ALMA TALKS:
#3: Food criticism and journalism
date: Monday, April 28, 2025
time: 9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
location: ALMA Prague
The event will be held in Czech and English. There will be a possibility to use headphones on site to listen to simultaneous interpretation in both languages.
Food criticism is no longer confined to journalists and restaurant guides—today, influencers and digital storytellers also play a key role in shaping public perception, setting trends and influencing the success of hospitality businesses. This raises a crucial question: how do we balance the immediacy and accessibility of modern digital content with the timeless craft of in-depth, respected criticism—one that is built on deep expertise and a nuanced understanding of the hospitality industry?
The third edition of AlmaTalks will delve into the shifting landscape of food criticism and gastronomic journalism, offering a platform to reflect on its diverse dynamics and future potential. Through inspiring talks, engaging Q&As, and lively panel discussions with renowned journalists, critics, and industry experts, we will explore how food journalism can go beyond superficial reviews to address broader ethical, cultural, and environmental issues and how this industry is changing in different regions and cultures around the world.
Topics we will touch upon:
Gastronomic guides and how they work
The evolution of criticism from traditional newspaper columns to modern digital content
How inspectors work - anonymity and impartiality vs. transparency
Writing about food, its culture and hidden stories to spark conversations about heritage, identity and ecology
How to work with guest feedback and criticism as a restaurant
How to better market yourself as an international restaurant
where And how
The event capacity is 100 people. Most of the programme will take place in the ALMA restaurant, some parts will be held in Alma's underground conference space.
ALMA TALKS CATERING
The conference programme includes several refreshments, all created by Alma's chefs Michal Daňek and Petr Žídek. The price includes a morning welcome meal, a two-course lunch and an afternoon coffee break.
SPEAKERS
Nicholas Gill (USA)
James Beard and André Simon nominated writer Nicholas Gill is based in New York and Peru and writes mostly about the connection between food and biodiversity, especially in Latin America. He is the co-author of several cookbooks, including Central with co-author and chef Virgilio Martinez and is a regular contributor to publications such as The New York Times, Saveur, Food & Wine, The Guardian, and Fool. His next book, Eating the Amazon, will be published in 2027.
Catherina Pugacheva (RU)
Catherina is a freelance consultant, author and Academy chair for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Since 2024, she has created more than 40 travel guides for Europe and Southeast Asia. Nowadays she consults to a growing number of restaurants and gives lectures on the topics of international trends in the restaurant industry, promotion strategies on the international market and many others.
Lindsey Tramuta (USA)
Lindsey Tramuta is an American culture & travel journalist and podcaster. She is a regular contributor to the New York Times, Bloomberg, Eater, and Conde Nast Traveler among other news and travel publications. Her first book, The New Paris: the People, Places & Ideas Fueling a Movement, was published in 2017. Her second book, The New Parisienne: the Women & Ideas Shaping Paris, was published in 2020 and features more than 40 women challenging the “French Girl” trope. Lindsey’s podcast, The New Paris podcast, continues the conversations and themes explored in both books. “The Eater Guide to Paris”, her new book, releases on April 29, 2025.
Max Jones (UK)
Max Jones is a British writer, food conservationist, and founder of Up There The Last, an initiative dedicated to preserving ancestral food traditions. His work explores traditional preservation techniques, rural food cultures, and the connection between food and place. With a background in cheesemongering and food photography, he has documented heritage practices across Europe. Since 2018, he has been based in West Cork, Ireland, where he writes, leads workshops, and researches the role of storytelling in sustaining food traditions.
Lorraine Haist (DE)
Lorraine Haist is a writer and culinary consultant based in Berlin. She writes mostly about food culture and the culinary industry, with a special focus on agriculture and women in gastronomy. She regularly contributes to notable publications in the German-speaking region, such as Die Zeit, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Salon, and Effilee. In addition to her journalistic work, she is the Academy Chair for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in Germany, has been involved in significant culinary projects, such as accompanying the reconceptualisation of the legendary Munich restaurant Tantris, and advises various culinary businesses on strategic branding.
Jan Valenta & Zuzana Daňková (CZ)
Zuzi and Jan are co-founders of Taste of Prague, a food tour company in Prague. They also write a food blog about Prague and authored a printed food guide through Prague. In the process, they have gained traction on social media and are now followed by locals and foreign visitors for tips on Prague food and travel. They have also helped restaurants in Prague with their social media presence, and now also own and operate a small bistro in Prague.
Lucie Svobodová (CZ)
Lucie is in charge of Customer Care Management at Ambiente - one of the Czech renowned restaurant groups. Being responsible for the strategy and direction of the loyalty program, she ensures that every guest receives a response to their feedback, which Ambiente collects from various sources. She firmly believes that a dissatisfied guest can become a loyal one and that guest feedback is valuable for the development of any business, not just those in the gastronomy sector.
Miroslav Lekeš (CZ)
Miroslav is a Chief Inspector at the Gault&Millau gastronomic guide for the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. He has built a resort, a successful starred restaurant, and a winery in Piedmont, the heart of gastronomy, where significant Barolo wines are produced. He travels the world in search of quality gastronomy, establishing connections with world-renowned chefs. He is a member of prestigious knightly orders and wine clubs.
