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Children must enter: gastronomic experiences for the little ones
Szabó Sára
What exactly will it be about?
- Chocolate workshop for kids, with a tour of Balatonlelle
- Fine dining and kids in Hévíz, at the Le Primore Hotel & Spa
- Pizza workshop with Szabi, the baker, in Szentendre
In recent years, there have been more and more programs that give children a glimpse into the world of ingredients, etiquette, and cooking. The experience is the same in many places: when children touch the ingredients themselves and prepare the food with their own hands, their initial “yuck”" often turns into an eye-opening “aha” moment. Gastronomic education is therefore increasingly about experiences and curiosity – not rules.
You can never have enough chocolate: sweet programs for little ones
If you can never get enough chocolate at home, it might be a great idea to give your little ones a deeper insight into the world of quality chocolate. At the CsilliChocobons workshop in Balatonlelle, Csilla Földes’s “Chocolate School”" classes teach children the basics of chocolate making in a playful way. Participants can make bonbons, chocolate lollipops, and chocolate bars, while also tasting the ingredients. The program is a real treat for children: they can dip fruit into the chocolate fountain and, of course, take their finished creations home with them. The classes are open to children aged three and up, so even the youngest are welcome at the Balaton chocolate artist’s workshop.
Csilla’'s workshop is just a few minutes’ walk from the Balatonlelle harbour, so after the “chocolate shock”, you can take a long walk along the waterfront. The charming coastal streets of the south shore and the harbour area are a pleasant way to wind down after the children’s program. If you get hungry in the meantime, we recommend stopping by the Kedvesem Bistro for lunch, or the Szalay Confectionery for ice cream or pastries.
Fine dining and children?
As strange as it may sound at first, the two can indeed coexist. Le Primore Hotel & Spa’s unique, tradition-creating initiative, Kids Only Gourmet Evening, fits perfectly with this approach. The program, which will be held for the first time in the summer of 2025 at La Vie, the rooftop restaurant of the five-star superior, family-friendly luxury hotel, is specifically aimed at 6-14 year olds. The aim of the evening is to introduce young guests to the world of modern fine dining in an appropriate yet playful environment: how to use cutlery, why there are several glasses on the table, and how to taste an unfamiliar ingredient.
“Children are much more open-minded than we think, beyond being honest and outspoken guests. The question is not whether they understand it, but whether they have the opportunity to encounter new flavours. Thus, a nettle soup can impress the little ones just as much as a smoked hamburger, if one takes the trouble to initiate them into the secrets of the culinary arts,”
– says Attila Borda, the restaurant’s executive chef. At this event, which has been held regularly since 2025, the little ones can sample a themed, multi-course menu, and each course is accompanied by a short story to make it interactive at La Vie.
Market and pizza in colourful Szentendre
Bakeries are particularly successful in this area: Szabolcs Szabadfi, or Szabi, for example, offers a pizza workshop for 5- to 18-year-olds at his bakery in Szentendre. During the one-hour workshop, held twice a summer, participants can learn about the history of pizza, its different varieties, and its most important ingredients, and then learn how to stretch and top the dough. After baking, of course, it’s time to eat!
From here, we only have to walk one street to the banks of the Bükkös Stream, where a farmers’ market is held every Wednesday and Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. In addition to the abundance of wonderful, handmade goods, children can have a great time playing in the sunshine on the banks of the stream after we have collected our purchases.
