I came to America

„Success here is not a matter of origin, but of will”

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2025/10.

How did you end up in United States?

In 2010, when I was working as a trainee chef at Babel in Budapest, I read Roland Oláh’s serialised account of his adventures in the USA. I contacted him and asked for advice on how I could go to the United States to work. Roland helped me get started when I arrived in New York in June 2012. Later I spent several years working with him.

 What skills did you take with you from Hungary?

– After the time spent at Babel, I moved back home to Debrecen. There I worked for a year at two poorly managed restaurants: I worked 6-7 days a week and sometimes I wasn’t even paid. I thought that the moment was just right to give the US adventure a go!

Did you start a family?

– Yes, my wife – or rather my ex – is American. When we met I was working as a chef in a boutique burger bar in Fairfield. My son Quinn will be five in November and Casey is now two and a half. They live with their mother, but I see them every day.

How did you get by as a Hungarian?

– I am 33 years old and I think my greatest achievement is that in spite of leaving the country at the age of 20 without speaking foreign languages or ever having been abroad before, I managed to make something of myself. Now I speak conversational English and Latin American Spanish. In the past 13 years I got to know many cultures and customs. I believe that in the USA success isn’t a question of where you come from, but how much you want to make it.

What about the profession?

– I have worked 5-6 days a week, 10-14 hours a day for 17 years to improve my skills. I have visited many Michelin-starred and Michelin-recommended restaurants in recent years, and I have also travelled to New York to intern or work at a total of 10-12 places, to see new things and learn. I currently manage the kitchens of two restaurants: Nomade Westport and Anan Westport.

What kind of places are these?

– Nomade Westport does “global cuisine”: we serve French escargot, Spanish octopus with sausage and potatoes, Peruvian lomo saltado and even Hungarian stuffed cabbage. The dishes are simple and unpretentious and the place generates an annual revenue of USD 6.5m. Anan Westport is currently under construction and will open at the end of the year, offering a fine dining experience. It will be based on French-Vietnamese cuisine with Chinese, Japanese and Thai influences.

Are you a satisfied person?

– Yes, I am. I have always loved discovering new foods, cultures and experimenting with ingredients I have never encountered before. Since I have been involved in managing several restaurants, cooking has taken a back seat, and I miss that but I try to help out in the kitchen whenever I can.

How do you see today’s gastronomic trends?

– In my environment there is a clear shift in demand towards healthy eating. At lunchtime it is very trendy to put together different bowls: I can also make my own salad bowl with grains, protein, dressing and toppings. Plant-based foods continue to be popular and local farms are becoming important. More and more new restaurants are opting for tapas-style service, where you can sample 4-6 smaller dishes.