After picking up our guests from their hotels in Krakow on a gorgeous sunny morning and before heading out south to Zakopane we visited the Jewish district of Krakow called Kazimierz.  Later we decided to stop by the Pierogi Festival (Stuffed Dumplings Festival) going on in Maly Rynek in Krakow for a delicious lunch. Pierogi Festival is a real pierogi heaven! The festival takes place every August and is one of the most popular culinary festivals in the Lesser Poland region. We tried: pierogi Ruskie – with potatoes and cheese, with cabbage and mushrooms, with salmon, with spinach… fried, breaded and boiled. And of course we drank Polish beer Zywiec. It’s a great tasting beer especially with pierogi on a hot summer day.  

Pierogi Festival in Krakow, Poland

Salmon pierogi at the Pierogi Festival in Krakow, Poland.

Besides pierogi, a famous traditional and regional sheep cheese oscypek was also available at the festival.  Oscypki are often served grilled with cranberry sauce. Later in the week during our cooking vacation in Poland we discovered how oscypki are made by highlanders in their mountain huts called bacowki.

Oscypki cheese at the Pierogi Festival in Krakow, Poland.

Oscypki - regional hand-made sheep cheese.

A sign at the Pierogi Festival in Krakow, Poland.

 After enjoying the wonderful food, beer and live concerts at the Pierogi Festival in Krakow we joined our driver, Antoni, whom we later simply called Toni, in his mini bus to begin our short drive to Podhale region and Zakopane.  Zakopane is a beautiful mountain town south of Poland famous for the highlander culture and cuisine. 

Our guests stayed at Villa Marilor in Zakopane, a spectacular  ***** Hotel which was once a small palace and now includes a luxurious spa with swimming pool.  After settling into Villa Marilor we all gathered in the evening  for a festive Welcome Dinner at Villa Marilor restaurant, met the head chef Stanislaw Adamczyk and dined on local specialties.

Welcome dinner at Villa Marilor in Zakopane, Poland.

Stanislaw Adamczyk, Executive Chef for Villa Marilor in Zakopane, Poland.

Oscypki with bacon.

Szarlotka - apple cake - with vanilla ice cream.

We discussed day two of our culinary vacation in Poland during dinner. We headed to village of Rogoznik on Monday to cook with highlander women in their home but more on that in next post. Stay tuned and Smacznego!