When you ask Christoph Held about the future of the tavern, he first talks about the past. About a time when it was a matter of course that people bought meat from the farm, that the menu was based on the season and not on trends in which simple cooking was done, but honestly. A time when the tavern was still a place of encounter, of dispute, mind you, but also of coming together. Christoph Held says we have to go there again.

Christoph Held, whom everyone calls “Krauli,” is not one who persists in the past, the innkeeper of Siriuskogl in Bad Ischl is always known, especially from YouTube. He has been cooking in front of the camera with “Held und Herd” for the last three years, now also on TV shows. In conversation, he reveals how to retain employees, why he still prefers to travel analogously, and what you can learn from the tavern culture.

Whether in front of the camera or at Siriuskogl, most of your life takes place in the kitchen. When did you realize that cooking was your passion? In my family, cooking was always more than eating, it was a way of life. The most
My grandmother, a landlady in Traunkirchen, influenced me. Even as a child, Esmich was fascinated by how simple but tasty their dishes were. In addition, I grew up at the foot of Siriuskogl. As a child, I told my parents that I wanted to take over the Siriuskogl excursion inn. And that's how it happened.

15 years ago, when you just turned 21, you actually took over Siriuskogl. When I applied to the municipality for it, I didn't imagine much of an opportunity. Back then, we started very small, I was in the kitchen and an intern took care of the service. He is left over and is now the restaurant manager.

For many companies, that is exactly what is difficult: finding and, above all, retaining staff.We are around twenty employees at AmsiriuskoGL, and have been doing so for years. In between, the team has grown very closely together and the atmosphere is very familiar. But that doesn't mean that the shortage of skilled workers isn't also bothering us; we too have struggled to find new people. As a boss, it also requires tact when it comes to hiring new employees; after all, the structure must be right. Over the years, however, I have found that there are two things that matter: fair financial compensation and emotional commitment.

What can you imagine as emotional attachment? An example: Our restaurant manager, the former intern, is a big heavy metal fan. If a concert with his favorite band takes place nearby, I buy him a ticket and give him time off for a few days. A tavern is never run only by the host or landlady; rather, it bears the signature of all employees; it is a joint project. In order for the catering industry to become an attractive place to work again, we hosts must pay attention to how we treat all employees. The priorities of the working world are currently shifting. People want more free time, and personal appreciation is often more important to them than success in the traditional sense.

In general, the world of work is changing. Digitalization is a major topic; will it also have to be considered in the tavern in the future? I think it's a tightrope walk. You have to keep pace with the times and use technology where it is useful and makes sense. But to be honest, I've always had a hard time with digital media.

And that even though you're a YouTuber? It's crazy, isn't it? But when it comes to technology, I've always kept a low profile. I'm much better off in front of the camera than behind it. Despite everything, I feel more comfortable in the analog world.

The tavern is probably the epitome of the organic world. If taverns disappear, social meeting zones, politicization at regulars' tables, card games, farmers' weddings and club parties also disappear. But do we still need this cultural space? More than ever! As a society, we need a space in which we come together. And not only with our kind, but also with those who, at first glance, do not seem so familiar to us, who seem uncomfortable to us. This is the only way to fill up trenches, it's the only way to find each other.

The famous satirist Gerhard Polt once described the tavern as a “home of diversity.” He said: “The tavern provides a home for all society, children and skits, idiots, intellectuals, officials, returnees from captivity of war and returnees from the Seychelles. ”

I find that very appropriate because it is true: In the tavern, the cross-section of society usually meets. Sometimes very different worldviews clash, and of course there is friction. But I am of the opinion that the right fighting culture does not harm society, quite the opposite.

‍Is it better to endure other opinions in the tavern? It is of course difficult to make general statements
but I think something has changed in how we deal with each other. It became easier to block out unpleasant things, to separate yourself from them. But in such a small space as in a tavern and especially when your inhibitions fall with one or other beer, you quickly find yourself confronted with people who think differently. And you often notice that the trenches are less deep than expected. WIRTS House is about honesty, not only when it comes to dealing with the menu, but also the menu.

In what way? I think the simpler the dishes and the smaller the menu, the more honest it is. This allows you to reduce cooking to the bare essentials, and that is the care with which food is selected and processed. Eating is always something incredibly intimate, as a cook I have responsibility. It is also about buying local sellers and cooking seasonally. It's the only fun way to be a chef if you can help develop and work with what's there right now. That's pumpkin in autumn and asparagus in spring.

The cuisine of a region can also be understood as a cultural asset. What would Dusagen taste like in the Salzkammergut?
The Salzkammergut is an area where people worked a lot and hard, which is why the kitchen law is hearty. A good example of this is the Holzknechtdumckerl, which are very easy to prepare nocks made from water and flour that can be eaten sweet or salty. Traditionally, woodworkers, miners or salt mine workers cooked them. But they were also well received by the nobles. And not even though, but because they were so simple. Apart from the traditional dishes, there is so much to eat in the area — all you have to do is go into the forest: spruce, May wippers, shoots of fir or spruce branches.

Christoph Held, 38, is a trained chef and took over the Siriuskogl excursion inn in Bad Ischl at just 21 years of age. Since 2020, he has also appeared as a TV chef in various TV and online formats with the “Heldund Herd” format. As part of the Cultural Capital of Europe Bad IschlSalzkammergut 2024, Christoph Heldcontributes his expertise to a school project on the topic of tavern culture. Together with class 4hLA of the Touris-Musschule Bad Ischl, he runs the “pleasure laboratory” in Bad Ischl station in the former railway station restaurant. The pop-up restaurant is still open until September 2024 on selected dates.

Genusslabor: A project in cooperation with the Bad Ischl Tourism School