The RTL Klub star has an exciting Christmas with a special menu. But to find out what Zé's favourite things are and what his family does, read our article.
The big-mouthed gastronomy star eats, cooks, reviews and shares recipes with his audience all year round. But he talks little about how he can stop and rest. As Christmas approached, I asked Z, who answered all my questions honestly: what happens at her house over the holidays, what's Street Kitchen 2022, what she does for a living and is she as cheeky in real life as she is on screen?
You're a great adventurer who spends many holidays in other countries, with food from other traditions. Why go away at Christmas?
It is true that I am very curious about the world and the gastronomy of different nations. However, the fact that I go away to relax during this winter period is only because work might stop around me for a while. The Street Kitchen takes a breather, everyone rests for a week or two, and then we're back in full swing - literally. We can only do that because now look: we're cooking Christmas food and taking photos in June (laughs) We have two big magazines coming out a year, which means, we're in shorts, eating bejgli in 40 degree weather, listening to Jingle Bells, because it's the only way we can have a magazine ready for October. That's why while most people are resting in the summer, we're already cooking the stuffed cabbage. So, I really relax during the Christmas holidays, and then I have to get down to it to switch everything off. Last time we were in Sri Lanka, for example, we ate our way through a menu at a local Chinese restaurant. But Sari, my partner, is always thoughtful and hid a bar of bejgli in our suitcase, which we ended up eating under the palm trees. It was cool, though!
When you go to a restaurant, what do you look for in the food?
If you've ever seen the show "Kitchen Wives", most of you can imagine what goes through my mind when they put a dish in front of me - because it's pretty much the same. I'm a critic because I've seen a lot, I've studied a lot, I can cook, it's part of my job, but I don't criticise out loud. I tell myself that this duck is cooked to perfection, or I'm annoyed that the pasta is soggy. Regardless, I try to sit in a back section of the restaurant, hiding, eating my dinner unobtrusively. I'm going out to have fun, not to work. That's probably why I choose good places in the first place, just to relax.
Street Kitchen is flying, soaring. What's your secret, how do you do it?
The team is good, we are natural, we cook, prepare and photograph what we love and eat ourselves. Nothing is more proof of that than when I go home - embarrassing or not - and take out my own book several times to make something quick, easy and good for us with Sari. I think we're authentic, and of course there's a lot of work in it from the idea to the editing to the photos. I think that's why our site is so popular, and that's probably why our collaborators like it, and that's why they're supporting the site and the videos more and more. We work with ingredients and tools that we actually use, and then we eat the food that we've made. That's it, really. The Street Kitchen is like a licensed, classic, big kitchen with an editorial office next to it, working in parallel, with about 40 people. We self-publish and try to satisfy all our readers' needs, however extreme.
People look for three things at Christmas: the traditional, the unconventional and the vegan. Some people love the traditional stuffed cabbage with lots of meat and classic flavours. But many people are bored of it and want to eat something special, like a Wellington on Christmas Eve. And there are more and more people on a vegan diet who like to take the old classics and make them vegan, like vegan stuffed cabbage.
Do you cook at Christmas or just conduct?
Basically, I love to cook. In fact, Sari and I often cook together, and we cook good food (laughs). This means that I have a competition with my family members. My mum cooks crumbled duck and makes her brutal meat soup. My dad prepares his own famous stuffed cabbage (Lajos Fördős) and my sister enhances the menu with her honey-cream, bun line. What am I supposed to do here, I thought, I'll just sit on the sofa and sit through everything.
How and where will you spend Christmas this year?
The good news is that it's home. It's still a big drive, but I'll let it go after next week. I'm going crazy with all the rushing and pushing, which is why I don't even like to go to the shops this time of year. Everyone is nervous and tense, and by the time we get there, you're completely dead. No. The family and I have agreed that we won't buy each other the essentials now, and everyone gets ready as they please. It's really about the kids, my brother's kids, who are still writing letters to Jesus and can enjoy this whole ritual in a way that is a joy to watch. Now, that's what makes staying home the most worthwhile.
What are you planning to do in 2022?
Yes, but not all the details. The truth is that, despite the belief that the print press is becoming less interesting, our books and magazines are selling in good numbers. And we are rewarding our readers by coming out with a third issue next year, between winter and summer, with the new Easter. So, in January we'll be painting eggs, won't we. I think it's going to be a big bang, because we're really getting ready for it. And the other one is the revamp of our site, with new features, similar to the printable shopping lists that we introduced earlier, which our visitors love. We're also building on my dad in a big way in the coming year! I think the public have really taken to Louis, but he really does have a world of his own. So, again, we won't be bored, but we love it, and next Christmas, we'll go out again, I think, for something to eat, which I'll tell you about again.#
