How many jars of red magic will fit into a suitcase? Never enough, if your name is John Czingula and your friends back home await the unique taste of Hungarian paprika guaranteed to make their dinner remarkable. John Czingula is a paprika evangelist, a native Hungarian on a mission to bring the authentic flavors of his homeland to his adopted country, the U.S. Growing up in Hungary during WWII, Jo
hn survived the German and Russian occupations, dodging bombs and bullets while facing hunger. Thankfully, the trauma was tempered by happier times, memories of a warm family kitchen where his grandmother served up flavorful meals. Always at hand — a bowl of thick freshly crushed paprika relish. In 1957, John came to America, a refugee of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. To build his English vocabulary, he planted himself in front of a TV. A quick study, John went on to win a scholarship, attended Wabash College, Indiana, studied business, after college he launched an acting career in Hollywood. In the 1960’s and early seventies he landed parts in front of TV cameras, wrote and produced plays. But his entrepreneurial spirit called, pulling him back to business. John’s many career successes reflect a man of high energy and wide interests, from race cars and Detroit West an auto body repair facility to construction, real estate, manufacturing, and Solar Thermal renewable energy — to name but a few. Yet John’s greatest passion remains food. In 2004 John founded his Denver-based Univer Foods USA Company, with exclusive rights to distribute Univer Foods products in the U.S. from Univer Product Zrt. a 75 year old Hungarian company well known in Europe for decades for the famous Hungarian Paprika Paste’s and Condiments. In 2013 John published his first cookbook, For the Love of Paprika, 300-plus recipes for enhancing everyday foods interspersed by John’s stories of his childhood and Hungarian culture. John lives in Denver and enjoys the active lifestyle of Colorado’s Front Range. When he’s not skiing, hiking, or boating. John supports charitable causes, works toward American Energy independence, and evangelizes about paprika, because every cook deserves to experience the taste and amazing versatility of real Hungarian Paprika.
