He worked at the Budapest Intercontinental and Kempinski Corvinus hotels, at Gourmet, LouLou, Vár and Speiz…just to name a few establishments where Károly Rudits had a decisive influence. He is one of the best known and most decorated personalities of the Budapest restaurant scene.

Restaurants run by him have repeatedly been Dining Guide's Restaurant of the Year or recipient of the Bib Gourmand Award once even climbing to the 84th spot among the World's Top 100. Rudits's unique style makes his creations stand alone.

1. Where did you grow up?
Budapest

2. If you could be an expat anywhere in the world, where would you choose?
Vienna, the city of Kings.

3. What would you miss most if you moved away from Hungary?
At the moment I cannot think of anything I would really miss

4. Friends are in Budapest for a weekend - what must they absolutely see and do?
They definitely have to see the city from the banks of the Danube and the newly opened Lou-Lou restaurant, of course!

5. What is your favourite food?
Duck – prepared in every possible way

6. What is your favourite sport / form of exercise?
I love all kinds of sports; I wish I had time at the moment to practice more myself.

7. What is your favourite place in Hungary?
The northern region of Balaton

8. What career other than yours would you love to pursue?
Something that requires some creativity as part of the process.

9. What’s a job you would definitely never want?
I would not like to work in a mine.

10. Where did you spend your last vacation?
Venice, Italy

11. Where do you hope to spend your next one?
Venice, since I cannot have enough of its magic.

12. What was your favourite band, film, or hobby as a teen?
Band / singer: U2 and Robbie Williams.
Film: 5. Elem (Fifth element)
Hobby: all kinds of sports

13. Which is the temptation that can’t you resist?
Anything nice

14. Red wine or white?
Red

15. Book or movie?
Book during the summer - movie during the rest of the year.

16. Morning person or night person?
Night

17. Which social issue do you feel most strongly about?
It disturbs me deeply how many people are losing their homes and it really disturbes me if I see or hear that someone is living in uncertainty.

18. Buda or Pest side?
Budapest.

19. Which achievement in your life are you most pleased about?
Lou Lou restaurant is now in its 13the year. When it was closed down a few years back (it’s worth mentioning that the Pava restaurant in Four Seasons was also closed at the same time) this was due circumstances beyond my control and - as we know - there is no way of preventing a tsunami! But Lou Lou is now back in business once again!

20. What would you say is your personal motto?
I am not exactly proud of this, but it is “Only the best is good enough.” This is not always the best way, since it is good to just look back over things and what you are doing, but it does make life difficult sometimes because it takes away the easiness /lightness of things. These days I am really trying to be less strict, but I still do my best to keep to the motto.

Bio translated by Language Service Bt for XpatLoop.com

Proofread by Paul St. Pierre