Who are we?
Adrienn Schön Kautezky
Born in 1977 in Budapest, Adrienn is a makeup artist, mainly in film and television productions. Adrienn loves her husband David’s cooking very much and prefers not to disturb him in the kitchen. “He even takes care to keep it spotless,” she says contentedly. However, every week she bakes challah for Shabbat, “so there’s something to dip in the food,” says David.
Dávid Kautezky
Born in 1974 in Budapest, Dávid is the owner of the Gettó Gulyás – one of the city’s most successful Hungarian restaurants. At the age of 13, he emigrated to Israel, where he was educated, served in the army and studied at yeshiva. In 1999 he returned to Hungary to follow in his father’s footsteps, opening various entertainment venues. He became known as Budapest’s “king of Nightlife”, and in 2017 he realized his dream of opening a restaurant.
Their daughters:
Lola Sira Kautezky
Born in 2009 in Budapest. Lola is a 5th grade student at the Alternatív Közgazdasági Gimnázium school in the city. Lola practices fencing, loves to dance on TikTok, and is quite the picky eater. Despite the fact her father runs a catering company that provides delicious healthy meals to schools – including the one she attends – Lola insists on “noodles with nothing” or a “pale chicken breast”.
Léna Kautezky
Born in 2017 in Budapest. Lena attends the Jewish kindergarten in the city and loves to talk. Lena doesn’t eat meat. “At the age of two, Lena just decided one day that she did not want to eat meat anymore,” says her mother, Adrienn. “She doesn’t find it tasty.” However, she really likes matzo dumplings and pickled gherkin. Like her older sister, Lena loves noodles – but with the sauce.
Where was the photo taken?
The kitchen is the family’s meeting place, and Adrienn, Dávid and the girls spend most of their time together around the spacious dining table. “During the busy week we eat here standing up, but on Fridays we always sit down to have a quiet meal and light Shabbat candles,” says Dávid.
The kitchen is also Dávid’s playground, where he conducts his culinary experiments. During these challenging times and as a die-hard meat soup lover, Dávid now has a “PhD” in Soups. “It’s hard to make good soup,” he explains. “The secret lies in the considerable amount of high-quality bones that enhance the flavor of the broth. It is very important to cook them over a constant simmer for at least 4 hours,” Dávid states and winks. “Meat soup is the best medicine for coronavirus as well, and my recipe, the ‘vaccine’, is already awaiting the approval of the health authorities.”
Our family kitchen
Jewish-Hungarian delicacies are dominant in the Kautezky’s kitchen. “My mother taught me how to cook all the Hungarian dishes,” says Dávid. “I remember standing next to her in the kitchen and watching everything she was doing – and I still call to consult her, but I cook better than her now,” says Dávid with a smile.
Along with the paprikash, foie gras and chestnut puree with whipped cream, the Kautezky kitchen also features Israeli dishes, ‘souvenirs’ that Dávid brought with him from Israel. “Every morning he makes shakshuka,” says Adrienn. She, for her part, also strives to preserve family traditions and cooks for her daughters her favorite childhood dish: chicken dumplings in a cold vegetable sauce, a dish originally from the Ukraine, where her mother was born.
Adrienn’s parents also have a restaurant in Budapest – called Komédiás- and so when grandma and grandpa come to stay, the conversation usually revolves around the kitchen pots: who’s food is tastier- Dávid’s or his mother-in-law’s? “But it all stems from a strong mutual love and a lot of humor,” Adrienn emphasizes.
The house recipe: Csirkepörkölt- Chicken in Paprika Sauce:
No Hungarian household is complete without chicken in paprika sauce, and so it is too at the Kautezky’s. “We eat Csirkepörkölt several times a week,” says Dávid. “I always cook a large amount because we all like it: Lola eats the chicken breast without the sauce, which she actually really likes, Adrienn adds some sour cream on top, like the Hungarians do, and I love the chicken drumsticks. In general, it is so easy to prepare because we always have all the ingredients at home – and most of all, of course, there is paprika!!”