Two friends from Hungary are attempting to bring a piece of their childhood to Liverpool in what would be a first for the city. Miklos Olah and Daniel Weisz are on the path to creating the first authentic Hungarian bakery, which would feature theatre-style operations and recipes from their homeland.
Miklos moved to Liverpool ten years ago from Budapest, with the city becoming a permanent home for his family. Daniel is a long-time friend from the same area, who has supported the project from the beginning, helping with brand development, product refinement and operational planning.
Childhood tradition
Taking inspiration from their childhood roots, they hope to create a bakery that offers authentic Hungarian chimney cakes in a modern, theatre-style operation where everything is made from scratch in front of customers.
Miklos told the ECHO: "Chimney cake is part of our childhood, a tradition we grew up with. We remember it from festivals, family gatherings, Christmas markets and weekend trips. The smell, the rolling of the dough and the caramelising sugar are childhood memories every Hungarian recognises instantly."
"It’s a tradition passed down through families and perfected over generations. We’re not recreating chimney cake from a recipe - we’re bringing the real thing from our own culture."
"The preparation happens fully in front of guests. The dough rolling, baking and caramelising is a theatre-style moment. People don’t just receive a dessert, they watch it being made."
Rollout plans and crowdfunding
The location of Buda&Pest is yet to be determined and will depend on capital, but Miklos hopes the roll out will begin in Kirkby, followed by Southport and into Liverpool city centre.
A Crowdfunder has been launched with a target of £35,000 to open the first Buda&Pest bakery. Crowdfunder supporters will receive VIP soft-launch access, pre-order bundles and founder perks.
The team will also attend pop-ups and markets around the region, with the menu focusing on chimney cakes at the early stages before branching out to classic Hungarian sweets, desserts, cakes and ice-cream.
Community focus
Miklos said: "We want to give back to the community that has given us so much over the past ten years. Liverpool helped us build a life, friendships and opportunities and this project is our way of contributing in return."
"Our aim is to create local jobs, collaborate with Liverpool-based businesses, and build a community around a product that every age group can enjoy."
"We’ve received strong encouragement from across the region including Knowsley, Sefton and Southport as well as many private individuals who’ve followed the journey and offered help, advice and connections."
"This early support is one of the reasons we chose Crowdfunder. We wanted the community to be involved from day one."
Miklos hopes the concept takes off and expands across the city and UK. He added: "Liverpool has a strong food culture. We want people to take away the memory of the experience."
