Even though it may not seem that way, Lukáš Hejlík literally ate through almost two million crowns. Although this personable head of a family is mainly known as an actor, the majority of young people already know him primarily as a gastro-critic, foodblogger or simply a gourmet. He decided to put food before acting, because he didn't want to be just another actor.
He travels the whole country with the project Listování, collecting tips for top class pubs for the Gastromap. He's already tried out over 1500 of them and spent more than half a million in the process. He claims to know where you won't get burnt. Moreover, he has published a book that will enable you to discover excellent food on your travels.
According to his own words, Hejlík is a headstrong fool who can put together hundreds of stories from his travels so as to help other people. He wants to give advice on places in the Czech Republic, where you can have a tasty or luxurious meal, but in his book Gastromap 365, he also offers tips for trips or completely unexpected spots, such as a café in Brno located next to a transfusion station. Luxury restaurants, bistros, cafes, pastry shops... Simply everything you can think of.
His main mission is simple: to motivate people to go out. No matter where we go, we'll eventually have to eat, and when Lukáš gives a tip on a mountain top restaurant, you have to get up that mountain. By doing so, you will also discover its surroundings and combine one pleasant experience with another, even more pleasant one.
It's a huge surprise that Hejlík is doing it for free. The establishments don't pay him anything, even though his reports apparently generate more customers. He claims he spends practically everything he earns on food. However, not everyone can afford such a luxury, as he often gets to hear...
“The owners of the establishments have no idea that I'm going to visit, or that I'm there. It's still my hobby. People think that since I'm an actor and I wrote about the restaurant, I must have gotten money for it, but that's not true. I pay everything myself, I've already spent 1.6 million crowns this way, I've been counting, "
In February, after six years of extensive mapping, Lukáš Hejlík's user application Gastromap was launched after a lot of pleading from the side of gastro enthusiasts. It can be downloaded for free on both Google Play and App Store.