Several of our guests have written about their trips to Hungary, including their time spent with Taste Hungary.
- Carolyn, Just to let you know how much we and our friends enjoyed our visit out to the countryside with your charming husband. We thoroughly enjoyed the vineyards and the wines. We managed to save one to bring back to the States, and enjoyed the others on our riverboat. The Hungarian wines were delicious! Gábor was an excellent guide, and gave us a good overview of life in Budapest. It was a great way to start our trip. —Linda (Miami)
- Thanks very much Gábor. We made it back safely to New York on Sunday night (along with 34 bottles of wine!). We had an excellent trip. You and Carloyn did an awesome job planning everything in Hungary. And we really enjoyed our tour with you in Tokaj. Too bad you had to leave Friday night! We sat right next to Szepsy for a four hour dinner on Friday night. He shared centuries of Tokaji stories with us, and a lot of his own personal experiences. I couldn’t resist ordering a bottle of Sauternes at the end of the meal for a tasting (not surprisingly everyone strongly preferred the Tokaji). Szepsy also invited the two of us for a 2 hour private tour of his vineyards the next morning. A very memorable experience to walk through all of his best terroirs with him, tasting the grapes off the vines, and hearing more of his stories. The trip back to Krakow was smooth. Now that we’re back in NYC, we’re already starting to spread the word about Tokaji and Taste of Hungary.—Patrick (New York)
- Hi Gabor and Carolyn, thank you very much for organizing and making this trip such a wonderful experience we will cherish this moment in Tokaj for a life time.—Frederic (Montreal)
- Carolyn, we really enjoyed our tour with Gabor. It was the best way possible to spend a dreary day. Thanks so much for organizing it for us…We all plan to recommend you to anyone we know who’s planning a trip to Hungary… —Catherine (Atlanta)
- Visiting with you Carolyn and briefly with your family was a real highlight for me. Thank you very much for introducing us to the unique and delicious wines that we tasted from Somló as well as sharing the wonderful meal at Bock. … Carolyn’s book is a great way to revisit the trip and Budapest, we all greatly appreciated it and will be much better prepared for Budapest upon our return… —Stetson (Los Angeles)
- Our guests just left and they gave us many compliments for the organization, which I would like to forward to you. Gabor did a great job with the wine presentation and both of you provided us with an outstanding customer service. We were all really satisfied with everything and simply had a great evening in a nice surrounding.—Ullrich (Budapest)
- I just wanted to drop you a line and say THANK YOU for making our Budapest trip truly amazing. You really showed us the charm and unseen beauty of the country….I cant wait to come back and explore some more…We are telling all our friends about the trip and I wouldn’t be surprised if you got a few more visitors from Southern California!—Lauren (California)
- We had an amazing time with you in Hungary. Carolyn cooked an amazing meal as well. Can’t wait to come back.—Josh (California)
- On a culinary-themed Grand European Tour, we took one guest to the Etyek wine region for the day. Read her blog.
- “We thoroughly enjoyed the wine tasting! Likewise we could have spent more time talking to you, hopefully, in the near future we will return to visit wineries. It was exciting to see the diversity in Hungarian winemaking. I can’t wait to share these wines with our friends. By the way our wines made it home safely and through customs! Our best to both you and Carolyn and thank you for enriching us by teaching us about Hungarian food and wine.” —Perle and Cirilo (California)
- We organized a custom beekeeping tour for an aspiring American beekeeper. Here is her recap.
- We spent an afternoon with 20 US math students touring the market, having lunch, and watching a strudel demonstration. This is what they thought.
- A guest for whom we designed a weekend wine tasting itinerary in Villány blogged about her experience here.
- In November 2009 we held a pálinka tasting dinner for NAWA (the North American Women’s Association). Here is what they wrote about it in their newsletter: On November 20th, a chilly Friday evening, several NAWA members and our spouses and friends enjoyed a wonderful evening experiencing Hungary’s pálinka renaissance with Taste Hungary. The event was held at the Első Pesti Rétesház (First Strudel House Restaurant), an enchanting venue filled with traditional décor and wonderful old photos of the owner’s family. We began the evening with a fun informative movie on the art and history of strudel making followed by an up-close demonstration. We were all invited to take part in the strudel making process and were amazed at the abilities of the chef. Next, we moved on to a delicious five-course dinner which featured Hungarian flavors paired with artisan pálinka provided by the Zsindelyes Distillery, a family-owned distillery located in the northeastern town of Érpatak. A representative from the distillery was on hand to introduce each pálinka and discuss the production process, culture behind it and its important role in Hungary’s culture. The food was exceptional with my personal favorite being the the cabbage strudel with sour cream and chive sauce. The pálinka was strong and some of us had more difficulties than others actually getting it down without! a grimace. By the end of the evening, our appetites and thirst were sated, our knowledge of pálinka had grown exponentially and we all went home nice and toasty!
- An American chef who did one of our market tours blogged about the experience.
- A guest who traveled with us on a three-day trip to Villány and Szekszard and wrote an extensive report on his trip (pfd file)
- Sue Doeden, a food writer in Minnesota, chronicled her trip—including her time spent in the countryside with us—on her blog.
- Another guest, who went on a market tour with us, mentioned us on her gluten-free kitchen blog.