Get involved! Workshops and cooking together at Taste Balaton

Last year, the first Taste Balaton festival was an undisputed success, which was realized by the cooperation of no less than 26 restaurants, gastronomic hotels, museums and wineries on Lake Balaton. The organizers had the unhidden intention of bringing together local communities and lovers of Lake Balaton within the framework of the gastronomic and cultural event ​​and this cooperation resulted in a fantastic festival. Within the framework of the close cooperation of local restaurants, wineries, producers and cultural institutions excellent programmes were realized, which attracted people interested in culture and gastronomy from all over the country. The first Taste Balaton ran with sold-out programmes, and based on the feedback from visitors and restaurants, there was no question for the organizers that there was a demand for a continuation.

Without claiming to be complete: there will be a dinner theatre, a gastronomic tour, a gastronomic sauna, a cocktail tasting, an art exhibition, a BBQ workshop with György Dragomán, and well-known guests such as András Kepes, Károly Gerendai, Eszter Ráskó, Zoli Beck, Szabolcs Thuróczy, Krisztián Grecsó, as well as numerous winemakers, chefs and a fantastic Italian guest region! But if you are looking for interactive programmes to register for now, the list below will help you!

The green Michelin-starred Villa Kabala in Szigliget offers several great workshops during the 10 days of the festival: you can participate in a 2-hour fermented drink workshop, where you can get an insight into the world of water kefir and kombucha making, and in the kitchen workshop you can look behind the scenes of professional cooking. In the latter workshop, you can learn about modern kitchen technologies and work processes, and you can also participate in the preparation and cooking processes of the daily service. At the end of both workshops, you have the opportunity to have dinner, for which separate registration and table reservation are required. You can register for the fermented drink workshop here and for the kitchen workshop here.

The team at the Michelin-recommended A Konyhám Stúdió 365 in Fonyód are also really on their mettle when it comes to Taste Balaton programmes: on 10 March, you can take part in a real taste journey with the restaurant's chef, Gabi Szikra, this time behind the scenes! During the workshop, four courses will be prepared: appetizer, soup, main course and dessert, selected from the special flavours of French, Italian, Spanish and Hungarian cuisine. If the world of bakery goods appeals more to you, Szabolcs Szabadfi, alias "Szabi, the baker", will be the restaurant's guest on 13 March. As part of the programme, Szabi will guide those interested into the wonderful world of sweet and savoury bakery goods, and share his secrets and special recipes, while Gabriella Szikra will provide for the other courses of the four-course lunch menu. You can register for the shared cooking here, while you can register for the programme of Szabi, the baker here.

Here are two excellent workshops for meat lovers! If you have always been interested in how pork scraps are made, or how to fry the cracklings until crispy, then the pig slaughtering workshop on 15 March at the Pörc Bisztró és Delikát in Balatonkenese is an excellent choice among the programmes of the Taste Balaton! During the workshop, you can learn about the entire process of processing a pig through the presentation of a butcher family. The joint work is concluded with a pig feast. But you will not be left behind even if sausage filling excites your imagination more: on 7 March, you can get an insight into the mysteries of sausage filling, all with the guidance of the fifth generation of our butcher dynasty. Of course, snacking is also allowed during the programme.

The Taste Balaton workshop also includes craft activities: while at the Kővirág restaurant in Köveskáli on 16 March, you can learn the basics of pottery under the guidance of owner Kata Zakar, at the Villa Chez Les Amis in Balatonszepezd on 13 March, you can meet designer Réka Vágó and her team, with whose help you can create your own unique shoe decoration. On 8 and 9 March, John’s Pub in Keszthely will address those interested in painting. They offer programmes for beginner and advanced adult artists, as well as children.

Since most Taste Balaton programmes take place with smaller, family-friendly groups, it is worth buying your tickets and booking your accommodation in time as it is worth staying for several days so that you can visit as many gastronomic programmes, concerts and workshops as possible during the festival.