Károly Márton Gundel (Budapest, 23 September 1883 - Budapest, 28 November 1956)

His father, János Gundel, an innkeeper of the Augustinian faith in Bavaria, was a restaurant owner in Pest, his mother, Anna Katalin Evelin Kommer, a Roman Catholic of Pest (Pest, Lipótváros, 27 December 1851 - Budapest, 12 December 1920). His 13 children gave birth to 26 grandchildren, including Zoltán Latinovits, theatre artists István Bujtor and rock musician Károly Frenreisz. Many of his great-grandchildren live all over the world, among them Gábor Gundel Takács, a sports reporter and broadcaster.

After graduating from commercial school in 1900, he studied in the most famous restaurants of Switzerland, Germany, England and France. In 1906, he became hotel secretary of the international sleeping car company's establishment in Csorba-Tó and Tátralomnice, and from 1908 he was manager, where he met his future wife, Margitta Blasutigh. In 1910, he took over the Wampetics restaurant in the City Park, now the Gundel. Between 1920 and 1925, he was a tenant of the Royal Hotel, and from 1927 of the Gellért Hotel, which was taken over from the capital.

Contemporary memories of Károly Gundel: "The Hungarian Brillat-Savarin. The first master of Hungarian hospitality, Hungarian cuisine and Hungarian cookery. Good flavours, peaceful pleasures, rich evenings, warm atmospheres, sparkling drinks, the first conductor of the Lucullan joie de vivre of life and thus one of the most outstanding heralds of our capital. At the sound of his name, a calm, peaceful and contented cheerfulness comes over faces at home and in far-off lands." László Egyed, 1943.

For Károly Gundel, the only thing dearer to his heart than hospitality was his adored family. He had thirteen children and twenty-six grandchildren.
His recipe for life is worth sharing: "Cook the chosen medium until tender and love him as hot as you can love. Peel off and cast away even the germ of selfishness. Give all your strength and attention to your family.
Don't seek the spice of life other than what your job and family provide, and don't wish to always be right. As a bonding agent, a child is best. The more the better. They improve the taste and flavour of life..." Károly Gundel died after the revolution, on 28 November 1956, at the age of 73.