On August 1, 1963, Josef Zauner laid the foundation for an unprecedented career when he began his pastry chef apprenticeship with the former imperial court purveyor and court confectioner Zauner in Bad Ischl. Today, 60 years later, as senior boss, he still warmly welcomes the numerous guests in the Grand Cafe in Pfarrgasse or in the Zauner Esplanade restaurant on the Traun. Master confectioner Josef Zauner has had a significant impact on the history of this traditional business, which has been in existence since 1832. With great sensitivity, he knew how to carefully guide the company into the present. Even today, "the Zauner" is considered the epitome of Austrian coffee house culture. He has now successfully handed over management to his son Philipp and knows that he is in good hands. Zauner's professional life was eventful. In 1972 he passed the German and Austrian master craftsman examinations. His numerous stays abroad earned him the reputation of being an ambassador of Austrian dessert culture, which he underlined with numerous gold medals for his gourmet delights at international competitions. In Japan, the master confectioner from Bad Ischl has been a popular guest professor at the confectionery school for decades. As a television chef and confectioner, he delighted viewers on ORF and Bavarian Radio. Bad Ischl Tourist Association Zauner served as chairman from 1998 to 2003. In 2021 he received the Golden Medal of Honor of the State of Upper Austria, a year earlier the Lifetime Achievement Award by the gourmet magazine Falstaff. The Zaunerstollen, of which 170,000 pieces leave the impressive display case in Pfarrgasse every year and find delighted buyers all over the world, is even immortalized on an Austrian postage stamp. Passing on his extensive knowledge of confectionery was always a matter close to Josef Zauner's heart. Around 150 apprentices were trained under his leadership - 150 young people who, by completing their apprenticeship at the world-famous confectionery, gained a highly qualified professional education and often had the path paved for an international career. The Ischl flagship company is not running out of projects. With the recently completed employee residence (formerly Hotel "Stadt Salzburg) with 28 accommodations, the company invested in the future and presented itself as an attractive employer. The bakery generously remodeledin order to better cope with the increasing demand from the online shop and as an investor of the Grand Elisabeth hotel project Behind the Congress and TheaterHaus, the economic development of Bad Ischl is further promoted. At a celebration at the Auszeit-Alm in Bad Ischl, Josef Zauner was awarded the WKOÖ Silver Business Medal by the Vice President of the WKOÖ, Leo Jindrak, for his services. "This is a high award from the WKO, which only very few business personalities in the district have received so far," said a delighted Jindrak and his professional colleague. Zauner also wants to make a contribution to the 2024 Capital of Culture. He is the chairman of a cooperation that will revive and celebrate the cultural heritage of confectionery in the Salzkammergut. The epicenter can be found in Ischl's Pfarrgasse. “We warmly congratulate Josef Zauner on this high award from the WKOÖ, which recognizes his decades of commitment, both in the region and abroad!”, says Robert Oberfrank, head of the WKO Gmunden.
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