Beginning of the city

Right from the very moment it was founded, Gdynia began to become one of the most important places on the culinary map of Poland. From the beginning of the 20's of the 20^th century, trendy restaurants such as "Casino", "Polska Riwiera", "Bodega" began appearing to serve the still increasing number of holidaymakers. Also a famous, old inn "Pod Dębem", mentioned already in documents from the 16^th century, was very popular. Its name was later taken over by a restaurant in Hotel Gdynia, while the place where the inn used to be is now a Redemptorist Fathers' monastery. When construction of the port in Gdynia began and the city started expanding quickly, numerous eating places and restaurants meant for the thronging builders and new residents appeared in the city. Apart from the native Kashubians who used to live in the fishing village in the place of which Gdynia was founded, the city itself was composed of people originating practically from all over the Poland, including Warsaw, Poznan, Cracow or the Podkarpacie region. Cross section of society was really diversified, starting with elite – architects, lawyers, engineers, up to the poor from villages and towns in the Podkarpacie region – workers buiilding the Polish "window on the world". Therefore, culinary offer of the city had to reflect extremely different tastes, preferences and financial  abilities. Undoubtedly, Gdynia was a huge cultural and culinary melting pot of the 2^nd Republic of Poland. Such restaurants as "Piątka" with its encouraging sign at the door "Parties till 8 in the morning", or those with such exotic names as "Rio Dorado", "Victoria", "Rio" or "Carioca" opened its doors at the time.

One of the first inns opened in the newly created city of Gdynia was opened at the beginning of the 20's by August Skwiercz at 1 Starowiejska Street. Later, the inn was modernized several times and was still operating under the name "Centralna" some ten years ago.

Also in Starowiejska, this time number 31, Franciszek Grzegorzewski opened "Hotel Staro-Gdyński" in 1928, one year later Gdynia Colonial House  /Gdyński Dom Kolonialny/ and a restaurant. Several years later the inn underwent a comprehensive renovation and its interior design was turned into Kashubian style, while the name changed to "Dwór Kaszubski". The new place was being advertised as a "Restaurant-Bar a la Warsaw – breakfast, dinner, supper, bar meals, excellent vine, liqueur, vodka and beer".

Among numerous temples of food in Gdynia of the time, one deserves being mentioned here, namely "Picadilly" – a restaurant located in the courtyard of "Centralny" Hotel – the only kosher restaurant in Gdynia of the 30's. It was mostly visited by enthusiasts of "gęsie pypki" (stuffed duck breasts), "cyces" (sweet cookies) or pike in Jewish fashion. In pre-war Gdynia there were approximately 40 restaurants, excluding hotel ones, and at least the same number of bars and eating places. Among the most fashionable places of the time, which were visited by the cream of society and silent cinema stars, were "Ermitage", "Europa", "Mascotta" and "Cafe Bałtyk".

Culinary history of Gdynia was strongly connected with the famous Polish transatlantic liners. The most famous of them, the twin MS Batory and MS Piłsudzski, were constructed 3 years before the outbreak of the World War II, and constituted a true showpiece and  advertisement not only of pre-war design, interior design, but also of the wealth and craftsmanship of the culinary offer of the 2^nd Republic of Poland. Sophisticated food served on board of the transatlantic liners could compete with best restaurants from Warsaw of Cracow. Interior of the ships, alike the restaurants themselves, was a combination of two prevailing trends in Polish design and art of the second half of the 30's.  Constructivism artists, that is avant-gardists, clashed with the enthusiasts of the romantic national Art-Decó trend which centred around the "ŁAD" cooperative. Final interior design and all details (furniture, decorations, carpets, tableware) resulted from work of over 80 artists under supervision of Artistic Committee which was specially appointed and composed of big names from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and the Minister for Education. Even uniforms worn by the ship's personnel was polished up by the masters of Polish design of the 2^nd Republic of Poland.

Polish transatlantic liners, for which Gdynia was a home port, sailed mainly from Gdynia to the ports in North America (New York, Montreal). First modern liners (SS Kościuszko, SS Polonia, SS Puławski) were purchased by the Polish government in 1930 together with the entire Danish line to America, including the right to a harbour in New York port. Before war, the line was operated by Polish Transatlantic Ship Society (PTTO) later transformed into Gdynia-America Line (GAL).

Opening of the Polish transatlantic line was connected with a big wave of emigration of Poles to the United States with one of the stages thereof being Gdynia. Cooks, chefs of the Polish transatlantic liners used to bring culinary innovations and trends from the world to the culinary offer of local restaurant and inns.