King Solomon shared his wisdom on the practical use of hunger saying that “the appetite of laborers works for them; their hunger drives them on”. This resonates well with how and why this book has come about. Aside from having a hunger for delicious meals and spending time in fellowship over shared meals, Mr. Kornel is hopeful that by codifying the treasure-trove of family favorite recipes, this book will inspire his daughters to be creative and accomplished in their own kitchens. In the long run, having labored over this book… will hopefully result in other members of the family starting to re-produce these gems for the dinner table. Having more than one chef, improves the odds of having a great meal at dinner time for years to come.
Mr. Kornel Gyalokay was born in 1974 in the small town of Dombóvár, but enjoyed most of his youth in Pécs, Hungary. When he was eight years of age, his family set out in 1982 to escape the communist control blanketing Hungary, whereby he spent a part of his youth in Dublin, Ireland and then Vienna, Austria before immigrating to the United States in 1986. Although he left Europe behind at an early age, his taste for European cuisine has not diminished. Mr. Kornel attended Middle School and Highschool in Northern Virginia and has obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems (CIS) from Strayer University and a Master of Arts degree in Practical Theology from Regent University. You may be asking, what do these degrees have to do with this cookbook? Other than contributing to a systematic way of thinking and an improved tolerance/capacity to write, probably not much. Learning how to make delicious meals and hosting for friends and family has been more of a passion for Mr. Kornel than a result of formal culinary training. Family dinners and get togethers over the past two decades have helped with the continual improvement process to refine the codified recipes. The credibility of this book is therefore established not so much on the merits of formal education or years of in the field “restaurant chef” experience, as it is based on the “taste bud test” of the consumers and the practical usability of the book itself. Mr. Kornel does have a long list of goals, one of which is to build on what is found in this book and one day open a European Restaurant named “The Ize Restaurant” in the Northern Virginia area. Mr. Kornel and his wife Ms. Thitiya are already familiar with running a business, they are the owners of Lead IT Solutions LLC since 2012, providing Information Technology consulting services to the US Department of Defense. Part of the week and on the weekends, Mr. Kornel is also on the pastoral staff of Pathway Vineyard Church in Woodbridge VA since 2017, giving hope to the idea that if people can be shepherded toward the promise of who they were made to be in Christ, then Godly desires placed in the heart can also be shepherded and called into reality. Their daughters Ms. Leana and Ms. Miriya speak frequently about “The Ize Restaurant”, impatiently expecting to be able to start eating their favorite dishes there on-demand. A picture of Mr. Kornel and his older daughter Ms. Leana is shown in the bio.