“I jumped into the unknown, even if not completely” – Interview with Bence Dalnoki, the new head chef of Stand25 Bisztró

You will be joining the Stand25 Bistro team from the end of March, head chef István Volenter has left the company. Please tell us about this change, your position, your main tasks and responsibilities!

Yes, István announced his departure at the beginning of March, so we had to resolve this situation. I had just finished the challenges of the European round of the Bocuse d'Or, so I was freed up as a worker. We sat down with the owners and they asked me what I would say about this task. I didn't have to think long about the answer, as I have always loved new challenges and opportunities. However, it was still in my head that I have been working at Stand since it opened for eight years (with minor and major interruptions due to the Bocuse d'Or), together with Szabina and Tamás we developed the structure of the kitchen, I know all the vibrations, beauty and difficulties of the restaurant and it is difficult to let go of that.

In the end, I decided to take on the task, take over the head chef position and jump into the “unknown”, even if not completely, since I worked at Stand25 at the Hold Street market before Stand. However, that was a completely different format, and since then the bistro has been working with much larger numbers of guests and staff.

My job is to keep the menu fresh, youthful, and sparkling. Vibrant with seasonal flavors, aromas, and ingredients. I am responsible for the final stages of food preparation, service, and all related details.

We would like to become an attractive workplace that can only be entered on an "extinction basis", and to create a stable base that will even withstand me if I am out for a few months again, because the preparations for the Bocuse d'Or world finals start in October.

You mentioned earlier that the stable, well-functioning, well-established cooking kitchen is a great strength of Stand25's operation, but there are also several new colleagues in the service kitchen. How many people are there in the entire team now, and how do you rely on the knowledge and practice of old colleagues, and what are your responsibilities in terms of training new colleagues?

Our back kitchen is a team that has been working together since almost the opening, led by András Pető, with whom I have been working for almost ten years, indirectly during the Standos years, before that and now again in direct contact. I am sure that in the future this will be a great help in everyday life, that we know each other's tastes, that we can understand what the other is thinking even from half a word. It is good to start planning a menu this way, knowing that if I tell them what I want, it will be exactly like that.

In addition to them, three students and three assistants help with the work in the back kitchen. A team of eight people works in shifts during the daily services, five or six people at a time.

For now, I'm in the phase of shaping the system, course structure, and service process I inherited from István into my own image, shaping things in a way that is comfortable for me and that I think is most ideal for fast and perfect service.

The present and future of Stand Restaurant has always been your heart's desire. How much time and capacity do you have to continue to be present in the lifeblood of Stand, and what does this mean in practice?

In practice, we are more in touch by phone than in person. Ben (Benjamin Morris, head chef of Stand Restaurant – ed.) and I talk on a daily basis, we ask each other for opinions on new ideas, inspire each other, coordinate the logistics of the movement of goods between the two restaurants, and I also help with technical issues that arise, because this was also my department at Stand, now it is also only in “remote” mode (smiles).

A few months ago I interviewed Szabina Szulló, Tamás Széll and Benjamin Morris about the new time system and ensuring strong continuity. How do you see the past few months at the restaurant? How is your relationship with Ben?

As I mentioned earlier, we talk a lot, and we have a good working relationship both professionally and personally. I think the management has chosen a very good person to run the restaurant, the development of the restaurant and the food is unbroken, and the team seems almost unstoppable.

Congratulations on qualifying for the Bocuse d'Or World Final in Lyon! What was the best part and what was the biggest challenge in your coaching duties? You also play a key role in preparing for the Lyon event. What can be expected in this regard? What are the main tasks in Stand25 until the big day that require a greater presence?

Thank you very much, also on behalf of the rest of the team. The most beautiful part for me during the preparations is when, at the end of the last successful training session, we think back to the beginning of the preparations, where we came from and where we got to. The hardest part is that I can't touch anything at all and I can't do everything as if I were doing it myself. I'm still learning how to fully transition into the coaching position, I still feel like a competitor in spirit (smiles).

The goal is to develop a system and team in the restaurant that won't miss me at all.

Tell us about the Stand25 menu, please! Which à la carte dishes would you not change at all, which ones would you like to make minor tweaks to, and what new features can we expect?

In the second week of April, my first spring menu was ready, where from now on Stand25's classic, emblematic dishes, seasonal offerings will be given a "metal-marked" place, and in a different way than before, we will also give our guests a little more freedom, but this part will remain a mystery for now! The test cooking and tastings will begin the week after our interview, and hopefully we will launch it within a week or two.

There are times when we go back to familiar flavors, just refreshing them a little, but there are times when we explore completely new directions, testing whether there is a demand for them. My wife, Dorottya, who is the restaurant manager at Stand25, is a great help to me, through her I get first-hand feedback and I think she has a pretty good sense of what is in demand and what is not. We have worked together before, but not in such a close working relationship, this is a completely new setup.

What have been some of the guest feedbacks at Stand25 over the past few months that you would like to incorporate in some way? Whether it's about the food, the interior, or anything else.

We have a very strong regular customer base at Stand25, which we are very grateful for. Their feedback is that the menu could be a little more dynamic, sometimes dishes stick on the board and menu for a long time. We are definitely trying to improve in this area and keep the menu more dynamic and fresh.

In addition, tourists are always looking for classic Hungarian flavors, and these must also be accommodated. Among soups, goulash remains a bestseller, while for main courses, the current stew or Brassói, but lángos are also unavoidable.

The issue of baked potatoes is a recurring issue. This is how Stand25 started its career in the market, moving to Attila út, but as the menu expanded, it was pushed into the background a bit, so it was removed from the menu. Many people miss it, so there will probably be days when it will be available again as a pop-up.

What are your favorite, fresh ingredients for spring and early summer that you would definitely like to see on the blackboard again and why?

Asparagus is available in unlimited quantities, and I also really like strawberries for desserts and the pickled green version of strawberries for starters. Wild garlic is a must in any form, but tender new potatoes are slowly arriving, which I also really like to use. If the weather warms up a little more, I can almost see my favorite ingredient shining white among the green foliage: elderberry.

How would you like to see the bistro operating in a year?

I envision a vibrant, light, youthful menu, with premium ingredients, vibrant flavors, and a format that everyone will love.

And what is more important: I see a team next to me who like to come here to work and do their job with heart and soul. Moreover, I would like to students who are thirsty for knowledge come here, and we can teach them what I received from Szabina and Tamás. So that we can infect them with the love of this difficult and cruel, but beautiful profession.