Danka Kissling is one of the exceptional chefs in Slovakia. Her restaurant Pivnica u Zlatej Husi is also known outside of Slovakia. In the roasting of a traditional goose, her restaurant has won the title of World Champion and has no competition far and wide. This year she got Gurman Award with a la carte cuisine, and received another 3 awards from Restaurant Guru. During the pandemic, when all the restaurants had to close, she did not hesitate and came up with a series of extremely delicious and extravagant jams full of luxurious ingredients. All jams have their number. We were interested in jam no. 69 with aphrodisiac effects.
When did you get the idea to cook and sell jams?
I had this idea 4 years ago, but the pandemic situation and the closure of the restaurant gave me time and space to implement it. In our restaurant we do everything by hand, we cook from the most selected ingredients, we constantly come up with new recipes, tastes. A luxurious collection of jams goes hand in hand with this tradition and our approach.
Although I had been toying with this idea for a long time, I was moved to it by a fruit grower, whom I went to see because I wanted to prepare new recipes for summer syrups and drinks. So I visited an orchard and the fruit grower asked me if I wanted to take more fruit. I agreed and at home I started cooking plum jam.
What were the first responses among customers?
When I had the first jam cooked, one of my acquaintances with three of their guests came to our restaurant, two of them from abroad, so I, as a man, let them taste a sweet jam. One of them called out that it was CRAZY GOOD and the other asked where it could be bought. They both unknowingly gave me a great idea for my new business plan. I called the company dedicated to the production of fruit specialties Crazy Good and started to produce and sell them.
Where did the idea to put alcohol in a jam come from?
Since the first tasters were men, it quite naturally occurred to me to taste it with alcohol. But in order for children to be able to indulge in these fruit specialties, of course, I also started cooking children’s jams. Later I added different flowers like lavender and alike… Later I started experimenting even more with different exotic ingredients. All my jams are free of chemical preservatives, are high quality, and very healthy.
One of the jams has a special number of 69. Why?
I was also tempted to make something special, so I chose the tropical fruit Pitahaya, not only because it has a beautiful deep pink color, but also contains a lot of vitamins. It occurred to me to associate it with Peruvian ginseng (called Peruvian viagra in Peru), which grows at an altitude of 4,000 meters above sea level and is characterised by aphrodisiac effects. That’s why I called him no. 69. It is a sweet, purely natural aphrodisiac.
Are your recipes secret?
No, they are not, as I also sell them, the composition must be indicated on the batch. But I care that the ingredients are a first class. I do not make jams for quantity, but for quality. I follow this principle in everything. For example, I put the best Slovak pine in blueberry jams. To another, Metaxa Reserve, so we are talking about alcohol for about 100 euros per liter. All jams are made without the popular “echi”.
How do you recommend serving them?
Non-alcoholic jams for children with classic white yoghurts, pancakes, bread and alike, alcoholic for adults basically as well, but they can also be squeezed only as a sweet supplement after a meal. Grape jams with best varieties are suitable for eating cheese, wine and cognac.
I must say that the design of your jams is also very successful…
Thank you (smile). I connected with the great graphic and packaging designer Mgr. Art. Hedviga Hamžíková – Harvánková, created a concept and “dressed” these products in a beautiful design. Since my jams are handmade, we also chose ecological packaging in this case, handmade of recycled corrugated cardboard. We even won the World star Award competition, in packaging design. I prepared two different sizes for each taste. I bet everything on a hand-made approach, behind every jam there is a piece of handwork. You can see all products on the e-shop crazygood.sk
