Chef Biography
Born in Budapest in 1946, Kalman Kalla began his training as a cook in 1961 at age 15 under Master Chef Egon Eigen, who was considered the best chef in Hungary. Kalman Kalla rose quickly in the kitchen hierarchy and soon became the chef’s assistant in the reconstructed Duna Intercontinental Hotel. In 1974, Chef Kalla moved to Tokyo, Japan to become the chef of the
Csarda Restaurant for a year and a half. In 1976, he returned to Hungary as the executive chef of the Intercontinental Bellevue restaurant for the next five years. In 1981, the Forum Hotel opened, and by this time Chef Kalla was considered one of the brightest culinary stars in Hungary. He stayed there ten years as executive chef until 1991, when he was asked to be the personal chef to Ambassador Peter Zwach who was moving to the Hungarian Embassy in Washington D.C.
Two years later, George Lang, who owned Café des Artistes in New York City, was renovating the old Gundel Restaurant in Budapest, and asked Chef Kalla to design the kitchen and pick the staff. In October 1993, Chef Kalla became the executive chef of Gundel and four years later, in 1997, the television crew for Great Chefs showed up to tape Chef Kalla for the Discovery Channel’s Great Chefs of the World television series.
Recipes
Apple and Goose Liver Sandwich
Serving: 4 Print Apple and Goose Liver Sandwich By Great Chefs October 9, 2015 With only three ingredients and the mundane salt and pepper, Kalman Kalla manages to create a delicious and unusual dish: the center slice of an apple is replaced with a crisp slice of seared goose liver. The apple center slice reappears […]
Baked Rabbit Crown with Letcho
Serving: 4 Print Baked Rabbit Crown with Letcho By Great Chefs October 8, 2015 Rabbit loins are Frenched and coiled into crowns, their bones standing up in a circle around the top of the meat. They are served with letchko, a traditional Hungarian vegetable dish similar to ratatouille, and tournéed potatoes. The onions for the […]
Pancakes à la Gundel
Serving: 6 Print Pancakes à la Gundel By Great Chefs October 7, 2015 Thin lemon-scented pancakes are folded (or rolled, if you wish) around a filling of walnuts, raisins, and orange zest, then sauced with semi-sweet chocolate. Chef Kalla notes that he once made this dish with chestnuts instead of walnuts, and it was delightful […]
Restaurant Information
Phone :+36 1 468 4040
Address :1146 Budapest Állatkerti körút 4 Hungary