Chef Beata Śniechowska celebrates Polish cuisine in Wrocław. Her cooking is rooted in Polish products, seasonality, acidity, umami, sauces, simplicity, and the emotional memory of home. Through Baba and Młoda Polska, she presents both a personal interpretation of Polish flavors and a generous, comforting vision of tradition.
The Best Chef: What is your greatest inspiration when creating your cuisine?
Beata Śniechowska: For me, the greatest inspiration is Polish cuisine. Baba is my attempt to interpret Polish cuisine, to redefine it, and to show it through the seasons and through what nature gives us at a particular moment. I often work with Polish products, and through them I show how I sense Polish flavors and how I interpret them. Even when I use brilliant products from abroad, I always try to present them with a Polish thought, with a Polish accent. That is why they taste different here at Baba. They taste like nowhere else in the world, and that is what makes it special.
The Best Chef: What does simplicity mean in your kitchen?
Beata Śniechowska: I did not invent anything completely new. I simply went a little off the beaten path. I started looking for good products, working with organic fields and organic gardens, and focusing on what is simple but really good. I wanted to respect simplicity. I did not want to hide the product under too many flavors. I wanted to emphasize it. I always say that simplicity is not easy. Simple cooking is actually very difficult. It requires thinking, patience, precision, and a very good product. When you have something brilliant in itself, the most beautiful thing you can do is not destroy it. That is why I love old-school techniques. I like duck from a cold pan, or a small chicken that is perfectly marinated and perfectly prepared. I like to cook it in browned butter, let it rest, and then bring it back to butter and herbs, like thyme, savory, or tarragon. When you use fire, butter, and fresh herbs in the right way, it becomes something extraordinary. And it is fun. For me, cooking has to be fun.
The Best Chef: What can guests experience at Baba that is different from Młoda Polska?
Beata Śniechowska: Baba is my interpretation of Polish cuisine. It is more personal, more seasonal, and more focused on redefining Polish flavors through what nature gives us at a particular moment. At Baba, I often take Polish products and Polish memories, but I show them in my own way. I want the dishes to taste Polish, but also to taste like nowhere else in the world. Młoda Polska is more traditional, but always with a little twist. It is a casual bistro, focused on Polish cuisine and comfort food. There is no tasting menu there. It is about generous dishes, big flavors, and the feeling of being properly welcomed and hosted.
The Best Chef: How important is the energy around the table for you?
Beata Śniechowska: When you visit my restaurant, it is like coming to my home. It is very important that you are warmly welcomed and properly hosted. That is when the experience is complete. In Poland we love to feed others. We are happiest then. Our grandmothers gave us this art around the table, the art of hospitality. And of course, what would the best hospitality be without good taste?
Instagram: @beatasniechowska @baba.wroclaw @mlodapolskabistro
Restaurant website: baba.wroclaw.pl/ + mlodapolskabistro.pl
Restaurant Address: Baba: Nożownicza 1d, 50-119 Wrocław; Młoda Polska: Plac Solny 4, 50-060 Wrocław
