Some evenings begin long before the first guest takes a seat at the table.

When we announced the arrival of Eric Kragh Vildgaard and the team from Jordnær, the evening sold out within just a few hours. And when the day finally came, Hiša Franko was filled with different languages, faces, and people whose journey had brought them to Kobarid especially for this night.

But the team from Jordnær did not come for just one evening. Chef Eric and his team spent several days with the Hiša Franko team and the Soča Valley. We cooked together, tasted, opened bottles, walked through the garden. We observed, asked questions and exchanged ideas. Slowly, the worlds of our two teams began to intertwine, first through ingredients and flavours, then through people. By Sunday, what arrived at the table had become much more than a meeting of two kitchens.

Chef Eric’s precision and sensitivity met the wildness of Ana’s cooking and the Soča Valley. Each remained true to their own expression, yet somewhere in between, for one night only, something emerged that belonged neither to Copenhagen nor to Kobarid, but entirely to that moment. And when the final course left the kitchen, no one was in a hurry to leave. Glasses were filled again, conversations grew deeper and more meaningful, and both teams stayed together as Hiša Franko continued to live in the rhythm of an unforgettable evening. There was an energy that can only happen when warm, open-hearted people find themselves in the same place at exactly the right time. It was a true honour for us to welcome Chef Eric and the Jordnær team into Ana’s and Hiša Franko’s world for those few days. Not only because of what they represent in gastronomy today, but because of the openness and curiosity they brought with them.

Meanwhile, outside Hiša Franko, something else is already beginning.

Summer is slowly letting go. Mornings in the valley have a cooler edge, the light is becoming softer, and the earth is beginning to smell stronger again. As the forest changes, so does our kitchen. Mushrooms and roots are arriving, bringing darker, deeper flavours. And soon, truffles. It is one of those brief moments in the year that we do not want to rush. So in the coming weeks, we will let autumn find its way into Hiša Franko and soon invite you to experience special autumn menus, created in its rhythm.

And then, one final gathering awaits. From Dubai, Chef Himanshu Saini of Trèsind Studio will make his way to the valley to join Ana Roš for the closing chapter of this year’s Forces of Nature, our four-hands dinner series created in collaboration with the Slovenian Tourist Board.

Because at Hiša Franko, nothing ever truly ends. 

Only the season changes and with it, what finds its way to the table.