourced within a 50-kilometer radius.^[5]
• Her experiences with sexism and leading a predominantly male kitchen team.^[1]

Fresh angles — ask these

• How did you develop the recipe for the Ana Roš Negroni, and what led you into cocktails?^[6]
• You raced in alpine skiing. Did anything from those years shape how you run the kitchen under pressure?^[1]
• Hiša Franko dropped off the 50 Best list last year, while this year in Milan you kept your three knives and took second place among the world's best chefs. How do you look at those two rankings?^[9][10]
• Alongside three Michelin stars you also received the Green Star for sustainability. Which of the two matters more in your everyday work?^[11][12]
• If you had to choose today between diplomacy and cooking, what would surprise you most about the other path?

Story

• She grew up in Tolmin, where her father was a doctor and her mother a journalist; she herself competed in alpine skiing for the Yugoslav youth national team.^[1][5]
• She studied diplomacy in Gorizia, then in 2000 took over the family inn Hiša Franko out of love for Valter Kramar.^[1][2]
• With no formal culinary education, she learned through trial and error, with guests serving as her first 'test subjects.'^[1][5]
• In 2016 Netflix's Chef's Table brought her international fame, and in 2017 she was named World's Best Female Chef.^[1][2]
• In September 2023, Hiša Franko became the first Slovenian restaurant to receive three Michelin stars, along with a Green Star for sustainability.^[11][12]
• In May 2025, she launched her own line of bottled cocktails, Ana Roš Drinks, starting with a Negroni created together with cocktail mixologist Anja Skrbinek.^[6]
• In November 2024, at the Best Chef Awards in Dubai, she received the award for Best Female Chef in the world.^[7]
• In June 2025, Hiša Franko dropped out of the main list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants, landing at number 69 on the extended 51-100 list.^[9][10]

Interests & hobbies

Recent (the year before this brief)

• In October 2025, at the Best Chef Awards in Milan, she took 2nd place among the world's best chefs (behind Rasmus Munk) and retained her three-knife rating.^[8][9][15]

Past appearances

• Chef's Table (Netflix, 2016)^[1][2]The documentary episode that brought her worldwide fame as a chef.
• FEEL Slovenia Podcast (Dr Noah Charney)^[13]On her work and her path as a chef.
• Worldchefs podcast – World on a Plate^[14]On Slovenian terroir, local sourcing, and building a culinary destination.
• CNN – 'The female chef putting Slovenia on the map'^[1]On her success, the challenges of sexism in the kitchen, and her journey from skier to chef.
• Onaplus/Delo interview^[3][4]A candid conversation about burnout, divorce, and the loss of a child.
• Great British Chefs – Interview With Ana Roš^[5]On her nontraditional path into cooking and exploring the flavors of the Soča Valley.