Maido a Piece of Japan in the Center of Ostrava
STYLE
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Maido
a Piece of Japan in the Center of Ostrava
A year ago, Vojtěch Putek, together with his high school classmate, Jiří Procházka, took over and now
together they run the street food bistro, Maido. The street food bistro is located in the center of Ostrava
and focuses on Japanese cuisine. What does the local gastronomic scene look like now? How did a high
school graduate learn to prepare Japanese cuisine? How do they see their business and future life?
When we talk about a Japanese street
food bistro in Ostrava, what should we
imagine and what can we enjoy?
While mapping the local gastronomic
scene, we saw the possibility of its
expansion in the original Japanese
bistro cuisine. Dishes that are prepared
according to recipes directly from
Japanese chefs using their home
ingredients. At the same time, the design
of the bistro itself reflects the influence
of the current street food scene.
Who comes to your bistro and what
potential do you see for your business?
We have a diverse clientele of Ostrava
residents, including foreign guests from all
over the world who live, work or study in
Ostrava and its surroundings. After more than
a year of our operation here in the city center,
we see the possibility of expanding to other
Czech cities, primarily Olomouc and Prague,
through a franchise. At the same time, we
are able to prepare catering according to
demand for anyone and anywhere. We have
already participated in several food festivals
where we had the opportunity to promote
our business concept.
How did the high school student find
himself in the kitchen?
I attended the 1
st
International School
of Ostrava – mezinárodní gymnázium.
It's not about cooking, but thanks to the
school, I have excellent language skills and
I have no problems communicating with
foreign partners. Also, the school project
in the framework of Junior Achievement
economics, where we created and
managed a fictitious company together
with our classmates was a helpful
experience. It gave me an insight into
business issues and all the processes
related to it like problem solving and
critical thinking. This experience definitely
helped prepare me to pass professional
training directly in Osaka, Japan. Now,
I can lead a team of our bistro employees
and show them what is needed.
The bistro is located in the center of
Ostrava. Do you see any business
advantages with this location?
If I follow up on the previous question, at
school we were very involved in active
citizenship projects and volunteer support
within the local community. We built
a relationship with the center of Ostrava
and therefore saw many opportunities
for concrete opportunities and to
provide support. Opening a business in
the center seemed to me like a meaningful
revitalization of local life. The city owns
the premises and we pay rent to them.
Everything is connected in our case and
we are glad that we are here and that we
are working.
Thank you for the interview.
“
Thanks to the
1
st
Internaonal School
of Ostrava, I have excellent
language skills and I have no
problems communicang with
foreign partners.
”
“
While mapping the local
gastronomic scene, we saw the
possibility of its expansion in the
original Japanese bistro cuisine,
using their home ingredients.
”
Maido
A Piece of Japan in the Centre of Ostrava
A year ago, Vojtěch Putek, together with his high school classmate, Jiří Procházka, took over and now
together they run the street food bistro, Maido. The street food bistro is located in the center of Ostrava
and focuses on Japanese cuisine. What does the local gastronomic scene look like now? How did a high
school graduate learn to prepare Japanese cuisine? How do they see their business and future life?