Gessler restaurants

Magdalena Gessler (born July 10, 1953) a buoyant-haired artist-turned-restaurateur, has helped to create a revival of traditional Polish cooking as practised in the long-vanished houses of the Polish aristocracy and bourgeoisie. 

• FB: facebook.com/pages/Magda-Gessler
• http://www.magdagessler.pl

And in doing so, she has built a fine-dining restaurant empire and become one of Poland’s highest profile food celebrities – known both for her cooking as well as for flamboyant feuds with other members of the Gessler family who run competing restaurants.

Restaurants of Magda Gessler
See also other restaurants of the well know Polish restaurateur, interior designer and entrepreneur Magda Gessler:

• Confectionery Embassy Magda Gessler: For guests who enjoy sweet tastes or for those in need of a sugary treatment, Embassy offers a truly mouth-watering array of decadent desserts - fruit tortes, chocolate éclairs, tiramisu, pies, layered cakes...
• Czaji: One floor up from AleGloria, there are some elegant, aristocratic salons of Paris or Moscow at the turn of 19th century, which includes Teahouse and Beluga (small slice of the Orient) Rooms and also Confectionery Embassy Magda Gessler (sweets, cakes and bakery)...
• Bellini Trattoria: Bellini Trattoria is hidden in a gothic cellar of „Krokodyl” historical tenement house on the Old Town Market Sq. Inside the restaurant, there is a characteristic smell of herbs mixed with teasing smell of fresh-baked pizza...
• Gar: Gar Restaurant is situated in a great location - in a pre-war tenement house opposite to the Warsaw Philharmonic and it serves typical homemade Italian meals and also the exceptional White Pizza of Ms. Magda Gessler...
• Polka: Polka is located at the Castle Square in the Warsaw Old Town. Polka is a beautiful restaurant with interiors inspired by the architecture of Renaissance tenements, where everyone can find something special from Polish cuisine...
• Venezia: Venezia Ristorante serves delicate, handmade pastas based on the old Italian recipes together with delicious cheeses and pizza baked in the stone oven. Magda Gessler particularly recommends her own "Pizza Murano" and colourful tiramisu here...

Ms Gessler has become Poland’s best-known restaurant brand, and her iconic signature now decorates her own restaurants as well as a series of new ventures she has opened with a business partner who provides the finance while she works on the menu and the interiors.

Meanwhile, other members of the Gessler family have also launched restaurants – becoming the conflicted first family of Polish food.

- her privileged upbringing during the period of the Polish People’s Republic. Her father, a journalist for the Polish Press Agency, was based in Bulgaria, Italy and Cuba, where Ms Gessler spent her earliest years.
1989, she returned to Poland, intent on fomenting a culinary revolution to accompany the political one that was ending communist rule that year.


Magda Ikonowicz, as she was at the time – launched herself into the febrile life of the newly democratic capital, starting a romance with Piotr Gessler, who ran one of Warsaw’s few successful restaurants with his wife Marta and his brother Adam. Predictable tensions notwithstanding, all ended up working together before the family decided to split their three restaurants, leaving Piotr and Magda Gessler with U Fukiera.

She continued her promotion of fare from before the second world war, opening restaurant after restaurant, initially in Warsaw and then in other Polish cities – first with her husband Piotr, and after the spectacular and very public collapse of their marriage, with her new partner, a former waiter at U Fukiera.

Piotr Gessler’s first wife, Marta, has her own highly rated restaurant, where the style is much sparer and simpler than the rococo sophistication favoured by Magda Gessler. Adam Gessler now runs a celebrated Warsaw restaurant in a cavernous hotel kitchen, where clients get to watch the chefs at work.

Adam Gessler used to run a restaurant a couple of doors down from U Fukiera, but lost it in 2007 after running up a debt of 21m zlotys with the city of Warsaw for unpaid rent – whereupon Magda Gessler swooped in and opened her own restaurant in the same location.

Adam and Magda Gessler compete on television too, where both have popular food programmes. In her show, the Polish version of Britain’s Kitchen Nightmares, fronted by the notoriously harsh and profane Gordon Ramsay, Ms Gessler visits troubled restaurants to show the owners how to turn the business round. In one recent programme, she was filmed spitting out a hamburger, saying it “smelled like a corpse”, which boosted her television popularity while sending the unfortunate restaurant owners into paroxysms of rage.

Both Ms Gesslers have competing cookbooks out, inviting comparisons with celebrity chefs such as Mr Ramsay who dominate British and US screens and bookshelves. “I’m not like Gordon Ramsay, I’m more like Mother Teresa,” jokes Ms Gessler.

If anything, the very public spats between the various Gesslers have lent strength to the brand, and Madga Gessler herself is now linked to more than 20 restaurants across Poland, and branching out into Russian, Italian and other cuisines. She now has plans to try to open a sophisticated Polish restaurant in Washington or in Toronto, the home of her third husband.

