There is no better aroma than reality

It is good to see this continuous development in the history of the confectionery. Was it deliberate and planned?

It was not planned and could not have been. Until 2004, my wife and I lived abroad but we returned due to a family tragedy. We had a very good life, good jobs, we would have stayed, but unfortunately, my father died, and my mother with cardiac conditions needed us. After that I started working in Hungary: first, in the Four Seasons Hotel, then, Sofitel, where the French owner wanted to open a confectionery as well – I directed a whole renewal programme, it was an exciting, three-year project. About this building, one must know that it has been a confectionery for at least ninety years. After József Haffner’s forty years, Józsi Boda operated it for another forty years, and he asked me to take over because he got tired and wanted to retire. So, without any entrepreneurial experience, my wife and I made the decision in two days: we did not have a business plan or any marketing experience, but we jumped in, and in the middle of the economic crisis, started learning, which lasted years and years.

Did the inhabitants of Vác also need time to realise: this is different than what they are used to?

Many people in Vác still think I am the odd one out. But more and more people understand what is happening and are proud of what we do, its quality and the success. On the other hand, though we opened the shop in Vác, we would like to address everyone: we have a nationwide clientele, many people return and spread our fame. From an old lady with a string bag to a diplomat, anyone can stop by and find something for their taste.

In the Mihályi Patisserie, there is the spirit of the Danube Bend. Is it deliberate, or would it be no other way?

It is the driver; it is inside of me. I grew up in Sződliget, and the area is inside me. We always walked in the mountains of Börzsöny and Pilis, both banks of the Danube – I was a soldier in Vác, I got to know it on route-marches very well. It is an inexhaustible, inspiring environment for me.

So, is it a positive predetermination that after two days of thinking you took over the patisserie?

Yes, this is a good expression since we also tried in Budapest for years, but for some reason, it never worked out, even though sometimes we got pretty close, so we stayed in Vác. We are not even forcing it anymore. If there is one thing I am sure of is that I do not want to risk what we built for any other business. There is a point after which one does not aspire too high anymore. I have always had a workplace, I was never bored for a second, and still, it is so. I am happy because I love my profession, which gives me enough life tasks. Who wants to be a trillionaire should do something else, but this is an exciting job with many challenges. The to-do list is always full, and there is strict discipline, as the business can only work this way. Obviously, there is calculated production loss, an amount, a percentage – but no more, from then on it would be loss in time and material.

Lately, many imported products have become much more expensive. Can they be substituted with local ingredients?

Everything became more expensive, not only imported products but local; for many, the hectic weather took its toll. Even though I am connected to the farmers and I started negotiating with them already in February, there are almost no berries and hardly any strawberries and raspberries. It is a multifaceted problem; it is not only about costs, but the amount is another problem. But if we cannot solve it domestically, we seek sources abroad since the customer does not care about any of this. The only important thing for them is to get the quality they are used to at Mihályi. They are not going to argue about whether the raspberry came from Bernevebaráti or Poland – a local farmer we used to buy from, for instance, just cut out two hectares of raspberry bushes. The cool spring and hot summer impaired many. Local products are essential, but we also have to adapt: it will be long-term hard work because everything is changing.

In my view, farmers should trust restaurants and confectioneries’ calling words; we need more bridges between the farmers and the profession. Many still do not understand what we mean by asking for a riper fruit because of the sugar content or less mature because of the acids. Most farmers look for simple solutions and cannot collaborate with chefs just yet. However, premium gastronomy is all about this. It is not a coincidence that many restaurants start their own horticulture. I have just bought a smaller parcel to cultivate edible flowers for my use, yearly, systematically, organically.

The Mihályi Patisserie became famous not only in the Danube Bend but nationwide. I sense a tremendous amount of work behind it.

It is also our job as confectioners and chefs to live and work in an exemplary manner. If young people see that it gives us joy and we create valuable things, maybe they may get interested in our job and it may become an example to follow. But, on the other hand, if they see that it is only a manufacturing plant where people work because they must, no wonder they will choose something different than a job in a kitchen. I was lucky because, after military service, I went abroad immediately, where I worked with people and ingredients I could never have in Hungary at the time. So, in addition to the professional tricks, I brought the critical taste and respectfulness I learned back to Vác: we have no food paint, no artificial flavours. But I know which methods I need to use to show the most beautiful aspect of the ingredient.