Maria Zoltan and her husband Jeno Dobai met in 2007, when Jeno, a chef, first arrived to Canada from Hungary. Maria is originally from Hungary as well, so it seemed natural for them to open a restaurant featuring recipes from their home country, like goulash, paprikash and wiener schnitzel. Their first restaurant was in Duchess, Aberta, and then they moved to Blairmore in the Crowsnest Pass.
In 2016, they moved to the Calgary with the hopes of bringing Hungarian cuisine to the city by opening Paprika House. “We chose to come to Calgary because it’s a big city and there was only one other Hungarian restaurant in town,” says Maria. “Plus, my kids and grandchildren are here and it’s nice to be close to them.”
They opened Paprika House near the downtown area and immediately attracted a lunch crowd. “Because of the location – we are right on 5 Street and 11 Avenue – there are lots of office buildings close by,” says Maria. “Our clientele are mostly here during lunch, but we are building a regular clientele who come back in the evenings. Every day I have a new customer and that’s awesome.”
