Hungary's, and Perhaps the World's, First Celebrity Chef: Louis Szathmary

Once there was a celebrity chef who was both known for his prowess in the the kitchen, as well as foresight in utilizing modern technology to increase his brand recognition. This may sound like Gordon Ramsey or Jamie Oliver, but rather we are talking about the Central European granddaddy of celebrity chefs: Louis Szathmary.

If the name Szathmary looks suspiciously Hungarian, that’s because it is. History (or WIkipedia) tells us that he was born on a train that was traveling from the Erdély (Transylvania) to Budapest as his parents rushed to escape the growing conflict between Hungary and Romania during WWI times. Szathmary would be educated in Budapest, earning a PhD in psychology, and fight with Hungary during WWII. It wasn’t until he was in his thirties that he emigrated to the United States, with no knowledge of English and 1.10 dollars in his pocket.

Eventually finding work for food manufacturer Armour/Stouffers, he helped pioneer methods for food storage, like flash freezing, and boil-in bags. As the company was based in Chicago, that’s where Szathmary elected to open his first restaurant, once he was ready. The Bakery, a Hungarian and Continental restaurant, quickly became legendary in a city filled with restaurants, and Szathmary became a local authority, writing a food column for Chicago’s biggest paper, the Chicago Sun Times. We’re not saying Gordon Ramsey stole his famous individual Beef Wellington recipe from Szathmary, but the Hungarian chef was the one to popularize the dish at The Bakery.

A highly educated and bookish man, Szathmary was said to have a library of 45,000 books, most of them cookbooks. He went on to write five cookbooks of his own, many still considered classics in the field. But like any celebrity chef, it’s via television that he is best known. Over 150 television appearances made him famous across America, necessitating the employment of three secretaries to keep up with his fan mail.

Sadly, the chef passed away in 1996. His fame in Hungary is limited, but in the States his cookbooks are still highly regarded, and the Bakery is still remembered. Not bad for a kid whose hometown was a train compartment.

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