• Zobacz Smaki życia www.smakizycia.pl

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Obecnie nazwisko Gessler jest znane właśnie dzięki Magdzie, a nie braciom Adamowi i Piotrowi. Wiele mówi się o ogromnych długach Adama, któremu zabrakło chyba żyłki do prowadzenia interesów, którą ma słynna restauratorka. Po ponad dwudziestu latach od momentu kiedy weszła do rodziny Gesslerów może powiedzieć, że osiągnęła najbardziej spektakularny sukces, zostawiając szwagra i byłego męża daleko w tyle.

Magda Gessler - Polish restaurateur, interior designer and entrepreneur 

Magda Ikonowicz-Muller, gdy wróciła do Polski w 1986 roku, była 33-letnią wdową (po korespondencie Der Spiegel) z małym synkiem

Tu z Robertem Makłowiczem w 2003r.

i w 2017 r.

Magda Gessler, Lara Gessler, Piotr Gessler

W 1989 roku na świat przyszła Lara, córka Magdy i Piotra Gesslera; 7 listopada 1995 roku Magda Ikonowicz-Muller wyszła za Piotra

Magda Gessler z córeczka Lara i synem Tadeuszem

syn Tadeusz (ur. 1983) i córka Lara (ur. 1989)

W 1995 roku Magda wychodzi za Piotra Gesslera. Ich burzliwa miłość, uczucie, którym się obdarzyli sprawiało, że nie mówiło się o niczym innym w tzw. warszawce. Magda od tej pory podpisuje się nazwiskiem męża. 

Poznali się zaraz po powrocie Magdy Gessler do Polski pod koniec lat 80. Restauratorka była przygnębiona stratą ukochanego męża,  Volkharta Müllera. Starszy od Magdy o 11 lat korespondent "Der Spiegel" zmarł na raka w 1986 roku. Miesiąc wcześniej odeszła miesięczna córeczka pary.

Magda była początkowo zainteresowana Adamem Gesslerem, ten jednak nie przyszedł na umówioną randkę. Jego brat Piotr postanowił więc zająć się zdenerwowaną Magdą. Zaopiekował się nią dość skutecznie. Para zakochała się w sobie. Piotr dla Magdy zostawił swoją ówczesną żonę Martę i rozpoczął nowe życie z nową miłością u swojego boku.

Syn Tadeusz - jest dzieckiem z pierwszego małżeństwa Gessler z Volkhartem Müllerem. Tadeusz miał zaledwie trzy lata, gdy jego ojciec zmarł na raka.

Magda Gessler z córką Larą

Adam Gessler

Magda Gessler, Mariusz Diakowski

Magda Gessler straciła głowę dla młodszego o 13 lat Mariusza Diakowskiego, studenta, który w „Fukierze”, restauracji jej i jej męża, dorabiał jako kelner

Gessler i Diakowski rozstali się po siedmiu latach, ale ukochany restauratorki nie został poszkodowany. Magda Gessler stworzyła nowego restauratora, przekazując Diakowskiemu trudną sztukę prowadzenia restauracji. Dzięki niej Diakowski otworzył dwa własne lokale.

Magda Gessler, Mariusz Diakowski

Magda miała romans z Mariuszem Diakowskim, studentem, który dorabiał w restauracji U Fukiera jako kelner. Piotr Gessler, podejrzewając, że jego żonę łączy z Diakowskim coś więcej, wynajął detektywa. W ten sposób dowiedział się o prawdzie. Po rozstaniu z Piotrem Magda została właścicielką U Fukiera.

Magda Gessler i Mariusz Diakowski byli parą przez kilka lat, wspólnie otworzyli nawet restaurację Zielnik. Niestety i ten związek się rozpadł, a Magda zaczęła pracować na własny rachunek. W ciągu kilku lat stała się najsłynniejszą restauratorką w Polsce, a program Kuchenne rewolucje przysporzył jej popularności godnej wielkiej gwiazdy telewizji. 

Adam Gessler próbował konkurować z byłą szwagierką. Ruszył z konkurencyjnym programem Wściekłe gary, w którym prezentował najciekawsze restauracje w Polsce. Jednak o oglądalności, którą może pochwalić się Magda, mógł tylko pomarzyć.

Magda Gessler i Waldemar Kozerawski, obecny maz

Magda Gessler, Waldemar Kozerawski

Magda Gessler, Waldemar Kozerawski

Magda Gessler, Waldemar Kozerawski

Magda Gessler w programie „Kuchenne rewolucje”

Ryszard Kapuściński jest ojcem chrzestnym Magdy Gessler

Lipiec 2014: nowa książka Magdy Gessler zatytułowana „101 najlepszych restauracji i hoteli w Polsce”, wydana przez Ringier Axel Springer Polska. Powiązana z nią aplikacja mobilna na tablety i smartfony z dodatkowymi funkcjami.  Cena 29,90 zł.

