Chef

Chef Daniel Varga

I’d like to take this opportunity to give you a glimpse into my unique, colourful world of creative cuisine.
I discovered a love for cooking as a child, and it has shaped the course of my life.
My grandmother taught me her philosophy of preparing food as well as a passion for all the sensory effects that cooking touches upon. I treasure in my memory all the tastes and experiences of the past: the scent of flour and cinnamon from the apricot dumplings, or the sour yet also sweet and spicy taste of homemade pickles, and then of course precision – like the care it takes to make tiny strands of angel hair pasta.

I consider myself to be extremely fortunate in that my passion is also my profession, and I continuously develop my skills with further training. All of my recipes are based on tons of experimentation and a pursuit of harmony. Tastes, textures, scents – and a pinch of love! As a training method, I spent years studying the fundamental recipes of Hungarian cuisine, and thus became increasingly intrigued by the chemistry and physics of cooking. I worked with Italian chefs and was awestruck by their commitment to the quality of ingredients. It was also an opportunity to learn authentic recipes. As head chef at the Rustico Restaurant, I experimented with the fusion of Italian and Hungarian cuisine. At a special request, I worked and lived for five years in Asia on Koh Samui Island, where, as the executive chef of the Mantra Samui Boutique Resort, my team and I went from success to success. After my return to Hungary, I worked for the KNRDY restaurant as head chef, where I prepared dishes using authentic South American cooking techniques harmonised in a fusion with colourful Asian ingredients. On a personal level, I had the opportunity to further develop my autonomy and creativity as a I reached new stage in my life at Natura Hill in the town of Zebegény, by the Danube.
At the request of a group of investors, I made a huge leap and founded the “child” of my professional life: the AUM Restaurant, which burst onto the Budapest gastronomical scene with an experimental – sometimes even provocative – progressive Asian cuisine. Our credo was that eating is something more complex than mere consumption, as we served up an experience of unique, pronounced tastes. The jury of the Gourmet Festival awarded us first place, confirming to us that we were on the right track. Our work attracted countless accolades and favourable reviews in the media. Sadly, however, the pandemic brought us to our knees, and AUM was forced to close its doors permanently.
When the Tihany Yacht Club invited me to join them, I reached the most important stage in my life, as I assumed the greater responsibilities of working as a restaurant manager, which takes me out of the rarefied confines of the chef’s domain – the kitchen. It allows me to have a unique and friendly contact with customers, as we cook for them based on their direct requests. Our vision is of a progressive, Asian and international cuisine, partially based on locally sourced ingredients.