67 years ago, on 28 November 1956, Károly Gundel, a restaurateur and internationally renowned figure in Hungarian hospitality and gastronomy, passed away in Budapest. Andor Kellér wrote eloquently about the secret of his success: „He welcomed every guest with equal kindness, yet without obsequiousness – not with the humility of a businessman seeking profit, but with the thoughtfulness of a host who is delighted to welcome his guests.”
He was born in Budapest on 23 September 1883. A defining figure in his career was his father, János Gundel, owner of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel and later the Archduke Stephen Hotel, who also made a name for himself through his involvement in public life.
Károly spent his „apprenticeship years” at his father’s hotel, working first as a bellboy and then as a bread boy. In 1900, he obtained his final certificate from the Budapest Academy of Commerce, after which he learnt the tricks of the trade in hotels and restaurants in Switzerland, Germany, England and France, where he mastered the intricacies of the trade and gained a lifetime’s worth of experience in the hospitality industry.
In 1906, he became hotel manager at the International Sleeping Car Company’s resorts at Lake Csorba and Tátralomnic, and two years later he was appointed director. In 1910, he moved to Budapest with his family and took over the Wampetics restaurant, situated right next to the Budapest Zoo and featuring a garden terrace, the name of which he soon changed to Gundel. Thanks to a shrewd and well-thought-out business strategy, excellent cuisine and high-quality service, the restaurant very quickly became a household name.
The journalist Zoltán Egyed wrote of it: „In a way, half of Budapest belongs to the Gundel family, because if someone is going out for lunch or dinner not just for the sake of it, but because they genuinely want to eat well, they usually say: ”Let’s go to Gundel’s.’”
Károly Gundel did everything in his power to ensure his guests had a pleasant time: he hired musicians and singers, set aside separate areas in the restaurant’s garden for private parties, and a separate terrace was available for the cream of society.
In the kitchen, 13 chefs prepared the delicious dishes, 52 waiters served the meals, and a further 40 staff members worked to ensure the guests’ comfort. Carrying on the family tradition, several of the owner’s 13 children were also involved in running the restaurant.
By the 1920s and 1930s, he had already gained an international reputation, and when King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy visited Hungary in 1937, the government entrusted Károly Gundel with organising the banquet in Székesfehérvár.
Two years later, Gundel was the official restaurant of the Hungarian pavilion at the New York World’s Fair, and the The New York Times He wrote appreciatively: „The Gundel Restaurant brings Budapest greater and better publicity than a ship’s cargo of tourist brochures.”
The restaurant also suffered during the turmoil of the Second World War, reopening its doors in April 1945. However, it was not able to retain its former splendour for long, as it was nationalised in 1949. As well as the restaurant in City Park, Károly Gundel also leased the restaurants at the Royal Hotel between 1920 and 1926, and then at the Gellért Hotel from 1927 to 1948.
Alongside his professional work – like his father – he also played an active role in public life; he was involved in founding the Restaurateurs’ Purchasing Group and the Promontoria Wine Buyers’ Association, served on the Executive Council of the Tourism Association, and played a major role in the running of the Hoteliers’ and Restaurateurs’ Trade Guild, of which he became honorary president and a life member. In 1928, he was awarded the gold medal of the National Trade Association in recognition of his work.
He also promoted Hungarian hospitality and Hungarian cuisine through his gastronomic writings and books. Among his most important works is one that summarises his professional experience, The Art of Hospitality and The art of hospitality, as well as one documenting the eating habits of Hungarians The development of Hungarian cuisine and Hungarian cookery literature up to the end of the 18th century his work entitled ….
A Little Hungarian CookbookIt has been translated into several languages and has gone through more than 30 editions. He helped Frigyes Karinthy with his advice To have guests, to be a guest in the compilation of his book entitled ….
In his restaurant, alongside traditional Hungarian and French dishes, he also served his own creations, which have rightly become world-famous; such as pike-perch à la Gundel, which can still be found on international menus today, Gundel-style goulash, veal ribs à la Gundel, and the salads named Gellért, Liget or Gundel.
The crowning glory of his original recipes, however, is undoubtedly his culinary creation known as the „Gundel pancake”, also referred to as the ‘king of pancakes’. Served with a walnut filling enriched with candied orange peel, raisins and cream, and topped with a chocolate cream sauce, this dessert is a true culinary delight.
Károly Gundel’s artistic sensibility and creative talent were passed down to his descendants; several of his children distinguished themselves in the hospitality industry, whilst among his grandchildren, the actors Zoltán Latinovits and István Bujtor, as well as the popular musician, Károly Frenreisz, have all become well-known and respected figures in their respective professions.
Andor Kellér wrote eloquently about the secret of his success: „He welcomed every guest with the same kindness, but without fawning; not with the humility of a businessman seeking profit, but with the thoughtfulness of a host who is delighted to welcome his guests.”
