Forum Gastronomique [antikvár]

Since the opening day I had the pleasure and privilege to share the gastronomic delights of the fabulous kitchen and pastry shop of the Hotel Forum; and had the marvelous opportunities to plan "historical" dinners with the talented chef Kálmán Kalla.On one memorable occasion we had taken the culinary secrets of the Forum kitchens to London where we prepared a dinner for forty carefully selected connoisseurs from all over the world. It was a fantastic success that might equal the best Hungarian dinner done anywhere in this century. But even more remarkable was that the Chefs at the time we planned the dinner had approached and presented me a most difficult and complex request, stating bluntly: "What can we do on this particularly significant occasion to show the world that Hungarian cuisine can be light and elegant and still present the traditional flavors that make our cooking so unique".We all-together came up with a menu and selected items that, in my opinion, has no superior in any other kitchen of the world, just equals. And thanks to our Master Chefs present, who joined Kálmán Kalla, the final result had surpassed any expectation.The wide gap existing between the Hungarian and international cuisines had been triumphantly bridged by the sheer talent of our Chefs. My heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to all of them.The book at hand contains some of the glorious and most imaginative recipes that made this Hotel so famous and well-deserving to be named one of the finest in Europe.A final word about the author, Kálmán Kalla, whose career I've been following since the days of Inter-continental Hotel, till his glorious visit to the Hungarian Embassy in Washington, and who certainly belongs to the selected and talented few on top of the culinary olympus.And I sincerely hope that these recipes will enter and circle all the kitchens in the land and will become the treasure of the country.Paul Kövi The Four Seasons New York