Agnes Weninger is a Hungarian-Canadian Restaurateur, Marketing Consultant and writer. She grew up in a small town in Southern Ontario, lived in Ottawa for a decade, and has lived in Budapest for the last 12 years. From an early age, a love of traveling, food and wines led her to the restaurant business.
Her first venture was at the age of 25, when she renovated a run-down old house on the edge of a lake in Eastern Ontario, and opened a 40-seat restaurant and 4-room country inn. After obtaining an MBA, she spent six years teaching Marketing in the Hotel & Restaurant Management Program at a large community college, as well as doing the Marketing and PR for the College. A sense of adventure led her to accept a job in Budapest, Hungary in early 1993, working for an International Advertising Agency.
After 8 years in advertising she returned to her first love and opened a restaurant in the world-heritage Buda Castle district (Rivalda Café & Restaurant). She now divides her time between the restaurant, undertaking the Development and Fundraising for the Budapest Festival Orchestra, consulting for CEU Business School, and spending time with Dimitri all over Greece. Her next project will include writing a restaurant compilation entitled The Best of Crete, and working on her next book (a possible sequel to
Love@first.write). Her passions include travelling, tennis, film, classical music, food & wine and writing.
1. When did you arrive in Hungary and what brought you here?
April 1993. A mid 30s boredom crisis brought me here. I longed for a change from Canada and for a sense of adventure.
2. Have you ever been an expatriate elsewhere?
Besides always feeling like an expatriate in my own country, Canada, NO.
3. What surprised you most about Hungary?
That I continued to love it even after spending time here that went beyond the borders of 2 weeks of being spoiled by grandparents.
4. Friends are in Budapest for a weekend--what must they absolutely see and do?
Come to my restaurant. Beyond that
I would say to walk and walk- savour the sights and sounds of the streets and look at the spectacular architecture (even if a lot of it is in a state of disrepair.)
5. What is your favourite Hungarian food?
Túrós Csusza
6. What food from home do you miss the most?
Kraft Smoothy Peanut Butter
7. What is never missing from your refrigerator?
Mould
8. What career other than yours would you love to pursue?
Being a kept woman
9. Whats a job you would definitely never want?
Airline Hostess (I hate flying
even though I have been doing it for 40 years and have to do it a lot
.)
10. Where did you spend your last vacation?
The northern Aegean island of Thassos.
11. Where do you hope to spend your next one?
The island of Ithaka
12. What was your favourite band, film, or hobby as a teen?
Hobby-playing basketball
Film- Dr. Zsivago
13. What cant you resist?
Getting married
.
14. Red wine or white?
All wine
all the time
15. Decaf or regular?
Regular. Drinking decaf coffee is like making mud pies with gloves on.
16. Book or movie?
I devour both- depends on the mood.
17. Morning person or night person?
By nature- morning person, but work and lifestyle dictates otherwise.
18. Dog person or cat person?
CAT
19. Buda side or Pest side?
BUDA
20. What would you say is your personal motto?
The secret for harvesting the greatest fruitfulness and greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously. Friedrich Nietzsche