Attila Bicsár in Villány and András Wolf in Budapest take a very similar view on training the next generation of chefs in Hungary, although in rural areas the distance the bus travels is sometimes a factor.

“We need to take a different approach to working with the younger generation in the culinary world, and this is even more true in rural areas,” said Attila Bicsár. András Wolf, for his part, is striving to map out a lifelong career path for the most talented young people and thereby motivate them. In the final instalment of our series of articles on the generational shift in gastronomy, we spoke to the head chef of Sauska 48 in Villány and the corporate head chef of Gundel Restaurant and Café.

„Workshop kitchens” are on the wane, whilst the ‘wow’ factor is becoming increasingly important. This is how Attila Bicsár sees the situation from Villány.

In your view, are there any new talents emerging? Does the younger generation influence the direction in which Hungarian gastronomy is heading?

Recently, truly outstanding culinary talents have been appearing less frequently; there aren’t as many exceptional achievements. Perhaps this is partly because it’s becoming increasingly difficult to come up with something new in our profession. Current events also tend to divert attention away from them. Of course, there are talented young people who take part in competitions or even launch their own businesses. 

I am certain that we need to work differently with the younger generation. The world is constantly changing, and the pace of change has accelerated over the last few years. 

There are more and more good restaurants here at home. If we look beyond culinary styles such as Scandinavian, French or Asian, we can see that restaurants tend to operate according to a somewhat formulaic pattern. Great emphasis is placed on appearances, which enhances the guest experience. Often, the visual aspect takes precedence, so the restaurant’s ambience, décor, presentation and so on take centre stage, whilst the food is not always the primary consideration. Young people are very much aware of this and experience it first-hand.

The younger generation tends to live in this world shaped by social media, where the „wow factor” is very important. Which is a good thing in a way, because it means we can offer our guests something extra. 

Do younger people find it easier to switch, by the way?

Absolutely. It matters a great deal what roles people are assigned to and how long their working hours are, and of course money is important too, but I think staff turnover is a defining factor across the entire domestic restaurant scene. There wasn’t such a high turnover between restaurants in the past; then again, there weren’t that many good restaurants for staff to move to either.

These days, there are plenty of opportunities, and it’s easier for anyone to try their hand at working abroad – and many people are taking advantage of this opportunity.  

Another change is that, in the past, there tended to be „workshop kitchens”, which we can safely say had a defining influence, but this is less common these days; perhaps there are fewer enthusiastic young people now.

We’re talking about top restaurants. You’d think it wouldn’t matter so much whether a place is in the city centre or the countryside…

Yet it really does matter. Even in the best-run places in the countryside, the situation is difficult: if a place is a little further away from Budapest or a larger town, key questions immediately arise, such as when the bus runs and how young people can get to work.

It is difficult to organise practical training sessions in Villány too if the trainees are unable to get there due to transport issues, for example in the evening when the service centre is at its busiest. In rural areas, we have to take into account factors that we wouldn’t even think of in the capital and its surroundings.

Different generations need to work together to ensure they all enjoy themselves and are successful in the kitchen. András Wolf According to the corporate chef at Gundel Restaurant and Café, with the right training, the hospitality industry can be an attractive career choice for young people.

As a chef who frequently appears in the media, what is your view on the influence of TV programmes in shaping attitudes towards food? Do these programmes help to popularise the profession amongst young people?

Cooking programmes are popular, and television certainly plays a big part in this. There is a clear positive benefit to the huge number of „cooking programmes”. It’s a bit like when, for example, the water polo team wins three Olympic gold medals: it’s all over the news, and children start playing water polo.

To what extent are young chefs given a role at Gundel and the other outlets?

We have been working with students for many years; by this I mean that we really do work together and spend a great deal of time with them. In a company of this size, I think it’s only natural that we try to fill vacant positions with young people, all the more so because if we grow together, we’ll be on the same wavelength.

Today’s chefs bear the responsibility for shaping the future generation of chefs. At group level, we strive to do as much as possible to make the profession – and the opportunities we offer – attractive to students. To achieve this, we need to maintain an active relationship with the new generation working in the kitchen, as well as with even younger people who may join us in the future. 

This involves several generations at once. To what extent does talent development need to change depending on the age group in question?

Our parents’ generation was motivated by things quite different from those that motivate us. We should therefore not be surprised that young people today have different priorities too.

This is something we need to pay attention to. It is our job to find the right approach with everyone, rather than expecting them to change to suit our needs. The task is simple: we need to create a common platform where everyone feels at ease.

Will it be easier to find partners if the „gastronomic water polo team” mentioned in the example wins frequently? 

Yes, but it is also important that the knowledge we impart to the students joining the group of companies is well-structured and useful, so that, in the end, the students leave school as professionals who are ready for the job market. 

And if we’re lucky, many will stay on with us, and the internship could even mark the start of a lifelong career.

We pay more attention to those who we can see take their responsibilities seriously and put the necessary effort into their development. This approach seems to be working.

We have a student coordinator, Vera Kondor, who looks after our students. We regularly visit all our partner schools with Zoltán Kőrössy, one of the company’s owners, to give talks. On these occasions, we talk about what lies ahead for the children who join us. We explain the rewards of this profession, whilst also acknowledging that there are certainly difficult moments too. 

I believe open communication is important, as is the need to continually improve our training, as it is our responsibility to make this profession better. Most of the sous-chefs at the New York Kávéház and Gundel trained with us, and I am convinced that they would hold their own anywhere in the country.