Péter Cserháti was born in 1940 in Budapest, Hungary. As a young adolescent, he became profoundly affected by the world of colours and classical music. In 1958 he graduated from the Fine & Applied Art School in Budapest where he studied drawing, woodcarving, and sculpting. Independently, he also pursued the study of painting in oils and watercolour.

Upon graduation, Péter Cserháti began to earn his living in Budapest as a decorative woodcarver, but remained active in painting and sculpting. For many years, he was also a member of an amateur choir, performing classical and modern repertoire.

In 1969 he was granted the distinction of Master Woodcarver. In the same year he escaped from communist Hungary, settling in Canada the following year where he established a career in designing and carving residential, institutional, and church interiors in traditional and modern styles.