At the Gault&Millau Gala held on 22 September 2025, we presented the awards to 5 professionals of Hungarian gastronomy who achieved truly outstanding performance. We introduce the 5 winners of the Gault&Millau Awards, who with their knowledge and results shape the future of Hungarian gastro culture.
Pop of the Year: Panificio il Basilico – Szabolcs Szabadfi
Szabolcs Szabadfi, widely known as Szabi a Pék (Szabolcs the Baker), has been working in the bakery profession for more than 30 years. After gaining professional experience in Austria and Italy, he returned home in 2012 and presented his ever-better bakery products at farmers’ markets. In 2014, he opened his first bakery in Buda, at Városmajor.
Szabolcs Szabadfi represents the forefront in the making of long-fermentation wild sourdough bread and additive-free bakery products. During the pandemic, he played a huge role in the popularization of sourdough baking in Hungary: in videos viewed by millions he taught the tricks of sourdough making, kneading, fermenting, and baking. He strives to realize the “from producer to table” concept, sourcing ingredients from the best Hungarian and Italian family businesses.
Under the name Panificio il Basilico he operates shops at several locations: his main base is in Szentendre; in Budapest he runs bakeries in Városmajor utca and Bem utca; and also in Veresegyház, Dunaharaszti and Debrecen. The Gault&Millau Pop of the Year became the bakery and trattoria in Szentendre. Here, on Saturdays literally crowds stand in line for fresh bakery products. The place is made truly romantic by the fact that the restaurant was built around a watermill.
Sommelier of the Year: Dávid Kincses
Dávid Kincses is the head sommelier of Arany Kaviár Restaurant, which is Hungary’s longest-running fine dining restaurant. It has been open since 1990 in the Buda Castle District, and as its name suggests, it is famous for its premium caviar selection – as well as its unique wine list.
Arany Kaviár welcomes its guests with a wine list of more than 400 items, which counts as an exciting offer even on an international level. Sommelier Dávid Kincses is responsible for the restaurant’s wine and champagne selection. With his work, he further raises the quality of the elegant restaurant’s offer.
In addition, Dávid Kincses is also the head sommelier of the nearby UMO restaurant. To the dishes of Latin American–Asian fusion cuisine he selects unique wines. He is an enthusiastic participant of the Hungarian wine scene: he is a certified wine technician and a member of the Hungarian Sommelier Club.
Young Talent of the Year: Richárd Csillag
Richárd Csillag’s career is built on the family traditions of hospitality. His professional journey began as an apprentice at the Buda restaurant of the famous actor Gyula Bodrogi, where he acquired the basics of the profession. Later he could learn from the very best: Ákos Sárközi, András Wolf and Csaba Ádám.
In 2019 he took part as commis of Ádám Pohner at the international Bocuse d’Or competition, and since then the young chef has performed well at several contests; in 2022 at the Chaine des Rotisseurs International Young Chefs Competition in Mexico City he reached fourth place.
Richárd Csillag and his wife, and at the same time his main professional partner, Janka Gelencsér opened Lokal47 restaurant in 2022 in Kéthely, Somogy County. The restaurant was built on a small plate concept, relying exclusively on the ingredients of local farmers, since Janka and Richárd are committed representatives of sustainable restaurant operation to the utmost. Although Lokal47 closed in 2024, the couple continues their mission with unbroken momentum: in autumn they opened Lokalista in Nagykanizsa, then in summer 2025 Lokal at the Lake in Fonyód.
Great Chef of Tomorrow: Kornél Kaszás
Kornél Kaszás joined the team of Babel Budapest in 2021, at that time the restaurant was closed due to the pandemic situation. In February 2022, under his command and with an entirely new team, one of the country’s leading fine dining venues reopened.
The renewed concept of the restaurant is defined by the cooperation of executive chef Kornél Kaszás, owner Hubert Hlatky-Schlichter and Swedish consultant chef Daniel Berlin. They created a truly bold Scandinavian cuisine, in an ingredient-focused, progressive style that leads to new directions.
From February 2024, Kornél Kaszás is also responsible for the kitchen of KIOSK Budapest, in parallel with leading Babel. As he said: “I like situations full of challenges.” In the Gault&Millau evaluation in 2025, Babel Budapest received 17 points and 4 chef’s hats, while Kornél Kaszás personally won the Great Chef of Tomorrow award.
Chef of the Year: Szabina Szulló
Szabina Szulló is a truly modest top professional who never sought the opportunity to be in the spotlight, yet she is one of the most defining figures of the contemporary gastronomy scene.
She has been working together with Tamás Széll, Zoltán Hamvas and Ibolya Csahók for more than 20 years, and for nearly ten years also as co-owner in their common restaurants. She also took part in the international contests of Bocuse d’Or, among others as team president supporting the nice results of the Hungarian team. At the continental final in Budapest in 2016, Tamás Széll took part as chef, while Szabina Szulló as president, then in 2017 they also went on to the world final in Lyon.
The professional duo opened Stand25 Bistro in 2017 at the market in Hold utca. The restaurant paying homage to Hungarian home-style and inn classics later moved to Buda, to Krisztinaváros, where they continue writing the success story.
In July 2018 came the long-awaited opening of the fine dining sanctuary, Stand restaurant. Szabina Szulló’s role is outstanding in the success of the restaurant, as the chef himself put it: “basically I am the head chef in those weeks and months when Tamás is preparing for Bocuse d’Or with the boys.”
The Gault&Millau 2025 award winners earned their awards on the basis of real professional achievements. Szabina Szulló’s decades of work in the world of fine dining, Richárd Csillag’s innovative regional cuisine, Kornél Kaszás’s successful restaurant management, Dávid Kincses’s head sommelier expertise, and Szabolcs Szabadfi’s popularization of sourdough bakeries all contribute to the international recognition of Hungarian gastronomy.
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