It started with an insult over żurek. Eight years, two kids and one banana soup disaster later, Karolina and Paweł have turned Gary na Ogniu into a Gdynia legend. Now they’re cooking up something even bigger. What could possibly go wrong?
WHY SOUP, OF ALL THINGS?
Karolina: We met working in a restaurant. I criticised Paweł’s żurek before we even knew each other!
Paweł: Days later, I made her a spectacular two-coloured soup. Was I showing off or flirting?
Probably both!
Photo by Adalat NaghiyevWAS OPENING A RESTAURANT ALWAYS THE DREAM?
Paweł: Absolutely! We waited until we felt ready, although nothing really prepares you for running one.
EIGHT YEARS ON STAROWIEJSKA. BEST MEMORY?
Paweł: Opening day. We sold out in four hours! I also cooked for hospitals during COVID. The solidarity was unforgettable.
Photo by Adalat NaghiyevA BIGGER GARY NA OGNIU IN GDYNIA?
Karolina: After nearly a year, we secured our dream premises! Renovations are chaotic, but we’re creating something bigger and more welcoming.
EXCITED OR TERRIFIED?
Paweł: Both! One minute we’re imagining our beautiful new restaurant. The next we’re wondering what the hell we’ve got ourselves into!
CRAZIEST SOUP YOU’VE SERVED?
Paweł: Banana soup. Complete disaster! Karolina: My idea inspired our lemon chicken soup. Our chefs call it culinary sacrilege. Customers love it!
FIRST VISIT. WHAT MUST I ORDER?
Karolina: Thai chicken soup! Our bestseller, and always the first to disappear.
Photo by Adalat NaghiyevMARRIAGE AND BUSINESS. WHO’S THE BOSS?
Paweł: With two children and a restaurant, peace is practically extinct! Karolina: We agree on the goals, just not how to reach them. Eventually, Paweł realises I’m right!
EVER WANTED TO WALK AWAY?
Paweł: Every six months we dream of escaping to a cabin in the Bieszczady Mountains! Karolina: We’ve never seriously wanted to quit. Sometimes you need rest, not a different life.
BIGGEST RISK?
WOULD YOU DO IT AGAIN? Karolina: Marrying Paweł! Absolutely, although next time I’d include unlimited therapy sessions! Paweł: Leaving Bytom for Gdynia. I planned three months. Instead, I found a wife, children and a restaurant. Next time I’d pack a bigger suitcase!
From a pot of żurek to a Gdynia favourite, Karolina and Paweł have built Gary na Ogniu on equal parts courage, stubbornness and a marriage that’s survived both restaurant life and banana soup. Now they’re preparing for an even bigger adventure, proving that sometimes the best things happen when you refuse to play it safe. And if it all gets too much, there’s always that escape plan to the Bieszczady mountains. But knowing these two, they’d probably end up opening a soup kitchen there too.