“We can absolutely identify with what we grew up with” – interview with Bence Csapody and Bálint Jahni

In 1992, as an enterprising young man, Balázs Csapody took over the operation of the restaurant in the centre of Balatonszemes – says the statement of Kistücsök Food&Room****, which was published to celebrate their 30th anniversary. László Jahni, her sister’s husband, has been his chef from the beginning. In the meantime, the next generation has grown up, and they have no intention of turning away from hospitality at all...In 1992, as an enterprising young man, Balázs Csapody took over the operation of the restaurant in the centre of Balatonszemes – says the statement of Kistücsök Food&Room****, which was published to celebrate their 30th anniversary. László Jahni, her sister’s husband, has been his chef from the beginning. In the meantime, the next generation has grown up, and they have no intention of turning away from hospitality at all...

Bálint Jahni: The truth is that I wanted to be a railwayman when I was a child, and after kindergarten, it was a must to go to the station in Siófok and watch the trains. But I have actually been in hospitality for as long as I can remember. I spent all my summers here, in the restaurant. Due to my young age, I am still studying tourism and catering at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Pannonia in Veszprém. I am doing my compulsory internship – and of course, I started my career here at the Kistücsök, literally: if I have to set the table, I do it, if I have to do billing, I do it, as a kind of multifunctional Kistücsök colleague.

Bence Csapody: My father typically lets me express myself. I am sure that if I wanted to become – for example – a pilot, he would have supported me. But his outlook on life, his interest in life, created a milieu in which I loved and love to exist. Where I would like to work in tourism kept changing, I tried my hand in the kitchen during high school, but soon enough I realised that it wasn’t really my thing. Finally, after completing my Master’s degree, I went on to do a PhD, teaching catering management at the Corvinus University of Budapest. In 2021, our restaurant was expanded with accommodation, our 19-room, 2-suite hotel opened, and as hotel manager, I try to put together service packages that cover the different areas of the house, so that we can show our guests what we can do and what the area can do; through close cooperation.

Bence Csapody: Yes, and we regularly present ourselves, for example at the Budapest Gourmet Festival every year, at the Balaton Wine&Gourmet Festival, and in addition to being a member of Stylish Rural Hotels, we have also been a member of SVÉT, the Stylish Rural Restaurants for quite some time now, where the public can see Bálint more and more often.

Bálint Jahni: I especially like to go out, it’s great to see so many people looking specifically for Kistücsök food at this time.

Bence Csapody: A new series of events, TASTE BALATON, is being organised for the spring of 2024, in which we will also be involved, along with many other Balaton restaurants, wineries, museums and accommodation facilities. We believe in partnerships, it is a great pleasure when we have collaborations like the one we have with Péter Horváth (Szóládi Bread Shop) in the bakery line, and with the Légli family in the wine line. It is important to ensure that there can be many more places around Lake Balaton and here on the south shore that welcome not only groups, but also families, couples, small groups of friends – our guests – all year round.

Bence Csapody: For 3 decades, our parents have been building this while constantly monitoring market needs. What we are now working on collectively is the rejuvenation of our core customer base. The need to address young people comes “from the top”, but the means to achieve this are left to us.

Bálint Jahni: Generation Z doesn’t answer the phone much any more, so we have been running online reservations for quite some time now, and we have our own system. Our wine list is available in digital format, which is also a contribution to sustainability.

Bence Csapody: It is important to find a balance and know which tradition to keep alive or revive. I don’t know if it’s a miracle, but it’s how we work. We can absolutely identify with what we grew up with – I think I can say that for both of us.

Bálint Jahni: We “get the input” on a daily basis. We usually discuss things over breakfast or lunch together. The views of guests, in whatever forum, are analysed thoroughly – this is a good platform for a brainstorming session.

Bálint Jahni: Travel, definitely – it is a generational pattern, you could say, and it is true for the whole family. Italy is a great love, a favourite destination, but also Slovenia. At the same time, however, family trips have to be organised in parallel shifts so that someone is always in the house. While we welcome guests almost every day of the year, it is Christmas that is sacred and inviolable. On the 24th, we traditionally have a fish soup cook-off at our house, which the whole family participates in – perhaps the only time we don’t talk about the Kistücsök. Or at least not on that scale.

Bence Csapody: Something our parents didn’t have the opportunity to do in the same way and in the same form as we do now is to spend longer periods of time abroad during university. Bálint spent 6 months in France on an Erasmus scholarship, I studied in Kingston, near Toronto, during my Master’s degree, and then I worked on the Dubai Expo project under the auspices of the Hungarian Tourism Agency. In my free time I travel a lot, where I am also inspired professionally; in this respect, Georgia and Morocco have been some of my greatest experiences. It is good to broaden your horizons, in every sense of the word, and then it is good to come home again.