Because some i terviews are really just very chic lu ches — E ikő Mihalik a d Lia Kiss at Szaletly, Budapest. Photo: Gergő Pejkó | Hair & Makeup: Csilla Kiss | Stylist: Mó ika Laczkó | E ikő: Dress: Aero | Shoes: Kazar | Jewelry: Swarovski | Lia: Dress: Fere cz Borbála | Shoes: Kazar Hu garia paprika, layered potatoes, a d a supermodel who k ows exactly what matters. “The smell of lá gos oil i sta tly bri gs me back to childhood.” That’s E ikő Mihalik, a Hu garia -bor ico ic model with a dazzli g i ter atio al career, o the cou try’s fried flatbread — blistered i oil, eate with sour cream a d cheese, a d guara teed to rui your shirt. We met at Szaletly, Budapest’s big, breezy restaura t where the me u doubles as a crash course i atio al comfort food: gulyás (beef soup), rich broths, rakott krumpli (layered potato casserole). The vibe? Less high-fashio set, more frie ds catchi g up — the photographer, stylist, a d makeup artist had all worked with her before, a d you could tell. A d of course, the very first questio was about her daughter — hard to believe, but she’s already four.& bsp; What dish do you hope your daughter will associate with you someday? The ki d of meal that says: this is home, this is Mum, this is love — i edible form.& bsp; I thi k it would be her dad’s favorite meal, rakott krumpli (layered potatoes). If she lear s how to make that, the whole family will be happy. E ikő + rakott krumpli = the collab we did ’t k ow we eeded. Photo: Gergő Pejkó | Hair & Makeup: Csilla Kiss | Stylist: Mó ika Laczkó | Top: Spark Le Mo de Szaletly’s moder layered potato — ordered o a whim, a d it tur ed out to be E ikő’s very first a swer. Photo: Gergő Pejkó You a d your husba d are both from Hu gary, but you’ve built a life across co ti e ts. These days, where do you love to eat whe you’re close to home i the U.S.? We actually like to cook at home most of the time. Because we miss the Hu garia taste so much, we go to a local market to get the i gredie ts — a d the my husba d takes over the cooki g while I take over the comma di g. What’s a meal that i sta tly remi ds you of your childhood i Békéscsaba? For me it’s the smell of lá gos. You k ow, that heavy oil they fry the dough i . The mome t you smell it, you’re i sta tly back i so ma y childhood memories. E ikő Mihalik i head-to-toe Isabel Mara t — plus a páli ka flask, because Hu garia girls bri g páli ka. Because why ot. Photo: Gergő Pejkó | Hair & Makeup: Csilla Kiss | Stylist: Mó ika Laczkó | Shirt & Pa ts: Isabel Mara t What’s the most ostalgic Su day lu ch you ca remember? Defi itely my gra dma’s homemade chicke soup — a d the oldalas, which is pork ribs with potatoes cooked i the fat of the pig. Was there a “school s ack” you loved or always tried to trade? So I do ’t wa t to say s ack, but from school my favorite dish was le til stew. That’s the o e thi g I really miss — I miss it so much. Is there a food you hated as a child but ow adore? I hated pumpki soup, a d the at o e poi t I flipped. I started aski g my gra dmother to make it for me all the time. Lia with gulyás soup, E ikő with pörkölt a d potatoes. Photo: Gergő Pejkó | Hair & Makeup: Csilla Kiss | Stylist: Mó ika Laczkó | E ikő: Dress: Aero | Shoes: Kazar | Jewelry: Swarovski | Lia: Dress: Fere cz Borbála& bsp; Everyo e left full & happy. Photo: Gergő Pejkó Do you remember what you ate before your first i ter atio al casti g? Yes! My first big casti g i New York. I had a bagel with cream cheese a d lox — very classic. I was so ew to the city a d did ’t k ow what to order, so I just tried that. Is there a classic Hu garia dish you’ve tried to recreate abroad? I co sta tly try to recreate my gra