03 December 2025
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These are the four Female Chefs:
Katarzyna Daniłowicz, Tarasowa
Many would be surprised to learn that Tarasowa first opened its doors back in 1913, but it has taken more than a century for the impressive space at Hala Stulecia, Wrocław’s UNESCO-listed Centennial Hall, to once again be filled with guests. The project was entrusted to Katarzyna Daniłowicz, executive chef of Hala Stulecia and the concept creator of its flagship restaurant.Daniłowicz is well known to Polish gourmands: She was the first woman to win the Polish edition of the popular TV show Top Chef, she’s received numerous awards in local culinary competitions and she previously ran her own restaurant in Wrocław. Few people, however, know that she originally studied to become an architect. Though she ultimately decided to follow her inner voice and pursue the career that let her truly flourish, Daniłowicz still has something of an architect’s eye: She admits that when she’s developing a new dish she often thinks first about textures, colors and shapes — and her creations have become known for their artistic plating.
At Tarasowa — where the day-to-day business of the kitchen is run by Head Chef Volodymyr Savchenko — classic French techniques meet seasonal, local ingredients, creating an elegant, inviting experience that’s always aligned with the time of year. Think pumpkin kopytka (delicate potato dumplings) with curd cheese, cranberry and coffee; sour mushroom soup with hand-cut łazanki pasta, cream and truffles; a vegetarian take on classic blood sausage, here paired with mushrooms, Jerusalem artichoke and apple; or pike perch with crayfish, autumn vegetables and fragrant marigold.
The restaurant is equally suited to a relaxed dinner after a walk in the nearby park, or a proper gourmand evening. For those open to a fuller experience, Tarasowa offers a tasting menu inspired by the flavors of old-time Wrocław. MICHELIN Inspectors have particularly praised the strong quality-to-value ratio of its à la carte selection, naming Tarasowa one of just three restaurants in Wrocław to receive a Bib Gourmand in 2025.
Aside from overseeing the daily gastronomic operations at Hala Stulecia, Daniłowicz is also an avid promoter of local ingredients and talents. In her recurring tasting dinner series Tutejsze (which translates to “local”), she invites chefs from other acclaimed restaurants to collaborate in the kitchen.
Małgorzata Karkocha-Jakubowska, IDA Kuchnia i Wino
Małgorzata Karkocha-Jakubowska is one of four seasoned gastronomy professionals behind IDA Kuchnia i Wino, which she runs together with Rafał Borys, Marcin Węglowski and Krzysztof Kusak. All four met while working at a luxury hotel and restaurant a short drive outside Wrocław that closed during the pandemic. But when one door closes, another opens — and that was precisely the case for the heroes of this story.
One day during the pandemic, Małgorzata’s phone rang with news about an interesting venue for rent: a spacious, high-ceilinged space in a historic townhouse in the center of Wrocław — and an address well known to locals as the former home of the legendary Rura jazz club. When they went to see it, they knew immediately it was exactly what they needed to start their own project. The rooms that were once filled with music would soon be filled with the clatter of plates and glasses.
IDA — named after the 2013 film Ida, the first Polish film to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film — launched during the pandemic. Despite the challenging timing, it quickly won over guests’ hearts. Karkocha-Jakubowska emphasizes that from the very beginning all of the founders wanted to create a feel-good place, serving food that would be joyful, comforting and not intimidating.
Though all four are involved in the project, it’s Karkocha-Jakubowska who runs the kitchen on a daily basis. As she admits, she never planned to become a professional chef — her cooking journey began unexpectedly when she took a side job in a local restaurant during her university years and discovered she wanted to dive deeper into the culinary world. Her drive for self-improvement led her to take internships at some of London’s top restaurants: The Ledbury and CORE by Clare Smyth, both awarded Three MICHELIN Stars. Yet with IDA, Karkocha-Jakubowska intentionally steers away from fine-dining formality.
The cuisine draws from the most beloved Polish classics, treating them with a respectful, modern touch. You’ll find starters like gzik, a cottage cheese dip made with smoked cheese curds, herb pesto and roe; an homage to the chef’s childhood treat, chleb w jajku, bread in egg served with tomato-curry jam, crispy oyster mushrooms and tomato hollandaise; and classic soups such as żurek, made with fermented rye flour and sausage. Main courses include roasted duck breast with Silesian dumplings and sautéed beets; hearty wild boar stew with smoked plums and potato purée; and cabbage rolls filled with pearl barley, blue cheese and portobello mushrooms. “I like when the flavors remind you of home,” Karkocha-Jakubowska explains. “They taste familiar, but at the same time are different, elevated with little twists or unusual add-ons.”
