Jon Zupan

The Path

Training at Srednja gostinska in turistična šola v Radovljici set the terms of Jon Zupan’s practice early: precision before display, consistency before confidence, and the habits of a kitchen built on repetition and control. That kind of schooling does not hand out style first; it teaches how to move through the trade with discipline, then build technique on top of it. From there, the work followed a clear professional line—learn, serve, refine, advance. A first substantial post at Hotel Triglav in Bled, where Jon Zupan worked as chef from 2009–2013, put those fundamentals under service pressure. Those years sharpened the practical side of the job: timing, calm, and the ability to deliver through the pace of a working kitchen. The next step, Vila Podvin in Radovljica, where Jon Zupan served as sous chef from 2013–2020, shifted the emphasis to support and coordination. In that role, the craft lives in keeping the brigade moving cleanly, holding standards, and making the kitchen work as a unit. The progression from chef to sous chef and then to head chef reads less like reinvention than accumulation: each post adding another layer of control and readiness. Since 2022, Triangel Boutique Hotel in Gozd Martuljek has been the point where that accumulation becomes visible in leadership. As head chef, Jon Zupan’s path now sits in one place, but the skill behind it was built across Slovenian kitchens, through service, station work, and the long repetition of responsibility.

The Work Today

At Triangel Boutique Hotel in Gozd Martuljek, since 2022, the kitchen is described as modern regional Slovenian cuisine focused on local ingredients. That frame tells you what the work asks for: attention to place, a sense of region, and a contemporary hand that does not need to overwrite the source. The ingredients stay legible, and the cooking keeps its bearings close to home. The role of head chef carries the authority of direction, but the deeper continuity comes from the path behind it. From Hotel Triglav in Bled to Vila Podvin in Radovljica and into Triangel Boutique Hotel, Jon Zupan has moved through the practical hierarchy of the kitchen the way working chefs do—by holding the line, learning the room, and taking on more responsibility as the work demands it.

Signature

Jon's signature dishes include Mavželj, Zgornjesavski Esihflaš, Veal Stew, and esihflajš.

In Their Words “I cook what I like to eat. Food must be fresh, varied, and of known origin.”

Acclaim

Jon's honors include Global Chefs Challenge, 2nd place and Culinary Olympics Luxembourg, 3rd place.