We've been through some tough days
Auntie Irma Bálint - the chimney cake maker in Székely folk dress, founder of Lehel Kürtősház - always believed that as long as she lived, she would work... And it was true, as on August 20th she was still baking chimney cakes at the Festival of Folk Arts - she still had strength then - a month later she fell ill and half a year later she bid farewell to the earthly world!
The Vitéz Kürtős team was deeply saddened to follow Auntie Irma's short illness, we couldn't believe how this strong woman, so eager to live and work, faded away from one day to the next. Even today, we cannot process that the woman - to whom we owe the existence of Vitéz Kürtős - as she is the owner, Bálint Gáspár's mother, and the Lehel Kürtősház founded by her was the predecessor of Vitéz Kürtős - is no longer with us.
She no longer bakes chimney cakes at our festivals, no longer brings 200 servings of stuffed cabbage and 100 jars of zacuscă to the Vitéz Kürtős team, no longer cooks polenta for us early in the morning, and no longer offers good pálinka in Székely folk dress to acquaintances.
She couldn't even attend the 12th Chimney Cake Festival last year, with a heavy heart, but with faith that she would recover - she followed the events from her home in Székelylengyelfalva, and we too still hoped then that she could recover from her illness. But as she predicted, if "I ever put down the chimney cake baking stick, that means the end!" - she often used to say!
That's why we decided, in her honor, the Chimney Cake Festivals will be cancelled in 2026... because without her, it will never be the same!
She had a very beautiful and meaningful life... We learned a lot from her; her perseverance and unwavering spirit are exemplary. We learned from her that "nothing is impossible, only inaction" and the enthusiasm with which she spoke about the authentic Transylvanian chimney cake: "The chimney cake must be passed on from our hands like a jewel! Because it is ours. The chimney cake is our past, our present, for which we bake it now, and our future, which we must pass on!"
Her life is beautifully summarized in a eulogy written for her, which was delivered in 2018 at the Hungarian Parliament, during the joint "Award for Hungarian Families" ceremony by the Hungarian Women's Interest Alliance and the Women for the Nation's Future Association.
Eulogy for Irma Bálint on the occasion of receiving the Award for Hungarian Families
Nothing is impossible, only inaction! – this is the motto of a (then, editor's note) 65-year-old woman, arriving from beyond the borders, still actively working, steadfastly leading her own business, a tireless mother who defines both her work and her entire life: nothing is impossible!
Why is this motto relevant when presenting the Award for Hungarian Families? Because the Hungarian Women's Interest Alliance chose her for this award precisely for this reason: because her person is exemplary, there is such stubborn strength in her perseverance, her goal-orientation, which is worth following. She remained faithful to her homeland, her city, worked in the most difficult years in Székelyudvarhely, and continues to work there to this day for her family, for her community...
She is everyone's Auntie Irmuska: Irma Bálint, mother of 2 sons, caring grandmother of 2 grandchildren, employer of dozens, helper and supporter of many. She has a huge heart, her desire to give and her helpfulness are boundless, her devotion and commitment know no obstacles.
Where does she draw this confident strength from? I believe we will find an explanation if we get to know the defining stages of her life's journey so far, which shaped her destiny and character.
She was born and spent her childhood with her 3 siblings in Székelylengyelfalva, a village along the Kisküküllő river. The then almost untouched, traditional way of life not only taught her the dignity of work, but also the will to live and the ability to create a better world. After elementary school, she attended high school in the neighboring Székelyudvarhely, but even during her high school years, she didn't sit still: in the summers, she worked in hospitality in the Black Sea resort areas. Then, hardly had she finished her assistant training, she started working at the local hospital. First as a nurse in the surgery department at that time, then after many years of work, she became head nurse in the orthopedic department of the newly built Székelyudvarhely Municipal Hospital. During her more than 28 years there, she wasn't content with 3 shifts of work; after her shifts, she constantly started new and new things to earn money for her family's livelihood and her sons' schooling: in her free time, she sewed textiles, baked bread, cultivated mushrooms, and made pastries.
After 28 years in healthcare, where she made the days more bearable for countless families, children, parents, and grandparents, she decided to leave her hospital job and formalize her hobby of baking, because she felt that traditional pastries were missing from the market. In 2000, she founded the Bálint Family Business and established the Lehel Kürtősház, which has been operating ever since in the center of Székelyudvarhely. She started with chimney cakes, then beehive pastries, and now makes more than fifteen kinds of traditional artisan pastries, such as oven-baked sour cream pies, cheese scones, and cottage cheese strudel.
She truly became an entrepreneur, driven by her mission, so she boldly crossed the borders of Transylvania to popularize chimney cakes and traditional homemade pastries among Hungarians. She has been doing this for nearly 18 years, sparing no time or energy, overcoming vast distances almost every weekend, as she travels up to 2000 km on more than 30 weekends a year and diligently bakes delicious chimney cakes for young and old. Indeed, there is no Christmas Market in Hegyvidék, Busójárás in Mohács, Jelly Festival in Miskolc, Savaria Historical Carnival, Rosé Festival in Zamárdi, or Great Fair in Debrecen without Auntie Irmuska in her Székely folk dress, and she even feels at home in Komárom, Slovakia. Her famous chimney cakes have even reached abroad; recently, Hungarian gastronomy was represented at an event near Paris. And there would be no Chimney Cake Festival in Budapest without her support, organization, and diligent work!
As the founder of Lehel Kürtősház, her products have received numerous awards, and with her giant chimney cake, she entered the Hungarian Book of Records. Her community work has also been recognized: in 2010, she received an award from the Székelyudvarhelyért Foundation, and she is a perpetual supporter of the Delphi Association in Székelyudvarhely, whose primary goal is to organize educational programs for children and young people.
Now, the Hungarian Women's Interest Alliance awards Irma Bálint the Award for Hungarian Families for her public, charitable, and community-building activities, because we believe and trust that her personal example helps Hungarian families. May God grant her strength and health so that at 65, she can continue her work for many more years, bake many more delicious chimney cakes for us, and that many more Hungarian families can enjoy her overflowing hospitality at her guesthouse in Székelylengyelfalva.
Budapest, November 18, 2018
Dear Auntie Irma! We will miss your protective gaze, kind words, genuine Székely advice, and last but not least, your delicious chimney cakes, pastries, and dishes! Rest in peace!