GRAND PRIX 2020
Nominated by the Slovak Association of Cooks and Confectioners
VALÉRIA PLUHÁROVÁ
Valéria Pluhárová was born on September 25, 1959 in Spišská Sobota. She began preparing for the profession of cook in 1974 in Podtatranské restaurants in Kežmarok, where she received an apprenticeship in the profession of cook. She continued her studies at the Secondary Hotel School in Kežmark, which she successfully completed with the matriculation exam in 1981. After completing her studies, she got a job as a cook at the Slovan Hotel in Tatranská Lomnica, and later started working as a master of vocational education at today’s Hotel Academy on Mikovíni Street in Bratislava, where still works today. She dedicated her entire working life to work with youth. She raised entire generations of young chefs, many of whom became prominent personalities of Slovak gastronomy. She is one of the founding members of the Slovak Association of Cooks and Confectioners, where she has been active since 1990 until today.
Valéria Pluhárová is the recipient of several awards. In 2004, the Minister of Economy of the Slovak Republic awarded her the title of Master Chef for her exceptional long-term services to the development of gastronomy, and several mayors of Bratislava also awarded her an Honorable Mention for excellent results in work with youth. Since 2014, she has been an accredited commissioner of WACS in the field of cooking for national competitions organized in the Slovak Republic. For her personal contribution to the development of Slovak gastronomy, as well as the Slovak Association of Cooks and Confectioners, in 2017 the president of the SZKC awarded her the Order of the President of the SZKC and also the highest award, the Order of St. Lawrence.
