October 2, 2026
Translated by ChatGPT.
Author: G&M Editorial Team
Gault&Millau regularly introduces exceptional chefs each month who work in Czech restaurants awarded with our hats.
Behind every perfect dish that lands on your table stands not only precise technique and high-quality ingredients but above all, a personality. Who are the chefs who prepare unforgettable gastronomic experiences for you?
In this series, we reveal their human side. You’ll learn where they come from, what inspired them to become chefs, and the path that led them to their current position in a Gault&Millau-awarded restaurant. But not only that — you’ll find out who they are when they take off their chef’s coat, how they spend their free time, what energizes them, and what little things they always carry with them wherever they go.
Meet Barbora Šimůnková, who received the Gault&Millau Young Talent of the Year 2025 award. Bára is also the co-owner and head chef of the Prague restaurant LEAF.
1. Who is Bára Šimůnková?
A head chef, recreational runner, and a bit of a crazy person.
2. What did you study?
Gymnázium Opatov and then the Secondary School of Gastronomy in Braník.
3. When did you start cooking, and what was your journey?
I started with Dr. Oetker pudding, moved on to semolina porridge, recipes from the Méďa Pusík magazine, and then, at around twelve, I started devouring Apetit Online (laughs).
4. Where or how did you really learn to cook?
At the Prague Culinary Institute, where I helped with cooking courses for three years after school. Then came my first real job at Sansho under Paul Day, and after that — the world: France, London, New York...
5. What advice do you live by?
Be patient. Work hard. Believe.
I’m still learning the patience part (laughs).
6. Has anyone ever given you bad advice?
When we were opening LEAF, people kept telling us to make sandwiches for the school kids next door or we wouldn’t survive. And to serve cheap beer and wine.
7. What do you most enjoy eating?
Chocolate (that’s my big weakness), but otherwise, I love well-seasoned fresh vegetable salads and creamy soups.
8. Who cooks at home, and what?
We don’t really cook much at home. We’re always on the go, and when we finally stop, the last thing I personally want to do is cook... My partner cooks occasionally, but it’s not his passion.
9. What do you most enjoy cooking?
Vegetables in all possible ways. In summer, when the ingredients align, I love making ratatouille and tangy sofrito beans. I really enjoy that.
10. Where do you get your inspiration?
Honestly, I don’t really browse or look for new ideas — I don’t have the mental or moral space right now. I’m alone in the kitchen, and I draw inspiration from the ingredients I get from my farmers. Ideas just come naturally. I’ve gathered plenty of recipes over the years, so it always depends on my mood and what comes to mind. I change the menu several times a week. So that mood and desire to cook something aren’t just clichés — that’s really how it is. I couldn’t stand doing the same thing over and over.
11. Have you noticed any changes since becoming Young Talent of the Year and joining Gault&Millau?
Definitely. First of all, after years of sweat and tears, it was my first recognition of this magnitude, and the emotions were incredible. Second, it confirmed that what we do — what my partner and colleague Michal and I believe in and enjoy — truly has meaning. It just takes time... and money. But it gave us an enormous boost. The announcement was a big emotional and mental uplift. We made dozens of small improvements, details we previously didn’t have the energy for. And last but not least, it brought many new guests who had never heard of us before Gault&Millau and now leave happy.
12. What’s your guilty pleasure?
Chocolate, coffee, and wine — my holy trinity.
13. What do you think about cookbooks?
I have plenty. But truly valuable cookbooks, in my opinion, are those written by people who have genuinely achieved something in the field. I don’t think every chef needs to publish a recipe book unless they’re truly a “revolutionary.” After all, all the recipes were invented long ago, and we all still learn from them — whether it’s Escoffier, Bocuse, Ducasse, Robuchon, or Rettigová. What I find far more interesting are people’s stories and what happens behind the scenes. A cookbook that really moved me was Life, on the Line by Grant Achatz. Now I’m reading The Devil in the Kitchen by Marco Pierre White. And of course, the classic — Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential — a must-read for chefs, I think. Books written by life itself.
14. What kind of music do you listen to?
Me? Heavy retro. From the 1930s through Patsy Cline to Michael Jackson, Czech classics, 80s and 90s disco, Coldplay, or Sigur Rós. The only thing I can’t stand is metal and techno.
15. How do you relax?
I go running. Preferably in the forest or by the water. I started running regularly in London twelve years ago and never stopped. And then — with a glass of wine on the balcony. That’s my thing.
16. Do you use any technological gadgets?
In the kitchen, there are plenty — like a dishwasher that cleans dishes in a minute but costs as much as a car. But in professional gastronomy, you simply can’t do without it. At home, I have a robot vacuum — the best invention in recent years for people like me.
17. What do you wear when you’re not in your chef’s coat?
Sweatpants, a T-shirt, and running shoes. Or pajamas (laughs).
18. Where do you see yourself in ten or twenty years?
I don’t think that far ahead. Everything I ever wanted to achieve happened by the time I was twenty-three. Everything now is just a bonus. I take things as they come. I can tell you where I see myself tomorrow or in two days. But in ten years? Only God knows.
19. Do you have a tip for who might win the Young Talent of the Year 2026 after you?
I don’t know. Over the past year, I haven’t been to many restaurants, and I don’t want to judge based on pictures or others’ opinions.
20. What do you think is underappreciated in Czech gastronomy?
Vegetables.
21. What do you miss in the Czech Republic?
Sun and the ocean.
What can’t Barbora Šimůnková live without?
Coffee – my day doesn’t start without it.
Knife – I got it from my friend Tom after returning from America. He told me I deserved it more than he did and wanted me to have it, even though he himself had received it for his work.
Hand cream – I’m constantly wiping things, washing dishes, etc. Unfortunately, despite all eco and sensitive certifications, my skin stays dry.
Label tape – for labeling everything in and out of the fridge.
Salt – the bearer of flavor.
Vinegar – elevates almost any dish.
Hand sanitizer – I’m a hygiene freak.
Small cutter – for neat labels and as a helper for tasks where I don’t want to use my knives.
Cloth – for wiping surfaces or plates during plating. I use a lot of them and never use disposable paper towels in the kitchen.
