Facing the challenge in New York – part 18

Roland Oláh earned himself a good reputation in Hungary and has been working in the United States for nearly two years. He regularly shares his experiences with our readers: ‘I started in Martel after Thanksgiving and have been here for almost five months. I called Arik and told him that I liked Napa better but Martel paid me more. He understood and was not mad at me. The guys were really nice to me when I returned to Martel. I do not have to work six long days a week, I only have three long and two short days. The guys listen to me and do what I tell them, the sense of loneliness I was feeling in La Panetiere is gone! In a bistro there is more freedom than in a classic fine dining restaurant. In Martel every day brings a new challenge, I have to make four ‘offers of the day’ for both lunch and dinner – at Jacques’ it was just menu, menu, menu, the same thing every day. Guests are plenty and the restaurant is prospering so I get to use the best base materials: we use minced Wagyu beef even for burgers. We prepare more and more courses the way I learned at DB Moderne. I miss New York, despite all that commuting. I try a lot of things and luckily guests like what I cook. It is a great feeling to have a team behind me. What disturbs me a bit is that most of the time guests think Eric does everything because he is the executive chef, so he earns the laurels all the time. But I know that my time will come, I am waiting for a better opportunity because I feel the strength in myself for achieving big things in the USA. I have already learned a lot and I am glad that I gave this adventure a go. My advice for everyone: Go abroad and learn if you have the opportunity!’