Foodstock: Food that will put you in a good mood

He has traveled to several countries around the world, co-founded a successful restaurant, started his own catering business, and is still full of ideas. He describes himself as a "restless guy" and likes variety. Whether in the kitchen or in life. His Foodstock project may not need to be introduced to many, but his interesting story can be an inspiration to everyone. Ľubo Blaho.

A fundamental step in my life was moving to Israel around 1996, where I worked on farms, cleaned in a hotel, was a gardener... Then, by some lucky chance, I ended up at a hostel, which I started running with an Israeli. I opened a bar... And there I discovered that what makes me happy in life is connecting people, supporting them, showing them a direction and then leading them in that direction. That was such a fundamental step and a fundamental school in my life. No one was there to support me, I built everything myself. That was a great school, I wasn't afraid, I learned to lose, learn from it and move on in life.

His first contact with gastronomy came during a short period of university studies, which he never finished. "I wanted to buy a guitar, so I started washing tables in Bratislava in the former Food Market. Eventually I worked my way up to the position of manager. I was getting paid a decent amount of money at the time and I finished school. I didn't really enjoy it, I felt better at work. I finally bought that guitar, Mr. Krajíček made it for me. It's beautiful, and I still have it," says Ľubo. At that time, as a young boy, he was also attracted to travel, his heart always pulled him more to the east than to the west. "I was in Israel for 2.5 years, and it was a great school. Then I lived in the mountains in Egypt for a while. After returning to Slovakia, I met a friend by chance and a week later I was on a plane with him heading to India. There we built a house in the Himalayas and I started to get a taste of the country. Half a lifetime is not enough to get to know it. It is huge, with lots of people, speaking lots of languages, different cultures, religions, it really mixes there. It was beautiful to travel around India, to get a taste of it, to live there...," describes Ľubo.

After his experience in India, Ľubo Blaho returned to Slovakia and worked in the banking sector. He returned to gastronomy thanks to the sushi bar Osaka, which he helped his brother open. He left the project with a desire for a break and settled in London for a while, where he improved his English and worked as a bartender in a hotel. At that time, two friends from Slovakia approached him to see if he could help them start a restaurant. "I started preparing it from London, design, cashflow, branding, we were looking for a chef... Until the Fou Zoo restaurant was created in Petržalka, Bratislava, which I ran for 7 years."

Where the wind is born

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Luba Blaho[/caption] The Fou Zoo restaurant, translated from ancient Japanese as "where the wind is born", has had a philosophy from the beginning - us to the world, the world to us. "Our chef Michal Konrád traveled around the world for internships and then trained his team, passing on his know-how to them, this is how we approached the world. The world came to us in the form of guest chefs, with whom we held special events. One of the very successful ones was the guest visit of Japanese chef Ichiro Kubota. He is a very skilled chef, humble, kind, where he was in charge, the restaurant received a Michelin star. Evenings with him were sold out very quickly. At Fou Zoo, we had a very good team, we supported each other and influenced each other in a good way. But then it all got to the point where everything was so well set up that I started to get bored. We were getting good reviews, we were winning competitions, but I started to be interested in the middle segment. Fou Zoo is not a restaurant for everyone, at least not for regular visits. And I started to be attracted to the mainstream," says Ľubo.

Mr. Falafel and Mr. Gyoza

While working at Fou Zoo, Ľubo and his business partner Zola Kiša started building their own mini-brand, Mr. Falafel, which started its journey with a stand at the Pohoda festival. "For us, it was mainly about fun, festival atmosphere, relaxation, and so on. And since I'm a person who constantly improves everything, we started to move it up a bit. We created another brand, Mr. Gyoza, so gyoza was added to the falafel menu. Later, I bought a share from Zola and changed the brand to Foodstock , but I still saw this business as a summer, festival entertainment. But at every festival, people asked when there would be a brick-and-mortar operation, and they kept pestering me for about two years. Then we got a space in the Old Market and we opened. Thanks to God and the people, it took off like a rocket, we didn't experience any suffering, but rather joy. We had some everyday problems and worries, but ultimately, there was joy in all of it."

Today, you won't find falafel on Foodstock's menu, but gyoza has remained the mainstay. It used to be more in tune with Thai cuisine, with roasted peanuts, coriander, chilli... However, before the Christmas markets, they decided to adapt gyoza. "I approached Michal Konrád, whom I knew from Fou Zoo, and in my opinion, he is one of the best chefs in the world, to adapt the recipe for us at least a little in a Christmas style, for example with mushrooms. And he gave us success. The current gyoza is with teriyaki, the captivating taste of truffle, edamame beans, spring onions... In addition to it, our menu also includes a long-cooked vegetable broth and several types of hummus." Japanese-style breakfast in the form of onigiri - a triangle of rice filled with various pastes or other fillings - should soon be added to the menu.

In my opinion, a good product must have three attributes – it must be warm, crispy and juicy. And if you can put all of these into yours, then the “mmmm” moment will come. That’s actually how we approved the food at Fou Zoo, we waited for the “mmmm” moment. If it wasn’t there, the food didn’t pass.

Foodstock is growing

Currently, you can enjoy gyoza from Foodstock in a brick-and-mortar store in Bratislava, or during street food events throughout Slovakia. "Foodstock has two divisions - brick-and-mortar and festival. I have partners in both - Zana Flores and Alexander Wolek. Because I really like sharing work and money. That's the only way, in my opinion. It's not good when a person wants everything for themselves, because it can drive them crazy." The brick-and-mortar division of Foodstock has been focusing on the franchise model for the past two years, among other things. This fall, a Foodstock operation will also open in Žilina. The ambition for the next few years is to open 10 franchise operations throughout Slovakia, which will spread the philosophy of "good mood food" (loosely translated as food that puts you in a good mood). And they should also be joined by small franchise containers at key transport hubs in Bratislava.

The diversity of life can take different forms. And it does not mean that our personal idea, which we perceive, is the right one. And that is something that helps me personally in business. Even though there are some "things" that should bring me anger or stress at first glance, the period of living in India gave me a feeling of stopping. To look at the problem with different eyes, from a different angle. Thank you so much for that.