Magda Gessler rezygnuje z firmowania swoim nazwiskiem kilku restauracji

W Wielki Piątek, tuż przed Świętami Wielkanocnymi 2014 roku, Magda Gessler poinformowała na Facebooku o wycofaniu się z firmowania swoim nazwiskiem kilku restauracji:

Restauratorka napisała: "Ze względu na fundamentalne różnice w filozofii prowadzenia restauracji dzielące mnie i moich partnerów biznesowych rezygnuję z udzielania mojego nazwiska i wizerunku następującym restauracjom: AleGloria w Warszawie, Biała Gęś w Warszawie, Krokodyl w Warszawie, Trattoria Bellini w Warszawie, Polka w Warszawie, Polka w Łodzi, Marcello w Łodzi, Marcello w Krakowie oraz Restauracja Wentzl w Krakowie. Podjęłam już niezbędne kroki prawne w celu zakończenia tej współpracy - formalne rozstanie nastąpi po upływie okresu wypowiedzenia wiążącej mnie umowy. Rewolucje na własnym podwórku uważam za rozpoczęte. Wesołych Świąt Kochani".

1. AleGloria w Warszawie, 
2. Biała Gęś w Warszawie, 
3. Krokodyl w Warszawie, 
4. Trattoria Bellini w Warszawie, 
5. Polka w Warszawie, 
6. Polka w Łodzi, 
7. Marcello w Łodzi, 
8. Marcello w Krakowie oraz 
9. Restauracja Wentzl w Krakowie

Mimo rozstania z tak pokaźną grupą restauracji Magda Gessler wciąż firmuje sporo lokali. W Warszawie jest to restauracja U Fukiera przy Rynku Starego Miasta, Zielnik, Embassy, Słodki Słony i Gar.

Historia rodziny Gesslerów

„Kuchenne rewolucje” Magdy Gessler i „Wściekłe gary” Adama Gesslera przyciągają przed ekrany telewizorów miliony Polaków zafascynowanych światem restauracji. Nie mniej fascynująca jest historia rodziny Gesslerów.

Wśród znanych w Polsce rodzin restauratorów nie ma drugiej takiej, która by była tak popularna w mediach jak warszawski klan Gesslerów. Pełno ich w plotkarskich serwisach, w kolorowych czasopismach, a ostatnio także w telewizji. Do niedawna dziennikarze w komentarzach „Gessler kontra Gessler” skrzętnie porównywali słupki oglądalności „Rewolucji kuchennych” prowadzonych przez Magdę Gessler w TVN i „Wściekłych garów” jej szwagra, Adama Gesslera w publicznej TVP. Sądząc po danych Nielsen Audience Measurement, część widzów też mogła je porównywać przeskakując z kanału na kanał, bo jesienią oba programy nadawane w sobotę prawie w tym samym czasie, miały podobny, ponad 22-proc. udział w widowni.

Magda Gessler in the New York Times

Here is the January 6, 2012 article in the New York Times: Warsaw's Restaurant Guru Moves Past Traditional Polish Cuisine

As Magda Gessler sailed through Gar, her latest restaurant in Warsaw, she greeted waiters and patrons, enjoying her position as one of Poland’s biggest food celebrities, a combination of Martha Stewart, Gordon Ramsay and Nigella Lawson.

In September, her television show “Kuchenne Rewolucje” (Kitchen Revolution) — which debuted in spring 2010 and resembles Mr. Ramsay’s “Kitchen Nightmares” — broke into prime time and now averages more than four million viewers a week, though the number includes repeats on Saturday afternoons.

It seems as if every other restaurant in Warsaw these days has some association with her. She owns two patisseries and two traditional Polish restaurants and she is a partner in 12 others that have franchised her name and use her as a consultant on everything from the menu to the décor. Three more Gessler-franchised restaurants opened in Lodz at the beginning of December: Polka, which focuses on Polish food; the fast-food styled MG Eat; and Marcello, an Italian restaurant — her paternal grandmother was from Venice.

Ms. Gessler said she hoped to open a restaurant in Toronto, where her boyfriend, a plastic surgeon, lives and where she spends 10 days a month. She also writes about food for various publications, has acted as the host of a radio show and has published two cookbooks. Her newest, “The Spoon of Violets,” will be released early in 2012.

“When I was 6 years old, I thought I was a princess,” Ms. Gessler said in English — she speaks seven other languages. “I knew that I was different, that I was special and that I would have everything that I wanted.” That healthy ego has made her a controversial figure in Poland.

