Spring with New Faces

Two new additions have been made to the Grand Restaurant team at the Grand Hotel Kempinski in the High Tatras. Matej Lacko is the new sommelier and Peter Cibelenko is the new manager of the Grand Restaurant.

"We are delighted with the two new members of staff who have joined the Grand Restaurant team. It is always very pleasant for us when we can work with people who have gained valuable experience abroad and have returned to work back in Slovakia," says Kathrin Noll, General Manager of Grand Hotel Kempinski High Tatras.

Sommelier Matej Lacko returns to the hotel after many years, during his studies at the Hotel Academy in Bratislava, he worked in the then Hviezdoslav Spa House, which became part of the Grand Hotel Kempinski after its reconstruction in 2009. Matej has worked in several hotels in Slovakia and abroad, but his greatest work experience came from French Polynesia. "The m/s Paul Gaugin was sailing in its waters, on which I worked as a sommelier. It was a demanding job, but I experienced a great organisation of work, all processes were clearly defined and I learned how important it is to maintain standards," he says, adding that he is now happy to put his experience to good use in the High Tatras.

Restaurant manager Peter Cibelenko brings the skills he acquired in several hotels in neighbouring Austria. His greatest professional experience, however, comes from a 5-star hotel in the ski resort of St. Anton am Arlberg. "There I went through a very strict school and found out what type of gastronomy I like. I told myself that if I was to work in Slovakia, I would only work at the Kempinski Hotel on Štrbské Pleso," says Peter, who graduated from the Hotel Academy in Spišská Nová Ves.