Martin Procházka, born in Prague in 1976, spent two years cooking on a cruise ship and is the chef of U Tří růží, a brewery restaurant in Prague’s Old Town. He likes cooking traditional old Czech dishes most.
My name is Martin Procházka, and I am the chef of U Tří růží in Prague. I was born here in 1976. When I was a child, I often watched my parents cook and was always eager to help them. It was very exciting for me. I kept trying to cook something for my family, and so my parents decided to send me to culinary school. At first I resisted for a long time, but eventually I realized it could become my life’s work. Now I don’t regret my choice at all, and I enjoy every day I spend in the kitchen.
I have been working as a chef for about 18 years. My most interesting experience was the two years I spent on a cruise ship. I discovered that the world has lots of different cuisines, and that they really are as interesting as Czech cuisine. Then I began to study the mentality of other people through what they eat, and it has become my hobby. On the ship I also got interested in Indian cuisine, and our team ate an Indian dish almost every day.
Dishes of traditional old Czech cuisine are what I like to cook most, for myself and for my guests. I also like Mediterranean cuisine, Greek and Italian. It is light food, airy and magical, smelling of the sea and the sun.
I like mountain biking, skiing down mountains and traveling. When I travel, I taste the cuisines of different peoples, and then I repeat my favorite dishes at home.
Our brewery and restaurant is in the historic center of Prague, on Husova Street, near Charles Bridge and Old Town Square. As soon as you walk in, you feel the atmosphere of old Prague and smell freshly brewed beer from the brewery in the basement. The murals by the Czech artists Jiří Bernard and Pavel Jakl tell the history of Czech brewing.
For the photo I cooked beef stew in a creamy vegetable sauce with lingonberries and dumplings. It is a typical Czech dish and one of the most popular in my restaurant. The beef is served with vegetables (carrots, parsley root, celery and onions) and spiced with black pepper, allspice, bay leaf and thyme.
