16 June 2026
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For the first countrywide selection in Poland, MICHELIN Guide Inspectors traveled far beyond the country’s major cities, trying to find real gems off the beaten track. One of them is Steampunk, a restaurant located in a picturesque town with a population of merely 25,000, which has been awarded its first MICHELIN Star. We had a chance to sit down and chat with its chef about his path to success, his gastronomic philosophy and his post-Star plans.
MICHELIN Guide: First, big congratulations!
"Thank you! I think we are still digesting what just happened."
Was the Star a surprise for you?
"Yes, it was. A few weeks before the gala, we had a meeting with our owners. More for fun than anything else, we wondered what we should do if we received a Star. But it was more of a mental exercise, not real strategic planning. And then, well, the booking system exploded. I think the emotions and adrenaline we experienced that evening are still with us and help us adapt to the new situation."
You represent the young generation of Polish chefs. Was becoming a chef already considered a cool thing when you were a teenager?
"Not really. I am not as young as I look! I think I was always drawn to practical, hands-on things, cooking included. I attended a Waldorf school, where the curriculum included many practical activities. In kindergarten, I baked my own bread; in elementary school, we had pottery classes, but also camping trips in the forest. And when we had to prepare a presentation for the whole class, I did one about the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet."
Sometimes you hear chefs say that their passion for food came from home, for example from their grandmothers.
"In my case, I think it would be my mother. At our family home, we had a garden where she grew vegetables that were not particularly popular when I was a kid: cavolo nero, various zucchini varieties, and so on. For me, that was normal and simply part of what we ate at home.Also, when I was a kid, we traveled quite a lot with my parents, spending a few weeks every year somewhere in Europe, for example in Provence or on the Côte d’Azur, cooking with local produce. Or I would spend summer days in our friends’ cottage in Warmia, in Poland’s lake district — a true countryside setting where you cooked on a wood-fired stove, fished in the lake and collected berries in the forest. Food and cooking were always close to me.
When it came time to choose a secondary school, I opted for a culinary school. To me, it was a natural choice, and my parents fully supported me."
We know that your first encounter with a professional kitchen actually happened where you work right now — in the restaurant that eventually earned a MICHELIN Star.
"Yes! I was in the third or fourth year of school when Piotr Jarzyna — who is still our manager today — came to my school’s headmaster and asked whether any students would like to do an internship at Steampunk restaurant at Wodna Wieża (Water Tower) in Pszczyna town. Back then, a dozen or so years ago, it was one of the top restaurants in Poland, so of course I wanted to do it. Thanks to Steampunk on my CV, I got my first proper job at Studio Qulinarne, which was one of the most progressive restaurants in Kraków at the time.Then there was Bottiglieria 1881, still in the days when it had an à la carte menu. Later, thanks to a recommendation from Przemysław Klima (now chef-owner of the Two-MICHELIN-Starred Bottiglieria 1881), I had the opportunity to run the restaurant ISTO in Katowice.
And then Piotr Jarzyna called me again and asked whether I would like to lead the team at Steampunk in Wodna Wieża. I said yes — and that’s how history came full circle."
Let’s talk more about what you do at Steampunk. If you had to name three fundamentals or defining characteristics of your cooking, what would they be?
The first would be acidity. It’s something Paulo Airaudo, my chef patron at Studio Qulinarne, taught me — how important acidity is in dishes and how much structure it gives to food. It may come from herbs, citrus fruits or various vinegars, but it has to be there.The second would be sauces.
And the third: herbs, which bring aroma, but also a bit of wilderness to the dishes. I like to use fresh herbs by the handful.
Is there a dish from the current menu that you are particularly fond of and that really represents the style of Steampunk?
I think it’s the chawanmushi, which has appeared on our menu several times already, each time in a different form. For me, it embodies the simplicity of Japanese cuisine and the elegance with which we reinterpret it. It reflects the Japanese pursuit of perfection in even the smallest details. It reminds me of the dedication to mastering a skill, refining it endlessly, and striving for excellence through attention to every little element.What struck the Inspectors during their meals was the pristine style of plating.
That style emerged quite naturally. First, it’s simply the style I like — one where the spotlight is on the main product, the main hero of the dish.Second, it relates to the restaurant itself. Our dining room is inspired by steampunk aesthetics and is rather bold. If you added very complicated, showy dishes to that setting, it could easily become too much. I like it when the appearance of a dish helps you focus on what’s important.
And third, there is a very practical reason. We are a small team, and we work in a relatively small kitchen. Everything happens on one of the floors of a century-old water tower. When I create a menu or a new dish, I do it knowing that I can execute it perfectly under the conditions we have.
There is also one thing about me: I am never fully satisfied with a dish. Even if it works brilliantly, within a day or two I already feel the urge to tweak it, try something new and make it even better.
Steampunk has received its first MICHELIN Star — a dream for many chefs. What should we wish you now?
A new kitchen, I guess. So we can go even further.You may also like to read:
Illustration Image: From signature detail to culinary artistry: embroidered napkin, an elegant amuse-bouche of Gruyère cheese foam in a delicate filo cannoli topped with smoked herring caviar and field cornflowers, and the chef behind it all, Ziemowit Owczarz. © Malgorzata Minta
