Balaton gastronomy is being raised to a new level: the Balaton Culinary Workshop can provide a solution to seasonality and labor shortages

The recently established Balaton Culinary Workshop Sectoral Training Center sought a long-term solution to one of the decades-old problems of tourism in Balaton, the labor shortage and the uncertainty arising from seasonality. The model, which was launched on the joint initiative of the Siófok Vocational Training Center, local restaurants and a hotel, has now become an exemplary program at the national level.

The Workshop’s goal is not only to ensure a supply of professionals, but also to enhance the gastronomic culture of Balaton and make it more sustainable – with a training system that adapts to local conditions and the most modern professional requirements.

Practical training – next to Lake Balaton

One of the biggest innovations of the program is that the training does not take place in a single location, but in real catering establishments, at the premises of partner restaurants, wineries, confectioneries and producers. The central element is the training kitchen of the Szindbád Restaurant, which is equipped with the most modern technology and specialized cooking islands.

“Our goal is for students to receive the widest possible spectrum of training based on real market experience, and to learn from the best,” said Lóránt Szamosi, Chancellor of the Siófok Vocational Training Center.

In the improved version of the dual training model, students can learn from local masters, including experts in Italian, Japanese or even classic Hungarian cuisine. During the practical phase, they work in various catering establishments and even travel in an organized manner to other partners, such as cheesemakers, winemakers or producers.

Community and trust: not just students, but future colleagues

One of the keys to the training model is that employers get to know students during the training, so they don’t make decisions based on CVs, but on real performance and attitude. The system also creates a kind of internal labor market, where restaurants, wineries, and hotels recommend the most talented students to each other.

“The names of good students are circulating in the profession, and this is a huge advantage for both parties,” pointed out Szamosi, who believes that the professional community created in this way is one of the best answers to the region’s labor problems.