Lukáš Hejlík (CZ)
Lukáš Hejlík is a Czech theater and film actor. Lukáš is also the author of the project LiStOVáNÍ, a series of staged readings, and the Gastromapa project, where he regularly blogs, posts and records viral videos about the newest restaurant openings, cafés, and other hospitality establishments he has visited across the Czech Republic. He has published several travel books, and he also produces TV shows and podcasts about Czech gastronomy.
Klára Donáthová (CZ)
Klára Donathová is a Czech lawyer, food critic, and gastronomic journalist. She began writing restaurant reviews in 2011 for Lidové noviny and spent many years working at EURO magazine, where she prepared the TOP Restaurace yearbook. Currently, she writes for Finmag and Estate magazine, focusing on gastronomic analysis and trends.
SCHEDULE
9:10 – 9:30
Open door
9:30 – 9:45
Opening word by moderator Vanda Kofroňová
9:45 – 10:15
Catherina Pugacheva - How to use gastronomic guides and ratings to improve your restaurant's performance
Every restaurant owner dreams of a full house and a respected name in the industry. Gastronomic guides and ratings can be powerful tools to boost visibility, credibility, and footfall. But how do these systems actually work, and how can you make them work for you? This talk will break down the methodology behind leading restaurant rankings and reveal how to strategically align your restaurant’s operations, brand, and storytelling to align with top-tier industry standards.
10:15 – 10:45
Miroslav Lekeš - Cut through the noise: Selecting the guide that fits your values
There is no perfect guide in any field—but some are built on vision, mission, and decades of experience. Both reviewers and end users benefit when they can choose a guide that aligns with their values. Gault&Millau offers international credibility and a wide scope beyond fine dining, helping restaurants find relevance and recognition in today’s diverse culinary landscape.
10:45 – 11:15
Coffee break (30 min)
11:15 – 11:45
Lindsey Tramuta & Lorraine Haist - Q&A session
Two influential writers come together for a dynamic conversation. Join Lindsey Tramuta – journalist, author, and creator of The New Paris podcast series, and Lorraine Haist – writer, consultant, and Academy Chair for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in Germany – as they explore the cultural shifts shaping today’s food scene, from changing narratives around women in gastronomy to the intersection of agriculture, identity, and hospitality.
11:45 – 12:30
Nicholas Gill - Eating the Amazon
A vast ecosystem that has given the world crops such as cacao, vanilla, chiles, cassava, and Brazil nuts, the Amazon rainforest is marching toward an unrecoverable ecological tipping point. Writer Nicholas Gill has been reporting on the region for two decades and will discuss how the role of food media and the wider culinary community affects the region’s destruction and preservation.
12:30 – 13:45
Lunch (75 min)
13:45 – 14:15
Max Jones - Up There, the Last: Preserving Ancient Food Traditions at the Edges of the World
What can we learn from producers living on the margins—those who still salt, smoke, herd, and prepare food as their ancestors once did? Max Jones—shepherd, writer, photographer, and founder of the project Up There the Last—shares stories from his work with communities ranging from Alpine cheesemakers to Irish salmon smokers. He shows how ancient techniques can offer a path back to the land, the sea, and the rhythms of the seasons.
14:15 – 14:45
Jan Valenta & Zuzana Daňková alias “Taste of Prague” - Q&A session
Though best known for their deep knowledge of Prague’s food scene, Jan and Zuzana of Taste of Prague travel the world in search of great food and fresh perspectives. Alongside their acclaimed food tours, blog, and printed guide, they’ve built a loyal following by sharing insights into both local and global gastronomy. In this Q&A, they’ll reflect on how travel shapes their approach to food storytelling, what Prague can learn from abroad (and vice versa), and what running a bistro has taught them about the joys and challenges of hospitality.
14:45 – 15:15
Lukáš Hejlík - Q&A session
Actor, author, and tireless food explorer, Lukáš Hejlík has mapped the Czech culinary landscape one bite at a time. Through his Gastromapa project, bestselling books, and popular media work, he’s brought attention to hundreds of local spots—from hidden gems to headline openings. In this Q&A session, Lukáš talks about the evolving Czech food scene, the power of storytelling in gastronomy, and what continues to drive his appetite for discovery. Audience Q&A to follow.
15:15 – 15:45
Coffee break (30 min)
15:45 – 16:15
Lucie Svobodová - Q&A session
How should hospitality businesses approach guest feedback—and what can they actually learn from it? Join Lucie Svobodová, Head of Customer Care at Ambiente, as she shares insights from leading feedback and loyalty strategies at one of the Czech Republic’s most respected restaurant groups. From navigating complaints to turning dissatisfied guests into loyal advocates, this session explores how thoughtful, structured feedback processes can fuel continuous improvement. Followed by audience Q&A.
16:15 – 16:45
Taste of Prague, Klára Donathová, Miroslav Lekeš - Panel discussion
Where is Czech food criticism headed—and who gets to shape the narrative? This panel brings together three distinct voices: digital storytellers and social media influencers Taste of Prague, journalist and traditional newspaper critic Klára Donathová, and gastronomic guide representative Miroslav Lekeš. Together, they’ll reflect on the current state of food media in the Czech Republic, examine how their approaches intersect and diverge, and offer a forward-looking vision of what food criticism could become—and what it still lacks.
17:00 – 20:00
Networking & Bar Guest Shift: Nipperkin (Londýn) a Yaldy (Frankfurt)
thank you for your support
