Since the 1989 revolution, has a distinct Czech restaurant culture developed? What kind of local food preferences drive this sector, or do luxury restaurants here primarily focus on Western-style meals? Should Czechs follow the example of other nations and ban smoking in restaurants? Dusan Jakubec, executive chef of Flambée, a prestigious Prague restaurant, sits down with The Prague Post and offers his opinion on Czech dining habits and more.

1. Unlike French, Italian or Spanish cuisine, Czech cuisine does not appear to enjoy the fame of other locales that attract foreign tourists. As a result, how much do you look to other cuisines in order to maintain appeal for foreigners?

Actually, looking for inspiration and new trends is a significant part of every cook's work. It's important to pay attention to what is going on in the world of food. That is how we learn about interesting ingredients, ethnic cuisines and other details of food preparation and presentation. However, the search for inspiration is not a result of our efforts to make our restaurant more attractive to foreign visitors, but rather to improve the skills of our cooks and the quality of our enterprise. Although Czech cuisine is not quite famous, there are still certain aspects of it that are quite well known and admired.

2. Flambée is among the most luxurious and expensive restaurants in Prague. What share of your clientele are foreign visitors? Did you launch any particular marketing campaign during the summer season to attract tourists?

Over half of our clients are foreigners, but it's hard to say whether they are just visiting or are residents. Flambée does not launch any marketing campaigns during the summer season that might disturb its regular clients. Our main priority is to provide top service and quality food. Our side activities include Exclusive Catering by Flambée, Take Away by Flambée, Wedding Cake service, and Moet & Chandon private service. Last month, we opened the first depositary of Dom Perignon champagne in Central and Eastern Europe. To sum up, we plan to continue expanding our service portfolio, but the services are tailor-made exclusively for our regular clients.

3. In cities with distinct dining scenes such as New York City, London or Paris, luxury restaurants often attract regular patrons. How developed is the culture in Prague from this point of view?

There's a wide pool of clients here who prefer commercial gastronomy. They consume pizza and pasta and their only intention is to be satiated with the food they like most. The price of such meals is on the level of a cinema ticket and in many cases, the customer leaves the restaurant with the feeling of 'I have fulfilled the need to eat.'

However, we are seeing a rise in the number of people who attend fashionable restaurants. In such enterprises, the price of meals compares with a ticket to the National Theater, and it is up to a chef to determine the content of particular meals. Classic meals prevail on the menu, and guests often leave the restaurant with the feeling of 'That was great.'

Those guests belong to the middle class of restaurant goers — they don't emphasize the highest possible quality of ingredients or the chef's new meal, or search for exclusive champagne and other wines; they don't necessarily desire silver cutlery, hand-cut glass, or even their own waiter.

Most wealthy Czechs seem to have grown into this middle class, but I see them gradually becoming more sophisticated in their tastes and advancing to the group that frequents luxury restaurants.

A visit to a luxury restaurant is like an evening spent in a Broadway theater when the show is outstanding. Clients leave with the feeling of 'Life is beautiful.' So far the number of Czech clients demanding such service is small. Most visitors to luxury restaurants such as ours are foreigners. Prices don't bother them because they have come to expect a distinctive quality of food, ambiance, presentation and service and are willing to pay for it, though some of the elements are not necessarily visible at first glance.

4. Do you think our history of communism is reflected in the eating habits of Czech people?

Should we count classical Czech meals that have been served in every Czech household as part of our heritage? I think so because they are traditional and will remain popular for a long time to come. However, Czech eating habits were most certainly influenced by communism, which is still apparent in a way. But today people are less inclined to eat sausages and fatty foods — staples under communism, and consumption of fruit and vegetables is increasing.

Two important factors that help determine a person's eating habits are lifestyle and the place where he or she is living. In bigger towns consumption of fish, leaner cuts of meat, fresh vegetables and low-fat food prevails. In the country, new eating habits have been developing rather slowly and high-fat foods tend to prevail. But that's not to say eating habits are not changing as the skills and knowledge of cooks increase.

5. Along with the increasing wealth of society, expenditures on various luxury goods are growing, but food has lagged behind. Why has it taken so long for expenditures for top-quality food to rise?

It is related to the ongoing development of society. First a man needs to recognize that there is something his senses are longing for and that a particular item will satisfy him. Then he'll begin to look for such things. When people see a Porsche or a piece of jewelry from Bulgari, it's natural for some to say they want that too, but it's much harder for someone to suddenly develop a taste for Beluga caviar and champagne when he's never tasted it before.

6. Many restaurants were worried about the country's accession to the European Union last year because of the regulations that were going to be implemented as a result. How do you think the introduction of EU standards affects Czech restaurants?

Well, among the most imminent changes was the stringent demand for better hygiene in restaurants. Other than that, I did not encounter any regulatory problems — but I wasn't happy about the rise of value-added tax on gastronomy services from 5 percent to 19 percent. It is very irresponsible for the government to use alleged EU demands as an excuse for increasing tax related to consumption of its citizens while keeping the tax on accommodation services, used mostly by foreign tourists, within the lower tax bracket. I'm just surprised that no one protests and that people keep paying [the higher prices].

7. The most recent legislation that affected restaurants was the adoption of the anti-smoking law. What's your reaction to that?

Smoke certainly does not belong in places where food is served, and it also disturbs other diners. I understand that smokers are addicted, but I do believe they'll be forced to smoke outside [all] public places one day.

8. What impact would a possible ban on smoking have on restaurants?

In the beginning, the law won't be followed. Then [when the law is enforced] there will be an initial drop in attendance. But everything would return to normal after a year, and attendance could climb even higher. The only real difference would be that people would not smell smoke while they are eating.

9. Let me ask you some personal questions. Why do you think the vast majority of chefs in top restaurants are men, when women still do the majority of household cooking?

It's mainly because the work of a chef is quite demanding, physically and mentally. It's similar to the situation among top managers in companies where men tend to prevail. On the other hand, it's important to point out that there are a lot of women working in top positions in gastronomy, especially in bakeries and the cold-foods segment.

10. Working as a chef yourself, do you take work home with you or feel committed to spending time cooking at home?