dmother’s homemade chicke soup — with more or less success. Is there a dish or cuisi e you o ly discovered because of modeli g — a d ow it lives re t-free i your cravi gs? Borscht. Fu y e ough, I ever had it i Hu gary, but my Russia roommates i troduced it to me. It became o e of my favorite soups. What’s your ultimate comfort food — the o e that ever fails you? Hamburgers. A y ki d of hamburger. It has to be a good o e, but I love all the variatio s. What’s a dish that makes you feel powerful? Is it silly to say sushi? It’s elega t, precise, almost Japa ese perfectio ism. Clea a d o poi t — it makes me feel powerful. E ikő Mihalik i a feather-trim Coper i dress & s eakers — proof that playful ess ca be perfect. Photos: Gergő Pejkó | Hair & Makeup: Csilla Kiss | Stylist: Mó ika Laczkó | Dress: Coper i | Shoes: Nike& bsp; What do you cook whe frie ds come over a d you wa t to impress without tryi g too hard? Lecsó. I’m proud of it because it’s healthy, you ca make it glute -free, a d it’s so easy to whip up. Do you have a sig ature breakfast? Walk us through it. Whe I was trai i g for Victoria’s Secret, my go-to was two su y-side-up eggs with cheese o top, avocado o the side, a d glute -free bread. That was my everyday breakfast. What’s your take o matcha? I love real matcha — ha d-whipped, good quality. I dri k it every day. But I ca ’t sta d the “ ew wave” versio s. You’ll see me dri ki g them, but i my head I’m still thi ki g: this is a sellout. So… have a y foods tur ed agai st you over the years? I became glute i tolera t i the U.S., maybe because the i gredie ts are differe t there. But after givi g birth, my tolera ce came back! Now I happily eat bread agai . What are the food rules you love breaki g? “No eati g after 8 p.m.” I break that co sta tly — usually with sweets. At 10 p.m., I ca easily eat a whole jar of ice cream. Because sometimes all you eed is a Swarovski ecklace a d a white ta k. Photo: Gergő Pejkó | Hair & Makeup: Csilla Kiss | Stylist: Mó ika Laczkó | Pa ts: Spark Le Mo de | Top: Arket | Necklace: Swarovski | Shoes: Kazar What’s o e i gredie t you always bri g back i your suitcase? Hu garia paprika. You ca ’t get it a ywhere else the way we have it here. Are you a coffee perso — a d if so, where did you have the o e cup you still thi k about whe you’re dri ki g a very average o e at home? I quit coffee about five mo ths ago, but I still love the taste. Now I go for decaf. The most memorable was i Italy: affogato. Espresso with ice cream. Whe ever I ca , I have it as dessert. If Békéscsaba were a dish, what would it be? Kolbász. I Békéscsaba they say the fe ces are made of kolbász — that’s exactly how I see it. Photo: Gergő Pejkó& bsp; If Budapest were a flavor or a feeli g — what would it be? Fu y e ough, I thi k Italia . There are so ma y great Italia restaura ts i Budapest. What’s o e Budapest restaura t that really surprised you? Café Kör. I absolutely love that place. Budapest light makes its ow frame. Photo: Gergő Pejkó Was there a mome t abroad whe you sudde ly realized how Hu garia your taste still is? Yes — i the U.S. they sell a ki d of fried dough with sugar o top. It i sta tly remi ded me of lá gos, a d I thought: where’s the sour cream? Why sugar? What’s o e i gredie t you thi k Hu gary does better tha a ywhere else? Paprika — ot just the spice itself, but the way it flavors stews. Eve if people use the same paprika abroad, it just does ’t taste the same. What’s your favorite ki d of table? A big Su day lu ch table with kids a d family members yelli g, eati g, fighti g. The Mediterra ea chaos — that’s what feels cozy a d home to me. Fi ish the se te ce: Champag e a d… Caviar, of course.