IDA’s offerings have been warmly welcomed by MICHELIN Inspectors, who awarded the restaurant a Bib Gourmand. “This recognition was truly a dream come true. And I believe it reflects exactly what we are striving for at IDA — good-quality, great-value food — so we couldn’t have hoped for anything better.” Karkocha-Jakubowska adds, “I’ve only experienced something similar once before — on my wedding day. It was pure happiness.”
Beata Śniechowska, Młoda Polska and BABA
Beata Śniechowska’s biography sounds like a movie script: After training as an engineer and earning a PhD and an MBA, one day she simply decided it was no longer what she wanted to do. A few more twists in her personal and professional life culminated in Śniechowska winning the Polish edition of MasterChef — an achievement she credited to her internship in the kitchen of a luxury Warsaw hotel. Although engineering may seem worlds apart from gastronomy, Śniechowska often notes that the precision, structure and problem-solving mindset developed during her studies turned out to be extremely useful in the day-to-day life of a restaurant.
After holding chef positions in several Wrocław restaurants, Śniechowska ventured into her first solo project as head chef of Młoda Polska, a convivial, vibrant restaurant located on Plac Solny, adjacent to Wrocław’s iconic Market Square. Młoda Polska’s dishes are rooted in tradition but take on contemporary, playful forms: They taste like the ultimate comfort food a Polish grandmother might make, but look decidedly more refined. Śniechowska’s style is defined by clarity, balance and the confidence to let high-quality ingredients speak for themselves. Blood sausage is served on buttery golden toast with chive mayo and pickled apple; clear borscht, made with fermented beet juice from a local family-run producer, comes with an elegant portion of velvety potato purée and sautéed onions; and pike perch — the king of Polish lakes — appears with a creamy caper sauce. There’s also the signature breaded pork chop, enriched with anchovies, a secret butter sauce and heaps of freshly chopped dill and chives.
At the end of 2023, Śniechowska branched out and opened another restaurant, just a few blocks away. BABA, more intimate and free-spirited, puts seasonal local produce — from vegetables to edible flowers and rare herbs — at center stage in the frequently changing menu. You might encounter candy-shaped pasta filled with creamy farmer cheese, wild garlic risotto with two colors of asparagus, or ox-heart tomatoes served with raspberries and generous shavings of artisanal cheese. Last year MICHELIN Inspectors recognized BABA with a Bib Gourmand award.
Though different in character, both restaurants reflect Śniechowska’s respectful treatment of produce, her warmth, and a creativity that doesn’t fight with tradition, but enters into a thoughtful dialogue with it.
Michelle Średnicki, Nafta Neo Bistro
Sometimes it’s worth taking a risk and stepping outside the comfort zone of the city center to discover interesting food. That’s certainly the case with Nafta Neo Bistro, one of the first places in Wrocław to introduce the “new generation bistro” formula. Located in a historic building that once housed a coffin factory, the atmospheric bistro is surrounded by deep greenery that contrasts beautifully with its rusty red brick. Guests are seated in a spacious dining room that opens onto the restaurant’s garden in summer months.
Nafta Neo Bistro, recommended by MICHELIN Inspectors in the latest Polish selection, is helmed by Chef Michelle Średnicki, who took over after several years as sous-chef, making her a natural fit to continue shaping the restaurant’s development and culinary direction.
Her menu is a fine example of modern bistro cooking, where local ingredients meet flavors and ideas from around the world — with a particular emphasis on Asian influences. Starters feature beef tartare with oyster tare, wasabi mayonnaise and chile oil; scallop ceviche with sugar snap peas and citrus dressing; and rainbow tomatoes nestled on a tofu cream with seed crackers, created with vegan guests in mind.
Main courses include chicken thigh tempura served with Średnicki’s own take on Caesar salad, as well as duck breast with plum demi-glace and smoked potatoes topped with pangrattato (toasted bread crumbs). She also creates special seasonal tasting menus with carefully selected wine pairings that are served during dedicated food and wine evenings— events that are a true treat for gourmands and wine lovers.
Hero image: Tarasowa, one of just three restaurants in Wrocław to receive a Bib Gourmand in 2025 © Tarasowa
