Kurtos Chimney Cakes
Growing up in Hungary, Aniko Gulyas would happily indulge in kürtöskalács—cylindrical sweet pastries—whenever the fair would come to town. After having her twins seven years ago in Sarasota, she desired that same sweet culinary experience for her son and daughter.
“We wanted them to have knowledge of our heritage,” says Gulyas, owner of Kurtős Chimney Cakes. “And the cuisine was important.”
But in her search to locate kurtoskalacs stateside, she ran into a problem: She couldn’t find them anywhere. Determined, Gulyas tapped into the knowledge of a fellow Hungarian living in Florida to learn to make and roll the yeast-raised dough in two-foot-long strips of perfect thickness. She learned how to delicately wrap the dough around a wooden pin then baste it with butter and turbinado sugar before cooking it over an open grill.
Gulyas used this new skill to bake the uniquely shaped goody with a caramelized crust and a soft, fluff y interior for her young family. She experimented with different toppings beyond the traditional walnuts and cinnamon. At the request of her young son, she even developed a savory version of the 300-year-old recipe. But in March 2015, Gulyas decided it was time to share a part of heritage with her community and she started Kurtős Chimney Cakes. For four years Kurtős has been a staple at local farmers markets. She makes her cakes to order, just as she enjoyed them as a child.
“We love to meet and interact with customers,” says Gulyas. “And the farmers market is such a tight and supportive community.”
As grateful as she is for her farmers market presence, Gulyas saw opportunity to expand. Expand she has—recently pioneering a brick-and- mortar location at the Mall at University Town Center (UTC). Kurtős will continue to sell at farmers markets, but the store now means she can offer a wide variety of her Hungarian delicacies to a larger range of people.
“It was logistically impossible to transport all the equipment and nearly 20 different toppings to the markets,” says Gulyas. “We were only able to serve our customers a limited selection of our products there.”
One notable feature on the Kurtős in-store menu is a cone-shaped version of the pastry which—depending on the sweet or savory selection—will be filled with soft-serve ice cream or house-made fresh chicken or seafood salad.
“It’ll be more of an urban grab-and- go eatery with full-scale meal options,” says Gulyas.
In-store customers will see the entire process unfold daily—from dough rolling to baking—but beyond that, Kurtős UTC will serve as the headquarters for the franchising portion of the business.
“Our store will be a model and training center for future partners,” she says, “so they can spread the love of our pastries all over the country.”
Based on Gulyas’s success, the spit fire cakes have come a long way since the recipe’s likely origins in Transylvania in the late 1700s.
“It’s currently living its renaissance in Europe,” she says. “They were a special-occasion treat—like for weddings and at fairs—now they are sold on the street, in a little wood house, and at festivals.”
AND … at Kurtős UTC, which will be open seven days a week.
