Interview and Photos by Melanie Dunea / CPi / My Last Supper
Kurt Gutenbrunner: "If anything happens and I need to walk out of the restaurant, then I would definitely—after making sure that all my helpers are OK—bring these schnitzel hammers and this Viennese cookbook with me."
"I bought this book in Vienna in the early '80s using the first little money I ever made. I don’t even remember how much it cost. I think it was like 1,000 schillings, which was not a lot, but I wanted to have it."
"You must have hammers or meat cleavers to make a good schnitzel. I've had this one since I opened Wallsé in 2000."
"You know what? I've never cooked anything out of this book. I use it for inspiration and combinations. I like to see what they were doing in Vienna in 1901, like this recipe on page 962 for Chicken with Olives."
"After I bought this cookbook, I started collecting books and art. I'm a little bit spoiled with my connection to the Neue Galerie. I'm also spoiled by a lot of my friends in the art world. Whenever they visit, they bring me books about art. It's important to me that my daughters see books and art so they can feel a connection with it."
