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Budapest culinary
competitions, and won second prize at Frankfurt's culinary competition.
In 1964 he
immigrated to the United States. Following the pattern of many chefs,
who develop skills by working with many different companies and senior
chefs, he worked in San Francisco at the Fairmont Hotel, Bohemian Club,
Orestes, Ratskeller Restaurant and Schoeder's Restaurant, then at Rustler
Lodge in Utah. He consulted at the same time for Beehive Poultry Company
in Salt Lake City, then moved to Little Rock, Ark., to consult for Moutaire
Corporation. By the mid-'70s he was working in Texas, where he took second
and third prizes at the Dallas Culinary Show; earlier in his career he
won second prize at the San Francisco Food Show.
While in Texas
he began working as executive chef in the kitchens of Brennan's Restaurant
in Dallas, then moved to the Brennan family's famed Commander's Palace
in New Orleans. On the road once more, Kovacs was the opening executive
chef of the Hotel Guatemala Fiesta in Guatemala City, Guatemala; he returned
to the United States to work at Jumer's Castle Lodge as corporate chef
(five hotels and restaurants), then to La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla,
Calif., where he garnered more culinary awards.
His skill at
opening new restaurants took Kovacs to the Sheraton La Reina Hotel in
Los Angeles, where the chef received still more awards. Remaining with
Sheraton Hotels, he was the opening executive chef for the Sheraton New
Orleans and the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay. His next assignment was opening
the Southampton Princess Hotel in Hamilton, Bermuda. Now at the Pike Street
Cafe, Kovacs has earned acclaim for the restaurant, combining his innovative
touch with fresh Northwestern ingredients like mushrooms, fresh vegetables
and salmon.
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