Gold Award at the SIRHA Budapest Final – The “Vácziak” Team Achieves Outstanding Success with a Meat-Free Menu

The final of the 10th Public Catering Chef Competition concluded with great success: the team from the Vác Prison and Penitentiary earned a gold qualification in the institutional catering category at the SIRHA Budapest professional exhibition.

The team’s performance was highly praised not only by the jury: in addition to the gold qualification, they received four special awards, including recognition from the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture, as well as the Audience Award following the tasting.

The team’s preparation and mentoring were supported by NÉGYOSZ, which provided professional guidance in developing the meat-free menu. The aim of the collaboration was to help sustainable, plant-based dishes gain a stronger presence in public catering, while preserving both the flavour experience and nutritional value.

A Unique Meat-Free Concept in the Competition

The “Vácziak” team stood out in the field with a distinctive concept: their entire menu consisted of meat-free dishes. The competitors aimed to demonstrate that meat-free meals can be not only healthy and more sustainable, but also exciting, creative, and of high gastronomic quality within public catering.

The menu presented in the final included:

• “Purple Dream” – the penitentiary team’s mock goulash soup
• Grilled vegetables in crispy pastry, served with lecso cream and a herb cheese chip
• “The Marriage of Plum and Sour Cream” – sour cream mousse with cinnamon plum gel and almond crumble

During preparation, particular emphasis was placed on proper kitchen technologies, minimizing food waste, and maintaining a sustainability-focused approach.

Professional Collaboration Behind the Success

The team was mentored by Chef József Bernáth, who provided continuous professional guidance in developing and refining the menu.

Before the competition, the team organized several trial cooking sessions, during which members of the prison staff also tasted the dishes and provided feedback that helped finalize the menu.

The Future of Public Catering

The 10th Public Catering Chef Competition once again demonstrated that traditional flavours combined with modern technologies and perspectives can renew public catering. The competition plays an important role in strengthening the social recognition of institutional catering, while promoting Hungarian ingredients and a conscious, sustainable food culture.

The success of the Vác Prison and Penitentiary team is an especially inspiring example that plant-based dishes can achieve a high professional standard in public catering, while also contributing to the spread of more sustainable eating habits.