High award for master confectioner Josef Zauner – 60 years in the profession

On August 1, 1963, Josef Zauner began his apprenticeship as a confectioner at the former. k. u. k. Court Purveyor and Court Confectioner Zauner in Bad Ischl laid the foundation for an unparalleled career. Today, 60 years later, as senior chef, he still welcomes the numerous guests in the Grand Cafe in Pfarrgasse or in the Zauner Esplanade restaurant on the River Traun.

Master confectioner Josef Zauner has had a decisive influence on the history of this traditional business, which has existed since 1832. With great sensitivity, he knew how to lead the company carefully into the present. Today, “der Zauner” is still regarded as the epitome of Austrian coffee house culture. In the meantime, he has successfully handed over the management to his son Philipp and knows he is in good hands.

Zauner’s professional life was eventful. In 1972, he passed the German and Austrian master craftsman examinations. His numerous trips abroad earned him a reputation as an ambassador of Austrian dessert culture, which he underpinned with numerous gold medals for his gourmet delights at international competitions. In Japan, the master confectioner from Bad Ischl has been a welcome guest professor at the confectionery college for decades. As a television chef and confectioner, he has delighted audiences on ORF and Bavarian Radio. Zauner was chairman of the Bad Ischl Tourist Board from 1998 to 2003. In 2021, he received the Golden Medal of Honor of the State of Upper Austria, and a year earlier the Lifetime Achievement Award from the gourmet magazine Falstaff. The Zaunerstollen, of which 170,000 pieces leave the impressive display case in Pfarrgasse every year and which finds delighted customers worldwide, is even immortalized on an Austrian stamp.

Passing on his extensive knowledge of confectionery has always been a matter close to Josef Zauner’s heart. Around 150 apprentices were trained under him – 150 young people who gained a highly qualified professional qualification after completing their apprenticeship at the world-famous confectionery, often paving the way 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 has invested in the future and presents itself as an attractive employer. The bakery is currently being extensively renovated in order to better cope with the increasing demand from the online store and, as an investor in the Grand Elisabeth hotel project behind the Kongress und TheaterHaus, the economic development of Bad Ischl is being driven forward.

Josef Zauner has now been presented with the WKOÖ silver business medal for his services by the Vice President of the WKOÖ, Leo Jindrak, at a ceremony at the Auszeit-Alm in Bad Ischl.
“This is a high honor from the WKO, which only very few business personalities in the district have received so far,” said Jindrak, delighted with his professional colleague.

Zauner would also like to make a contribution to the Capital of Culture 2024. 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 on Pfarrgasse in Ischl.

“We warmly congratulate Josef Zauner on this prestigious award from the WKOÖ, which recognizes his decades of commitment, whether in the region or abroad,” congratulates Robert Oberfrank, Head of WKO Gmunden.