Gyula Berkes, owner of the Biarritz restaurant in Budapest, and Szabolcs Szabolcs and Szilárd Dudás, owners of the Anyukám Mondta restaurant in Encs, received this year's Gundel Károly Awards.
Gyula Berkes - owner and manager of the Biarritz restaurant in the heart of Budapest. He has been active in the hospitality industry for 46 years, working at the Szabadság Hotel, the Kis Royal in Buda, the Országház Restaurant, the Golden Barrel Restaurant, and since 1995 he has owned the Biarritz Restaurant.
„As they say, everyone has a dream. Mine was to have my own a la carte restaurant. And not just because it's the pinnacle of the profession. When you have a restaurant like that, you wake up differently, people look at you differently, everything changes around you. It's a lot of work, but it's all made up for by the fact that you can create, realise your ideas and experience the joy and beauty of hospitality. Dealing with people is an honour, but also a very difficult job. Without humility, you'll get nowhere, and the most important thing is that the guest is all that matters! To make them feel good, to make them feel that everything they have spent an hour or two with has been done for them, and to make them leave the table satisfied. As a child, I used to talk a lot to an aunt who was probably the first person to see my passion for hospitality and predicted that one day I would have my own restaurant. Well, here it is... And I'm really happy.”
Gyula Berkes has always taken education to heart: many chefs and waiters have received practical training under his guidance. In 2010, he was awarded the European Gastronomy Prize for his work in preserving traditions and promoting Hungarian cuisine. He is vice-president of the Hungarian Catering Industry Association and a member of VIMOSZ, the Pannon Gastronomic Academy and the Hungarian Bocuse d'Or Academy. Awards.
Szabolcs Dudás and Szilárd Dudás the restaurant of a pair of siblings, the story of the restaurant, Mother told me, began in 1995. Gradually it became known throughout the country; today it is considered the best restaurant in the country.
“We both worked in Italy, as head waiter and as chef. Time went by and we thought, after a two-and-a-half-year stint in New York, that home was waiting, and we came home. First we did a corner bar, then we did a corner pizzeria, and then we did what my mom called a restaurant.’
For decades, the Dudás brothers have been obsessively researching quality Italian and Hungarian ingredients to ensure that every guest has the perfect experience, combined with a high level of service. In the Italian-Hungarian kitchen, Szabolcs is the chef and Szilárd the manager. In 2017 they opened their second restaurant, Pizza, Coffee World Peace in Miskolc. Then in 2020 they opened Pizza Brumbrum World Peace in Eger.
The Károly Gundel Award was established in 2014 by the Hungarian Hospitality Industry Association in memory of Károly Gundel (1883-1956), perhaps the greatest icon of Hungarian hospitality, with the involvement of a wide range of Hungarian professional organisations. The award is open to individuals who are exemplary followers of Károly Gundel's career and gastronomic work in the field of Hungarian hospitality.
The Károly Gundel Award is open to those who have been present in the field of Hungarian hospitality for at least 25 years with an outstandingly successful activity, have an impeccable professional record and an exemplary life, cherish the historical traditions of Hungarian hospitality and are committed to its renewal, support the professional development of the young generation, and contribute to the promotion of Hungarian hospitality. The award is open to the best in the hospitality industry, up to three people per year.
The Gundel Prize is awarded on the basis of a broad professional cooperation: delegates from 13 professional organisations, 3 institutions, the Gundel restaurant and the Gundel family decide on the winners based on the merits of the nominees.
Source: Trade Magazine, mukammondta.hu , biarritz.hu
