Art of Food's Meet The Chef: Lukas Pohl, Chef at Bohemian Spirit

We do traditional Czech cuisine. We've been here since April. Some of our specialties include duck, dumplings, and schnitzel.

We have weekly specials and use seasonal, local ingredients and try to help the local farmers.

A small, small town in the Czech Republic. Growing up there was a little boring, but my grandma taught me to cook. She lived up on a mountain, and everything was always homemade. We spent a lot of time together in the woods and fields picking herbs. We made our own tea, picked mushrooms, got fresh eggs and milk on the farm. She showed me the way.

I went to culinary school in the Czech Republic and studied in France. I also attended the Culinary Institute of America.

I worked at a First Michelin Star restaurant in the Czech Republic with very seasonal menus. There were two menus—one that was strictly Czech, and one that was international. Each menu had sixteen courses and was changed every day. So, at this time, I tried a lot of techniques and worked with a lot of ingredients, which really taught me a lot.

I also worked Prague to work as a pastry chef. And after that, I moved to New York to work here.

Always try to use the ingredients that are around you—what's local is fresh, and what's in season is least expensive.

To find out more or to buy tickets to Art of Food 2017, go to artoffoodny.com.