Relax isn’t just a restaurant. It’s a way of life for our family. I remember when I was a child. My parents would take me out of Krakow – the big city with the old church bells and cobble stone steps. And we would go by car to Grandma’s house. In the village. With a thatched roof. And an old wooden fence with one of those gates that never closes properly. We would go for the weekend. We got there when it was dark. And I saw the stars. And I smelled the smoke from chimneys. I would fall asleep and then around 4 am, I would wake.
I heard a sound. A gentle smack. And then a roll. Grandma was up at 4am. And the wooden rolling pin was gently pushing the fresh flour. Everyone was asleep. But Grandma was awake. And she would put the pin down and I would hear the door open. The chickens squawked. And then I heard the cow make a gentle moo. And Grandma would come back with fresh eggs and fresh milk.
She was preparing the lunch and dinner for the day. The pierogis. The nalesznikis. The potatoe pancakes. In the morning, when we would roll out of bed and into the kitchen she would point her finger at me and smile. And bring me to the kitchen. She told something in Polish that I would never forget. “The secret,” she said, “is time.” Everything must be done slowly. Everything must be cut fresh in the morning. Never frozen. Never stored. Every potato is a gift. We can’t rush. We have to go slow. We have to relax.
Relax is not just a family business for me. It’s a legacy. It’s my grandmother speaking through my hands. It’s the most authentic and real slow-cooked, slow-prepared 100% fresh food that we could bring to America from Poland.
