Member spotlight: Ferenc Zelenak

We recently announced that our community has exceeded 150 members but we would like to spotlight the individuals that make up our community.

This time it's Ferenc Zelenak...a snippet of his fascinating introduction is below

I was born and bred in Tokaj to a family with over 300 years of history in the famous Hungarian wine regions. Both sides of the family were involved in wine and I used some of the money after selling a parcel in the Teleki Grand Cru vineyard to Vega Sicilia's Oremus to move to London 20 years ago. 

My maternal great-grandparents were one of the few postal coach runners who had the royal stamp to authorise them to transport Tokaji Aszus, and my grandfather founded an "independent Tokaji cooperative" for the kulaks in the heavy years of communism after he returned from the death camps. On the paternal side, I would like to mention my uncle Istvan Zelenak local historian who discovered the 1571's Garai letters first written memories of the Tokaji Aszu making. 

I opened a wine shop in 2016 that due to financial and health struggles had to be closed down and then I joined Top Selection as their regional sales manager on a full-time basis right before the pickle 2nd Jan, 2020. 

I have been running away from my heritage since growing up. I do blame the communist regime as both sides of my family were labelled and treated as enemies of the state for being large farmers and refusing to join the party. They have created a gap generation between my grandparents and myself, refusing any higher education and pushing my parents to pick up different trade but not work in agriculture, how could they, all our lands were taken away. But my other part of the family who returned from Auschwitz realised their land was taken away and never going to be returned...a very sad and depressing 50 years but facts are facts. I was organising concerts for Punk/Hardcore Punk bands when I was a teen and coming from Tokaj, imagine this, I have become a straight edge, no alcohol no drugs. The fun was jumping on top of the heads of people from the stage and then I came to buy a pair of cherry red Dr Martens and see the Cockney Rejects in London. Due to my military background, I applied for a job as a butler in Kensington and reconnected with my heritage here in dear old England. 

Why the UKSA? A few Eastern European lads talked about founding a hospitality group for all of us coming from the neck of the woods. You can see a shift now. Polish, Czech. Slovak, Romanian and Hungarians have become leading trade figures but there wasn't a group that felt that retailers, chefs, somms, and barmen could all come together and connect not just on a professional level but also socialise until the northern chapter of the UKSA was founded by Eric Zwiebel, the Northern Sommelier Club.

I decided instead of running in different directions we all need to come together and join the UKSA - we are stronger together!"