From a Master’s Handthe company philosophy
“What a sweet little boy!”
the Hollander family agreed, when in June 1974 the newest addition, Christoph, came into the world in Klosterneuburg in Lower Austria. They were to be proved right – to this day. For when it comes to sweet things, Christoph Hollander was and is a true specialist.
His childhood in his uncle’s bakehouse shaped him, of course. He was fascinated by the secrets of baking, by the importance of pure, first-rate ingredients and by the working of the elements, as fire, water, wheat and yeast became crisp, fragrant bread. But there was something beyond that, and it fascinated him utterly: the delicate art of the Viennese sugar-baker, in the classical style.
So at fifteen Christoph Hollander decided to begin his apprenticeship as a confectioner. His career started at the long-established Zuckerbäckerei Angelmayer in Vienna’s 15th district. From there his path led by way of the Kurkonditorei Wien/Oberlaa to the k.u.k. Hof-Konditorei Sluka, confectioner to the imperial court, in the 1st district.
His care and conscientiousness, his ideas and creations were so well received that in 1996 he rose to head pastry chef of the Munich Hilton, where he was also responsible for the “Hilton Grill”, the hotel’s award-winning restaurant.
At the same time, in 1996, he became Austria’s youngest master confectioner – a detail that says a great deal about his commitment and his qualifications.
Later, back home in Klosterneuburg, he developed a confectionery line of his own for his cousin’s bakery, which remains a mainstay of that business to this day.
“That is where my story really begins!” Christoph Hollander
In 2008 he founded the Tortenmanufaktur, where he can bring all his passion, his knowledge and his proven recipes to bear and keep developing them.
“That is where my story really begins!” says Christoph Hollander with a laugh, as we visit him at his Tortenmanufaktur at Hauptstraße 11 in Klosterneuburg-Weidling.