CulinaryChef Club

My culinary journey began in Budapest, where I spent seven years at Mercure Budapest Korona. Those years gave me far more than experience in one kitchen. Through collaborations and events, I had the opportunity to work alongside teams from Novotel Budapest City & Budapest Congress Centre, Mercure Budapest Buda, and respected restaurants including Gundel and Alabárdos.

I was also fortunate to work with and learn from some of Hungary’s leading chefs. Competitions became an important part of my early career — from preparation and training to performing under the pressure of competition itself.

They taught me something I still carry with me today: stay calm under pressure, think clearly, and find a way to create something exceptional.

An opportunity to join Pullman London St Pancras brought me to the United Kingdom. I originally came to London thinking I would stay for only a few years. Thirteen years later, I’m still here.

Starting again in a new country meant taking a deliberate step back. While improving my English, I focused on learning, adapting and proving myself again from the ground up.

I chose London for a reason. Few cities bring together so many cultures, cuisines, ingredients and culinary influences in one place. It gave me the opportunity to work with new products, experience different cuisines, and work alongside exceptional chefs, including chefs from Michelin-starred backgrounds. I took something from every kitchen and every team, gradually shaping my own approach to food and leadership.

From Pullman London St Pancras, my journey continued to Novotel London Canary Wharf, where I became part of the new opening. I worked across Bōkan restaurant, the bars, room service and banqueting, helping establish the operation from the beginning. Bōkan went on to achieve 2 AA Rosettes within six months.

I later returned to Pullman, where my responsibilities continued to grow. I worked on a new concept, banqueting improvements and kitchen development, gaining further experience in operational leadership and delivering change within an established hotel.

Alongside my hotel career, I had the opportunity to work through Mosimann’s, introducing me to a very different side of hospitality — prestigious events, private dining and highly individual experiences.

The work took me into remarkable settings, including Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle, as well as events connected with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and the NFL, and many private dinners. A particular highlight was contributing to the NSPCC Great British Chefs Dinner in 2019, working in an environment alongside Michelin-starred chefs.

From palace kitchens to sporting events and intimate private dinners, each environment demanded the same things: preparation, discretion, consistency, teamwork and attention to detail.

When the pandemic changed hospitality almost overnight, another challenge arrived: becoming part of the new opening of Hyatt Place London City East. My responsibilities included helping shape the kitchen operation, equipment and systems, creating the HACCP structure and developing the menu for the Pocket Square Skyline Bar and restaurant. The operation achieved a 5-star food hygiene rating alongside excellent guest feedback.

At one stage, just four chefs were covering breakfast, lunch, dinner and bar food.

We made it work.

It required organisation, adaptability, teamwork and determination. It reinforced something competitions had taught me years earlier: pressure does not have to reduce standards.

My next chapter took me to Sanderson London as Executive Chef, joining for the reopening of the hotel following a two-year closure. The role was about rebuilding the culinary operation from the ground up — developing menus, establishing the HACCP system, implementing purchasing and ordering processes, and selecting kitchen equipment.

Working together as a team, we re-established the hotel’s food operation and achieved a 5-star food hygiene rating, alongside excellent guest feedback. One of the highlights was bringing back Sanderson’s iconic Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea, with the team delivering an experience that achieved a 4.4 OpenTable rating.

Beyond afternoon tea, I led the development of the wider food offering, including banqueting and events, while we delivered everything from bowl food and canapés to plated dining.

There comes a point in life when priorities evolve too. Marriage and family became an important new chapter for me, and after Sanderson I decided to move into a private-chef environment. It gave me greater flexibility and a better balance between my professional career and family life, while allowing me to continue doing what I love.

Private dining gave me a different perspective on hospitality. You learn the individual — their preferences, routines and expectations, as well as the small details that matter to them. It reminded me that however large or prestigious an operation may be, hospitality ultimately comes down to looking after people.

My journey later brought me back into hotel leadership at Strand Palace — a major London operation where busy mornings could mean more than 700 breakfasts, alongside restaurant service, group dining, events and the everyday demands of a high-volume kitchen.

“A fried egg still has to be a perfect fried egg.”

Whether you are cooking breakfast for one guest or hundreds, volume should never become an excuse for compromising the basics.

I worked with a great kitchen team and some fantastic people. We developed new menus, including the Christmas offering, while improving preparation methods, recipes and workflows. Another important focus was food safety and allergen management, strengthening allergen controls, reducing cross-contamination risks and introducing clearer allergen labelling.

I also looked at the wider kitchen structure and made recommendations about how the operation could continue moving forward. Not every change is easy to implement in a large, established organisation; that experience taught me that identifying the direction is only the beginning — bringing people with you is another challenge entirely.

After Strand Palace, I returned to the private-chef environment while continuing my work as a Chef. It gives me the flexibility I value while allowing me to continue cooking, creating, leading and developing professionally. And I remain open to the next challenge.

Alongside my culinary career, I also created Gidran Travel in Style from the ground up a private-hire chauffeur service. One of the things I value most about it is the opportunity to meet new people from different professions, businesses, cultures and walks of life.

For me, it has also become about networking, conversations and new connections. You never know where a conversation might lead — a private dinner, a collaboration, a business opportunity, or simply a different perspective.

In the end, both sides of my work come back to something simple: People.