Piotr Fromowitz, the executive producer of her television show, said they needed someone controversial. “There was a feeling that the ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ format could be very successful in Poland, but the only question was who could host a show like this. Magda’s name came up because the show is not about cooking so much as it is about running a restaurant, hiring the right staff and the décor. She is someone who is controversial — some people love her and others do not — but she really knows how the restaurant business works.”

Ms. Gessler goes into restaurants across Poland — many are mom and pop establishments that run on love more than good food — and tells them what to change, everything from staffing to ingredients. “Gordon Ramsay has to advise a restaurant on where to source their Amaretto from,” Ms. Gessler said. “We are still on a lower level. I have to tell people to use butter over margarine.” The show has proved popular in a country where food has long played a central role in family and religious events and where even today — outside cosmopolitan cities like Warsaw and Krakow — dining out is still seen as something saved for special occasions.

“In one episode,” Mr. Fromowitz said, “she taught a Greek restaurant owner in Poznan how to make things taste right for Polish people, and she was also telling him how he should treat his wife. It was very funny. The program aired on a Saturday evening and the next day the neighbors of the restaurant were calling the owner saying he better open up early because there was a line outside. The owner told us that he used to maybe sell one pan of moussaka each day and now he was selling eight.”

Ms. Gessler has played an integral role in Warsaw’s dining culture since opening Fukier, with its over-the-top baroque-meets-kitsch interiors, 21 years ago.

“She was the first person to really push the boundaries of Polish food, making it more sexy,” said Mladen Petrov, who reviews restaurants for the Aktivist newspaper in Warsaw. “She has this unique personality and you can sense it in all her places, there is something special.”

Malgorzata Pietkiewicz, a journalist whose book “Gessler Empire From the Kitchen” was published in July, agreed. “You have to know that after the transformation in the early 1990s, Fukier was like an oasis in the desert,” she said. “The food was good, there was nice service, interesting interiors — all of which was different from how things had been during Communism.”

Much of what set Fukier apart came from Ms. Gessler’s experiences of living abroad for most of her life. Her father, Miroslaw Ikonowicz, was a journalist and the family — including her brother, the left-wing Polish politician Piotr Ikonowicz — bounced from Bulgaria to Cuba during her early years. It was in Havana — where dinner guests included Fidel Castro (whom she remembers smelling of cigars, rum and cologne) and Che Guevara — that Ms. Gessler said she first understood a meal was not just about cooking. “There is something important that happens to people with food,” she said. “Even the most powerful of men can be manipulated by a good meal.”

She went on to study art in Madrid and married Volkhart Müller, a correspondent for Der Spiegel, with whom she had a son, Tadeusz, in 1982. During her 17 years in Madrid, Ms. Gessler taught cooking courses, managed a handful of restaurants and began catering when her husband became ill with cancer. Mr. Müller died in 1989 — the year Communism collapsed in Poland — and on a trip back to Warsaw, Ms. Gessler met her second husband, Piotr Gessler, who was running what was then the capital’s top restaurant with his flamboyant brother Adam.

Food and restaurants have long been a tradition with the Gessler clan — their paternal grandmother had run a restaurant in Warsaw in the early 20th century and their father operated a string of patisseries in the capital during the Communist years. They fell in love, he left his first wife, Marta, who also owns a restaurant in Warsaw, Qchnia Artystyczna, and they had a daughter, Lara, in 1989. The couple is now finalizing their divorce.

“It was like a script out of ‘Dynasty,’ Ms. Pietkiewicz said of the acrimony within the family over the Gesslers’ getting together and opening Fukier.

Some members of the Gessler family are unhappy that she continues to use their name. That has also created some confusion because Mr. Gessler, his brother and nephews now run successful restaurants in Warsaw, Krakow and London that use “Gessler Restaurant” in their titles.

While Polish cuisine has long had a staid and caloric reputation — “it’s only simple food like fat kielbasa and pierogi that people know about,” Ms. Gessler said — things are different. Chefs and restaurant managers who moved to Europe after Poland joined the European Union in 2004 have returned with experience and ideas, opening up some top-notch places that serve gourmet Polish food with a twist.

And the food scene has indeed changed, thanks in part to Ms. Gessler’s energy. Mr. Fromowitz, the producer, said: “If you did research as to who should be our food guru in Poland, I think the majority of people would say Magda Gessler.”

Some argue that Ms. Gessler’s restaurants will not top any gastronomy lists, but she has helped get people thinking more about food, the dining experience, and restaurant themes and aesthetics.

“I think she is being more modern, moving away from traditional Polish food,” said John Borrell, a former correspondent for Time who is now a wine importer and hotelier in Poland. “If you want to build a food empire — which I think she has — it is probably smart to diversify. There is no long term big future in old fashioned Polish restaurants.”