This year, service providers competed in 45 categories, resulting in 45 category winners: they are the best of the best, the recipients of the so-called 'Best in Class' certificates.
This year, the professional jury awarded special prizes to 17 outstanding professionals, among whom we are immensely proud that Sándor Mérész, our head winemaker, was named GASTRO WINEMAKER OF THE YEAR. However, due to the evolving pandemic situation, the award ceremony will not proceed as usual. The process of handing over the awards is under discussion, and the celebration will definitely be postponed, but please raise a glass with us to Sándor’s health this evening!
The selection process for the special prize winners: The publisher and the current editor-in-chief present a well-considered list of at least 25 names to the jury composed of the previous year’s special prize winners, who may exercise veto power or confirm the nominees’ positions. The process is lengthy and took several days to decide who will receive glass sculptures. Next year, the jury will be made up of this year’s special prize winners.
SPECIAL PRIZE WINNERS
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Tibor Meskál, an old-fashioned gentleman who spent his entire career in luxury hotels and whose name has become almost synonymous with the Budapest Corinthia Hotel.
BUDAPEST HOTELS OF THE YEAR: Sameer Hamdan and Zuhair Awad, owners of Mellow Mood Hotels, a distinctive and dynamic duo in the Hungarian hotel industry, operators of the Párisi Udvar Hotel Budapest.
REGIONAL HOTEL OF THE YEAR: Pál Poncsák, hotel director of Avalon Resort & SPA, recognized for his contributions to tourism in Miskolc.
GASTRO ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR: Máté Pintér, the visionary and strategic leader behind Barside cocktail bar, Cupákos, Raqpart, and more recently Felix.
BUDAPEST RESTAURATEURS OF THE YEAR: Csaba Csongrádi, Andor Giczi, and Szabolcs Nagy, who created Budapest’s best small tavern, Fricska Gastropub, in a cellar in the heart of the party district.
REGIONAL RESTAURATEUR OF THE YEAR: Rita Ásványi, owner of Almalomb Culinary Detour and Meeting Place, who has made Hosszúhetény synonymous with cultural and culinary rejuvenation for many.
CHEF OF THE YEAR: István Veres, the talented chef of Babel Budapest, which earned a Michelin star last year, and the latest winner of the Hungarian Bocuse d’Or final.
EXECUTIVE CHEF OF THE YEAR: Roland Holzer, head chef at Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest, responsible for events held at Ten Rooms and catering services provided by The Kitchen Caters.
PASTRY CHEF OF THE YEAR: Attila Menyhárt, head pastry chef at Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, who masterfully combined macarons and mille-feuille in a way that earned him a feature in So Good magazine, a feat no Hungarian pastry chef had achieved before.
BAKER OF THE YEAR: Bea Kovács, who sometimes sings to her breads, which is no surprise since she is a choir conductor. Wonderful breads are baked this way at the Búzalelke bakery in Kisapáti.
GASTRO VIDEOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR: Miklós Terei, the brilliant cinematographer, director, and editor of the Standról short film, a constant companion to Hungarian Bocuse d’Or competitors and every noteworthy gastro event.
GASTRO SHOWMAN OF THE YEAR: Márk Lakatos, a highly versatile gastro personality, hospitality stylist, and cookbook author.
GASTRO WINEMAKER OF THE YEAR: Sándor Mérész, winemaker at Etyeki Kúria, who became a winemaker by chance, though anyone who has tasted Etyeki Kúria wine in the past decade would say: there are no coincidences!
SOMMELIER OF THE YEAR: Viktória Evans, responsible since January 2019 for the entire wine and beverage selection of the Caviar&Bull restaurant group across all six restaurants in Malta and Budapest.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN HOSPITALITY
Ágnes Herczeg, the first Hungarian female Master of Wine aspirant, wine strategy consultant, wine judge and educator, international wine expert, and one of the most promising professionals in the wine industry since 2019, when she received the WSET and IWSC ‘Future 50’ international award.
About the Best of Budapest & Hungary brand
Best of Budapest & Hungary is an independent rating system created by Péter Freed and his Budapest Week Publishing to draw public attention to the best domestic hospitality providers, hotels, and other service providers. The Best of Budapest & Hungary award is a mark of quality, given to those service providers who make the daily lives of residents and visitors in Hungary easier and better by consistently delivering high-quality service. The brand’s largest dedicated event is the Best of Budapest & Hungary Award Gala, one of the most grand and prestigious celebrations of gastronomy and hospitality in Hungary. Supported professionally by the Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTÜ), the Hungarian Hotel and Restaurant Association (MSZÉSZ), and the City of Budapest, the event regularly attracts top decision-makers from hotel chains, hotels, and restaurants, influential figures from the domestic business community, leaders and representatives of foreign companies, as well as diplomats serving in Hungary. “We hope that after a year’s break, in 2021 we will again have the opportunity to celebrate together and be the first to congratulate the best in the profession,” stated the publisher.
