The trade guild marked the birthday of János Gundel (1844–1915) with a quiet commemoration in a small gathering, at the János Gundel commemorative plaque, unveiled in June 2016, at 1 Akadémia Street in the 5th district.

Chairman László Kovács said that the MVI has always regarded the preservation of traditions as an important task, with particular regard to János Gundel, who served as president of the Hoteliers’ and Restaurateurs’ Trade Association – the predecessor of the MVI – for 35 years, and later as its honorary president for life. At the ceremony, representing the Gundel family, Dr János Gundel, a professor at BGE, paid tribute to the founder of the world-famous restaurant dynasty in a brief retrospective, thanked the trade association for organising this small commemoration every year, and the wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial plaque then took place.

Among those attending this year’s event was Dr Róbert Török, Director-General of the Hungarian Museum of Trade and Hospitality, whom we asked about the relationship between the museum and the Gundel family.

– „Our museum also explores professional and domestic hospitality in Hungary in its permanent exhibition entitled ”To Host and to Be a Guest’,” said the director-general. – We opened the exhibition in 2014; one section focuses on the world of Hungarian restaurants and taverns, including the Gundel restaurant; visitors can view a restaurant interior featuring plates from the 1920s from the Gundels’ zoo restaurant.

To this day, our museum maintains a good relationship with the Gundel family, and our collection includes numerous artefacts and documents originating from the family. Imre Gundel, meanwhile, was our institution’s chief curator until his retirement; he was responsible for managing the museum’s collection of documents relating to the history of the catering industry. //