The cornerstone of the domestic hospitality industry - the dedicated professional. The chefs who do their job not for a living, but out of dedication, represent the future. Bence Dalnoki, winner of the Hungarian Bocuse d'Or final, this year's runner-up is one of those people. Find out why in this interview.
- Since when did you become passionate about cooking?
- I started school in Vác, but not in catering. But I had one or two teachers who saw my imagination and tried to steer me in that direction. I've always loved to cook, but I really liked it when I started going to the Taverna. I was lucky enough to meet Frigyes Vomberg, who gave me the opportunity to attend the training sessions of Tamás Széll and his team as a second commis. From then on, I was completely sucked into this world.
- This is a real competition. It's much more than just the cookery that is usually known. What motivated you outside of cooking?
- I did some basic sport. In fact, I love competition! I kayaked for ten years, I was Hungarian champion, so I was not far from racing. When I became a second commis, I was „caught by the wind” of this world and there was no question that I wanted to be part of it. At that time I was already a student at Fausto's and I saw the depths of the profession. I had also been to the European finals as a second commis, alongside the Austrians and Italians, and I knew that this was the only path I had to take.
- How did you continue your professional career?
- Strange coincidences followed. When I was a senior, my phone rang. It was Tamás Széll asking me if I was interested in ONYX. Needless to say - as a graduate student - it was a God-given opportunity.
Just as Tamás and his family left, I couldn't find my place in the Onyx kitchen, so we moved to Lake Balaton and I tried my hand at Kistücsök for a summer season alongside László Jahni and Ádám Pohner. By the way, it's interesting that Ádám was preparing for the Bocuse d'Or that very summer. In the autumn, I found myself back in Tamás' kitchen, first at Stand25 Bistro, and then from the opening and since then I have been part of the team at Stand Restaurant.
- Your stellar standing and professional development have put you on the Bocuse. When did you decide to get serious about it?
- It was always in my plans to start. I had to wait and see to be prepared both knowledgably and mentally for the competition. What is very important about the competition is that it is not enough to have the technical knowledge, not enough to have the hands, but you have to have a very serious mental preparation. I believe that I am ready for this task and fortunately everyone - both at work and in my family - supported me in my decision to enter the competition.
- The question arises: when you've had to deal with the daily tasks of dedication, day-to-day work and being a sous-chef at a restaurant, when have you managed to sleep at all?.
- Rarely, and quickly! I've had one day off in the last three weeks, but I've been busy preparing. It was a very hard time but the momentum carried us. It's a heightened state that's hard to put into words.
- Moving on to the competition, how did you do in the for raw materials?
- When I saw that it was carp and red pepper, it was clear that we were going to cook a chowder. Especially when it turned out to be a restaurant dish. These two ingredients immediately brought fish stock to mind. Fortunately, I'm not far from chowder and it's a regular feature on the family table. With the mangalica, the only real issue was to make sure it wasn't undercooked and tender. And the surprise ingredient, chives, was thankfully not difficult and was even in my basic recipe.
- Now that you've won the Bocuse d'Or final in Hungary, what next?
- I'm coming to prepare again and hand over the tasks to the restaurant. For example, I made the homemade bread, which I have to hand over to be perfect. That's about two weeks and then I'll just focus on the competition. Even though we don't know the ingredients for the European final yet, we have to start preparing, as four and a half months is a very short deadline. They will publish the ingredients around the first weeks of November. I think we'll have to take a month or two for the creative part, I mean, what we want to cook and then perfect it as much as we can, cook it. Tamás Széll is coming to coach us, which is very important for me, as he is not only a chef but also a competitor. It means a lot that because we work together on a day-to-day basis, we can compete as a team. Patrikot Nyikos and he's just as into gastronomy and competition as I am, so I'm sure that together we'll get the most out of it.
Source: Airchef Tamás Budafoki
Photo: Hungarian Bocuse d'Or Academy
