Soul Kit­chen

My dream was about a  community which is a safe haven for those who might be struggling and where people can talk openly about anything. 

In our previous office, we transformed the original 4x4 metre tea kitchen into a dining area where we could all sit down for a good lunch at the same time. The property regulations didn't allow us to cook and bake on the premises, so we had to bring our food pre-prepared. 

Even in the early years, we had our own chef on call, who delivered the delicacies in large pots. Later, several of us got together and for a while, we cooked for each other. Dining has always been a central motif in the life Integral Vision, with vegan, carnivore, dairy- or gluten-free diets coexisting peacefully.  We have always aimed for solutions that were suitable for everyone. 

Then we moved into our current loft office in Radnóti Miklós street, equipped with a real kitchen with a stove, oven and everything else you needed for good cooking. At the time, I didn't think that in two years’ time, someone would have said and truly meant that " besides the meeting rooms, we really should have a booking system for the oven in order to avoid timing conflicts.” Nowadays, we whip up something on a daily basis, sometimes to serve everyone, and sometimes just to ease the specific cravings of a couple of us. 

There's a day every two weeks when everyone shows up at the office, and on these days, lunch is provided for colleagues. While the team is busy with the retrospective and project planning, Zsófi, our resident chef, is working in the kitchen, sometimes with the help of some volunteers. She prepares her dishes in a lively and cheerful manner, while chatting or engaging in deep conversation with those who happen to pass by. Zsófi is a true gem, the vagabond traveller who, while putting together the perfect combo of recipes from all around the world, talks about India to those who dream of a better world.

This year, Andi suggested planting vegetables on the patio, and so we have our own stuff to pick and eat; unless we get overtaken by the local magpie, who also benefits from the initiative. Vince has been pickling ‘company cucumbers' for years with his enthusiastic followers, and making syrup for our own beverages has also become a regular occurrence.

So many ‘wasted’ minutes spent on not programming, not with clients, not working. Instead, we spend time with each other under the pretext of brewing flavours, relaying our everyday experiences, our joys and even our gripes.