Bence Dalnoki

Dalnoki Bence’s talent always drew him to the kitchen, but he only realized his vocation in high school through a lecture titled Introduction to Hospitality. After completing his secondary education, he enrolled in the Taverna Vocational School of Hospitality and Tourism, and began his apprenticeship at Fausto’s Restaurant in Budapest. There he met Frigyes Vomberg, who was preparing the Hungarian team for the 2016 Bocuse d’Or Europe competition; this was his first encounter with the profession, which he never left again thanks to Tamás Széll, whose second commis he became during the intensive training period. Two weeks after the victory, to his great surprise, Tamás invited him to work at the Onyx Restaurant.

After leaving Onyx, he made a short detour to the Bib Gourmand–recognized Kistücsök restaurant by Lake Balaton, then returned to Budapest when Tamás Széll and his partner Szabina Szulló—both of whom had been true mentors to Bence—opened their first restaurant, Stand25 Bistro. After that, the next step was almost inevitable: he joined the two-Michelin-star Stand Restaurant team, where he currently works as sous-chef.

Although Bence loves being in the kitchen, he often feels the need to retreat into nature. About ten years ago, he took up hunting, a pastime long popular in his family.

The 2022–2023 period was exceptionally important in the history of Hungarian gastronomy, as in March 2022, under Dalnoki Bence’s leadership, the Hungarian team finished second in the Bocuse d’Or Europe held in Budapest. In January 2023, the greatest domestic Bocuse d’Or success to date was achieved: under Bence’s leadership, the Hungarian team received the bronze trophy at the Lyon final.