Events

The project was created by the chef and co-creator of the Tri-City restaurant brand Fino - Jacek Koprowski and the visual artist, painter and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk - Anna Królikiewicz.

Here is what the Creators of this event say:

- "I came up with the idea after reading Ania's essay titled "Międzyjęzyk", in which she writes about experiencing life and the world with all the senses intertwined with each other" - says Koprowski.
- "After long conversations, we created the first concept of working together.
- The concept of food, its context or how a meal is prepared, how it is consumed, the power of tradition and cultural codes are the important topics in my work for 13 years" - explains Królikiewicz.
- "However both Jacek and I believe, that the role of contemporary cuisine and art is not only an aesthetic task, but currently mainly ethical and social: creating community and inclusivity in the face of the crisis of values, economical crises and wars."

The first event prepared by the Koprowski/Królikiewicz project was a fund raise for the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity in 2023. Believing in its purpose, we invited people to bid 10 tables for an extraordinary feast – a spectacle. The dinner took place on Valentine's Day in the historic Jüncke Villa at Goyki 3 street in Sopot, where one could admire 100-year-old frescoes in the interiors and a view of the beautiful old garden.

The Valentine's Dinner was a culinary spectacle prepared especially for the winners of the auction titled "Life. Performance in seven acts.". 7 dishes inspired by different stages of human life. These were not only taste sensations, but also visual, sound and tactile experiences.

The guests learned the details of the spectacle and the menu during dinner – this was necessary to achieve the effect of surprise. Artist Anna Królikiewicz and chef Jacek Koprowski created joint visions in front of the guests.

Many partners joined this and next charity projects, sharing their goods and increasing the value of our auctioned tables.

From this fund raise, directly from the auction for the fight against sepsis, PLN 30,037.13 went to Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity!

As Anna Królikiewicz wrote, "You think I'm not doing anything, but don't think so: Koprowski/Królikiewicz in collaboration with Krzysztof Konieczny are playing again with Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, this time for lungs after the pandemic! And again on Valentine's Day you will be able to sit with your loved one at a table where we will serve "Eight times Paris".

Chef Krzysztof Konieczny (NEON Gdynia) has officially joined the Koprowski/Królikiewicz project.

This time there were just few tables, and the dinner took place in a secret, beautiful, private place, the address of which we revealed only to the winners of the auction. It was an interior from 1903, which was made available to us by a good soul who is a friend of the project. The floral decorations, as in the previous edition, were made by the Fjoł florist's studio from Gdynia, and the setting and fragrance were provided by Astrolabium.

On Valentine's Day, February 14, 2024, we set only 5 two-person tables, on which we served an 8-course dinner "Eight Times Paris" in the spirit of neo-bistro filtered through the art of fine dining.

Surrounded by sculptures and music prepared especially for this evening, we started with French champagne. It was a unique event on the borderline of artistic and culinary experience.

As last year, many partners with big hearts joined. The auction for Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity raised PLN 17,414.00 to fight lung diseases after the pandemic.

On June 20, 2024, everything started happening in fast forward mode. On that day, the results of the inspection by the Michelin guide were announced and we felt great pride and joy.

We received a recomendation and became part of the famous and esteemed Michelin guide. Our work, passion and heart that we put here were appreciated.

Our phones were overheated, the number of congratulations, messages and comments was huge. It was a beautiful day.

Hanging the plaque by the door of our restaurant gave us the feeling that our effort and our dedication make sense... and in fact, if you do what you love, you don't get tired. We won't say it was easy, but we definitely know that we will strive to make it even better over time. We do not stop, we look to the future with a smile.

This is a small step for the Michelin guide, but a huge one for us. We are on the map of the best destinations in Poland and in the world, and the fact that we found ourselves in the pages of the famous guide is of course the work of the entire Fino team!

In October 2024, we had the honor of preparing a dinner for the awards ceremony of the Gastronomic Academy in Poland, during which our chef Jacek Koprowski received the unique Priv au Chef de L’Avenir (Chef of the Future) award.

At the ceremony, Jacek Koprowski said:

"I would like to thank the Gastronomic Academy in Poland, headed by Maciej Dobrzyniecki, for honoring me with such an honorable title. This is a huge success for me and the entire Fino team. Being among such distinguished winners who have been awarded for many years is an exceptional thing, a great responsibility, great joy and motivation to continue. I would like to thank my partners and the entire team with whom we hosted the dinner - the hall: Patrycja, Dawid and the kitchen: Mikołaj and Błażej and the team that stayed in Gdańsk so that Fino could operate as if we were there."

In 2025, another edition of the dinner took place, the aim of which was to support the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity. However, the "Koprowski & Królikiewicz" project did not take place this year in its classic form. This time, exceptionally and unfortunately without Ania.

And this year on Valentine's Eve. But because our joint project is the universal spark of all the good that Ania and I have nourished over the past years, creating unforgettable feasts and performances. This year "Koprowski & Królikiewicz" took media patronage over the event.

In addition to Krzysztof Konieczny, who has been with us from the beginning, several other excellent people joined the event – ​​Ewa Woronowska – a professional with extensive experience specializing in travel services, Bartek Szymczak – chef and co-owner of the Michelin-starred restaurant - Rozbrat 20. Our restaurant team was also represented – head chef Mikołaj Misiak and sommelier Dawid Kowalski took part.

The feast took place on February 13 in a mysterious room that is part of the M. Abakanowicz State High School of Fine Arts in Gdynia. The guests were brought in Lexus cars, because this year the campaign was supported by the Walder Group from the Tri-City.

There were also beautiful flowers and decorations from Floral Design from Gdynia. And as always, many partners who joined in by donating their goods for the sake of the dinner.

Six two-person tables went up for auction and something totally crazy happened. From the campaign that we wanted to skip, because there was a lot of work and running around to gather everyone and to find a good date... it turned out brilliantly, a total shock, 36,727 PLN!!!

Guests paid an average of over six thousand Polish zlotys for a two-person table, and the entire amount went to Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity - for Pediatric Oncology and Hematology.

At the beginning of March 2025, the huge global tourism fair ITB took place in Berlin. We were invited to participate in the second day of the fair as one of 14 restaurants from Poland to represent our country.

A lot was happening. We tried to show as much as possible and in the best way possible to encourage tourists from all over the world to visit our country, especially Gdańsk.

We prepared deer tartare, celery in various forms and a dessert made of apples and marjoram. We invite you to watch the report from the fair on our social media.