How Čestr restaurant finds its local suppliers
Where Czech meat comes first
Guests visit Čestr – as the name suggests – mainly for perfectly prepared steaks made from the meat of Czech Fleckvieh cattle and pork from Přeštice Black-Pied pigs. Here and there, they can also taste special cuts of meat from America or Finland, or venison, veal, mutton and lamb.
However, when the restaurant reopened four years ago, the chefs decided to hit another milestone – to find like-minded suppliers, ingredient by ingredient. Specifically those who farm organically, and think about the future of the land.
Respect for the seasons
"Why are we doing this? It's natural, it's how our grandmothers ate. Tradition and respect for nature are often forgotten," explains chef Pavel Brichzin. The season for Čestr usually starts during April, when Pavel, sous-chef Ondra Jez, and other kitchen colleagues set out to harvest wild garlic and spruce shoots.
"In April, the asparagus ripens and then things progress quickly, getting faster every year," says Pavel as the chefs learn to adapt to the season. The effects of global warming mean they sometimes jump from winter straight into "summer" – the period where suppliers begin to deliver their crops.
Close relationships with farmers and growers
"I go to farmers' markets, talk to farmers and find out how they work," says Pavel, revealing the first piece of the puzzle. But the road to success is much longer – from chef to farm, to farmer to restaurant. "We have to hit it off with each other so we can get along. We visit the suppliers so we can see how they grow, and if they eat their produce themselves. And they, in turn, come to us and get to know how their product looks and tastes on our plates," the chef sums up, adding that the collaboration is often optimally fine-tuned after seven or eight trips.
Each ingredient has its own supplier. Beef is supplied to Čestr by Amaso, as well as Rudimov Farm in the White Carpathians, and Havlíkův dvůr in Český ráj. One of the most popular suppliers is Radomír Dvořák, who keeps bees and produces honey for the restaurant in Kokořínsko, a protected landscape area.
Needs, not wants
"Mr Dvořák has reserved an apiary for us, from which he bottles our honey. In addition to desserts, guests can taste it with tea," says chef Pavel Brichzin. Čestr has a similarly close relationship with Evžen Uher, from whom they buy five-year-old apple cider vinegar, cider and, in season, apple juice, and with the Žďárský family, who supply organic spelt, rye, poppyseeds and horseradish. Karel Jonák from Olejový mlýn Petráveč, who is also the director of the Czech Caraway Association (yes, it's a thing!), supplies oils to Čestr. In Petráveč they are cold-pressed from linseed, pumpkin, poppy, rapeseed and sunflower seeds, making the oils excellent for flavouring salads and also suitable for cooking.
"It happened that Karel and his family accidentally pressed too much mustard oil, so we agreed to buy a large part of it. For a couple of weeks, we then served a one-dish meal of our bread, mustard oil from Petráveč, pickled mustard seeds and apple cider vinegar from the Smolíks' oak vat as an amuse bouche," Pavel gives an example of how they get along with their suppliers.
The same is true for fruit and vegetables. In the kitchen, they don't plan ahead for blueberry pie or strawberry ice cream – instead they'll come up with a dessert using whatever ingredients the farmers have in abundance, whether it's ten boxes of cherries or a bountiful crop of apricots.
In the spring of 2023 in Čestr, they processed a whole steer of Aberdeen Angus, bred and raised directly for the restaurant by farmer Aleš Mudrák at Harmonie farm. The breeding was supervised by butchers from Amasowho butchered the meat after cutting it into individual parts. The kitchen at Čestr then made sure that not a single bone from the steer went to waste, but into the broth.
Fermentation isn't just for decoration
Ferments come into their own in autumn and winter, and if nature provides during the summer, supplies last until early spring. Cooks, however, have to do their best especially in the days after produce is delivered. Some of the fresh fruit goes into desserts, and the vegetables into sides or salads, while the rest are preserved or pickled according to tried-and-tested recipes.
"In the past, it was common to serve something pickled with meals, it was a classic for lunch. We are trying to bring this tradition back to the plate and return guests to their youth or childhood, when savoury dishes were usually accompanied by compote or jam," recalls Pavel Brichzin.
Mushrooms from deep forests and from skilful growers
In addition to pickled vegetables and the certain addition of compote to a quick lunch, during your winter visit to Čestr you can also sample mushrooms prepared in several ways – roasted shiitake with celery sauce, or perhaps pickled, and slightly sour.
In addition to mushrooms grown on oak wood near Čelákovice, the chefs rely on professional picker Martin Mňuk, who is at home in the forest. Of his finds, Čestr's favourites are porcini, chanterelles, boletes and trumpet mushrooms.
Carp from Vodňany, but only once a year
Those who visited Čestr last Christmas may have tasted roasted carp with beurre blanc, and therefore have learned where the fish comes from. Those who missed it can look forward to this year! The so-called omega-3 carp carries a protective certification, is farmed by fishermen at Faculty of Fisheries and Water Conservation at the University of South Bohemia. The carp in the ponds are cared for the traditional way, as was the custom during the Rosenberg era.
The carp are fed only on pond plankton and the residue from rapeseed and flax. It is thanks to these healthy fats that the fish is called omega-3 carp, because its meat contains unsaturated fatty acids. At Christmas, it is more than just a tradition on the plate in Čestr, and with their renowned mashed potatoes, it tastes fabulous!
As the ponds are only fished once a year, in November, when the carp reach their ideal size, you'll only taste this unique dish in December, or at a push in January.
Working with a new generation of growers
Supporting small farmers who care about the quality of their produce and also the future of the land on which they farm is high on the pedestal of values of Čestr's chefs. This is illustrated by their cooperation with the educational farm at Mělník, from which they bring tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, peppers and beans to the restaurant – in short, whatever is ripening in the fields and beds, but also herbs such as marjoram, oregano, chervil or dill.
In return, chef Pavel Brichzin to teach the pupils of SOU Roudnice nad Labem how to use such valuable ingredients in the kitchen, and shows the new generation the way back to their roots. And so, the circle is complete.
