After many years of experience, gathered at diverse restaurants both in Hungary and foreign countries, he is currently applying his knowledge at Monk's Bistrot's open kitchen - a promising newborn on the capital's gastronomical scene -where beside of managing his team and creating inspiring menus, he is also faced the challenge to prove his skills cooking day by day under customers curious eyes.

1. Where did you grow up?
Budapest, Óbuda.

2. Who was the best cook in your family?
My grandmother baked very delicious cookies, and my mother cooks very well.

3. What is your fondest food memory?
I have a lot of pleasant memories, like when my mother convinced me to taste ‘fried fat’.

4. What was the first recipe you learned?
Maybe pancakes. I spend spent my studying years in Gundel Restaurant which at the time also ran the pancake shop at the zoo. Every day one of the students had to make 500 pancakes, and often it was me.

5. What is your favourite food to eat?
During the summer holidays, at the beach, it is definitely fresh fish from the sea, but generally various soups and pasta are my favourites.

6. How often do you 'play with food' to create new dishes?
As often as possible. Here at the restaurant, the menu changes every week, so I have plenty of space for experimenting.

7. Which chef do you admire most and why?
I admire Heston Blumenthal’s work. From Hungarian chefs, I value Lajos Lutz. H, hee enviably coordinates his kitchen. At this point I would like also to mention my deputy, Zoltán Tímár, who inspires me every day.

8. When did you start cooking, and why?
I began chef school in 1996. My mother also works in catering, so this led me straight to this field of work. To ‘why’ I can reply with one word:, creativity.

9. What was your funniest kitchen incident?
When I was a kid, they made me slice up 10 kg of ‘Bogyiszló’ paprika that we previously frozen, so my hands were soaked in the hot peppery water. On the way home, I had to hang out my hands from the tram window as they were so much in painhurt so much.

10. What was the luckiest moment in your life so far?
When I met my wife, and when I survived a serious car accident in Austria. Profession-wise, when I found myself working at Monks Bistro.

11. How do you like to relax?
A glass of tasty wine, a plate of cheese, at a lakeshore or on the terrace with my wife. We’ve been married since July after living together for six years. After six years we got married on 25th of July.

12. What is your most treasured possession?
Don’t have one.

13. Apart from temptation, what can't you resist?
A decent ice-cream, even in winter.

14. What single thing would improve your quality of life?
I am currently satisfied, but always strive to achieve better.

15. What career other than yours would you love to pursue?
I have always been attracted by interior architecture. I often imagine, when entering a place, how I could alter it, improve it.

16. What job would you definitely never want?
I would not work for McDonald’s.

17. What achievement in your life are you most pleased with?
Everything that I have accomplished. It was hard work in all aspects.

18. What behaviours do you most like in others?
I like smiling, funny people, those who, in certain situations, are capable of laughing, even at themselves.

19. What would you say is your personal motto?
Be prepared, and nothing will surprise you.

20. What is your professional goal for the next 5 years?
I definitely want to move up from the position of head chef.

What other questions would you ask a chef?
‘Do you sleep enough?’

Translated by Daniel Csaki for XpatLoop.com

Proofread by Írj Jól Szolgáltató Kft