Photo by Honza Zima.
Oh, how time flies! It seems like yesterday when we boarded our plane to New York City, and it’s now been three weeks of awesome Prague locals taking over our social media. Marcela and Igor were in charge of our inter-webs the last week and brought us some great tips for Vinohrady, the part of the town they live in and love.
Now it is time to introduce the next, and the penultimate, local Prague couple who will take over our social media the week ahead of us: Bara and Tomas Karpiseks.
It is hard not to like Bara and Tomas. They met in New York City when Bara was working there, and they have been returning there frequently (witness the photo above). They are clearly bonded by a love for food and travel, a love we are proud to share with them. Bara always seems to have a smile on her face and if she’s ever stressed, we’re yet to see it. She loves food and cooking and she seems at her happiest in the kitchen, and does not mind preparing breakfast - or any other meal - for hours. She find inspiration for cooking in her joint travels with Tomas and has collected so many ideas and recipes she has decided to write her own cookbook. We are sure her warm and friendly personality will shine through the pages.
If there is one person that is truly respected in the Prague culinary circles, it must be Tomas, Bara’s husband and the founder of the Ambiente group of restaurants. What we love about him is how much he cares, how enthusiastic he is about cooking, how eager he is to find new inspiration both home and abroad, and how humble he is despite his achievements.
Bara and Tomas make a wonderful couple and we are eager to see what they have in store for the week ahead. For you to get to know Bara and Tomas better, we have asked them a few questions. Below are the answers. Stay tuned for their posts on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. And most importantly - have a great week!
What do you like to do in Prague?
Basically, we both love Prague! One of our favorite things to do is walking, and we enjoy taking long walks through the city anytime of the year. Prague is the perfect size. We are able to walk almost anywhere we have to get to, and along the way, we always grab a cup of coffee and peek inside our favorite antique stores around town.
What don’t you like in Prague?
We don’t really focus on those kinds of things. Yes, some things could probably be better, but overall we are happy. We don’t mind any of it!
How would your friends describe you?
Well, that’s a difficult question. We were trying to think about it, and then realized that we aren’t really able to answer it. So… we asked one of our good friends Honza Zima (@kdejepinin) to describe us:
Tomas and Bára are the best example that love really goes through your stomach. Food linked them together, its their biggest passion and they are both just unstoppable in what they do. It doesn’t matter, if its coming up with new recipes, tasting great wines or opening new restaurants - everything is done with punctuality, enthusiasm and most of all, love. I’m proud to be friends with such an amazing and inspiring couple. Cheers!
And how would you describe yourself?
Obviously, we think we are pretty fun. We are two, incredibly happy people who love to live life! It might sound cliché, but we think that’s really who we are. We love to get up, be together with our kids, cook, work, do fun things with our friends and just enjoy every day. The thing that really matters to us is that, at the end of the day, we all are together.
What’s your style when you travel?
Our style is quite funny. Traveling is definitely one of our favorite things to do. We never know a lot about the places that we go, but, since we are so passionate about food, we always plan where we will have breakfast, lunch, afternoon coffee and dinner. Once we figure out the food part, then we start looking for all the sights and monuments.
What has been playing on your iPod recently?
Tomas likes to chill with Future Islands, and I have been a bit crazy about First Aid Kit.
Your favorite guilty pleasure?
Ahhh, guilty pleasure. Well, we really don’t want to commercialize any of the Ambiente restaurants here, but vanilkovy venecek from Cafe Savoy is absolutely deeeelicious! The pastry chef Edita created the perfect combination of vanilla cream and puff pastry. Vanilkovy venecek always hits the spot.
Can you describe your favorite Sunday?
We are so Sunday people! We love to stay in bed a bit longer than usual (because Sunday mornings are the best). The kids like when Bara reads them their favorite books, and then we all vote about what we’re going to have for a sweet breakfast. We pretty much always end up with crepes, pancakes or lívance with an egg dish. After a tasty meal, we slowly start thinking about the plan for the day. Sometimes we go with the kids to a park nearby or do some housework like raking leaves, collecting cones or moving grass. After all the “exhausting” work, we reward ourselves with a delicious Sunday dish. The kids love "svickova", so it’s really easy to decide where we are having lunch:-)))
Sunday afternoons we often spend outside, and in the evening we treat ourselves to a cup of amazing coffee in our favorite coffee place Muj salek kavy.