Martin Legeza: Interview with the growing food blogger from Czechia
Martin Legeza is a food blogger from Czech Republic who has found his passion in cooking as well as baking. When he was only 18 years old, he wrote his first cookbook and won the regional competition “Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2020” within his category. He continues with creating his recipes in English, so that not only Czech Republic but also the rest of Europe gets to know about his interest.
You can find out more on his food blog portal, ranging from diverse sweet and savoury recipes to his professional catering services.
- What was the first meal you ever prepared for yourself?
I don’t even think I remember this…when I was a little boy, I used to eat a lot of spaghetti bolognese, so I suppose those were the first ones I tried cooking myself and continued making for a long time since that moment. However, the first recipe I did publicly for Instagram (at that time, I didn’t even have my blog) was the hazelnut cake with dates. To be honest, I don’t have the cake recipe anymore and the picture of the dessert I made for Instagram looks awful, but I still keep it on my account as a nostalgic moment that reminds me of my cooking beginnings.
2. Do you like it more when you cook a salty dish or when you bake something sweet?
I would say it is 50/50 and it always depends on the recipe I’m making at the moment. However, I do consider myself more creative when baking. Besides that, one of my favourites is the Italian cuisine and I also like to prepare modern versions of traditional Czech recipes.
3. What do you enjoy the most when cooking and coming up with your own recipe versions?
The best for me would be the endless opportunity to combine and experiment with different ingredients. I don’t think it will ever happen to me that I will stop enjoying the magic of cooking, since I always want to try out new things, rather than fall into some kind of a stereotype.
4. Do you feel that the attitude towards cooking or generally eating is changing these days?
Everything is always changing with the current season, as many types of fruit and vegetables ripen. With that, our tastes also change and tend to get adjusted to the current season, meaning that, for instance, you will not eat grilled fish with a light salad aside during winter days. The same goes for heavier meals that will be hardly appreciated while you swim in the pool during the summer season.
Of course, I’m trying to come up with healthier alternatives to various recipes. I tend to reduce the amount of sugar in many desserts or I make up a vegetarian version to a traditional recipe. I also try to fry less in my apartment, so that I don’t have to ventilate the kitchen for half a day.
5. We found out about your latest achievement: you published your own cookbook. What went through your mind when you decided to do this?
I primarily wanted to spread my own recipes to the world and, at the same time, pass my experience in terms of cooking and baking. What happens to me is that people often ask me questions that I would think they already know the answers to. Keeping that in mind, my cookbook How to Find the Joy of Cooking is based on such common questions and shares the basics in both cooking and baking. It doesn’t simply offer the recipes themselves but also encourages everyone to experiment with food they like to consume, instead of strictly following the recipe steps.
6. Where did you get the inspiration for your cookbook and the recipes in it?
I got my inspiration during various cooking courses, when being in different restaurants, from videos and reels posted on social media and also from specific chefs. However to be honest, I tend to find new inspiration every day, even when I simply come across certain ingredients in the grocery store. The potential recipe is already born in my mind.
7. Please tell us at the end what concrete recipes can we find inside How to Find the Joy of Cooking?
How to Find the Joy of Cooking contains a wide range of different recipes. I didn’t want to centre the cookbook around a particular location / cuisine, so you can find all kinds of international recipes in my cookbook to satisfy a larger audience and not just the Czech Republic. To be more concrete, there are recipes for basic doughs, various sauces, pastry, appetisers, main courses and, of course, desserts. For every recipe in my cookbook, I wrote down what is important to pay attention to and what not to forget about, so I would say it is mainly concentrated on beginners that would like to grow in terms of cooking and baking.
You can now purchase Martin Legeza’s cookbook for a discounted price here. Have fun with both cooking and baking!
