History
During the end of the last century, in the late 90’s, many Grison pastry chefs still practiced their profession outside of Switzerland in over 500 foreign cities and a handful of foreigners moved into Engadine and opened their stores.
One such baker/confectioner was Johann Friedrich Kochendörfer from Tiefenbach in Württemberg. He moved to Pontresina, where he found a job in the Hotel Roseg as the hotel baker. Three years later, he was able to rent the bakery of the Hotel Saratz and sold bread and pastries to the rest of the hotels in Pontresina.
In 1906, the opportunity arose to buy property on the main street of Pontresina. Fritz Kochendörfer snapped at the chance and the new building was built in1907-08. He had only a few good business years before World War I began (1914 -1918), and later, starting in1929, the great depression. Furthermore, his state of health was so bad that he died at the early age of 56, leaving behind the business to a widow and two sons, both of whom also learned the bakery trade.
One of the two sons, Oscar Senior, along with his wife Felicie, took over the hard-hit business from his mother in 1927. Oscar Sr. didn’t let the daunting of a struggling business stop him and soon rebuilt the original business into a small hotel. Needless to say, the bakery and tea room were also still part of the business. Later the hotel grew to 42 beds. Aside from the difficult war years and the Great Depression, the Kochendörfer family always rebuilt or added to their business and a flourishing business emerged.
Oscar Kochendörfer Junior completed his apprenticeship as pastry chef at the Konditorei Roggwiler in St. Gallen. His apprenticeships also led him to Geneva, Klosters, Siders, England, France, Sweden and the Netherlands. Afterward his apprenticeship period, he studied at the hotel management school in Lausanne. In 1973, he and his wife Agnese Isepponi from Poschiavo, took over the family business. All rooms and 62 beds of the Kochendörfer hotel now belonged to a high standard of comfort. The bakery continues to make the family specialty "Kochendörfer's Engadine Torte" and it has become one of the most important products of the confectionery. The tea room has been joined together with a restaurant and is a great success.
Claudio & Stephanie Kochendörfer, the fourth generation of Kochendörfer’s, are now working since 2001 in the family business. After finishing their hotel management school in Thun & Lausanne and working in interesting positions at various first class hotels throughout Switzerland, the siblings make their appearance, with much delight and dedication, in the footsteps of their forefathers...
One such baker/confectioner was Johann Friedrich Kochendörfer from Tiefenbach in Württemberg. He moved to Pontresina, where he found a job in the Hotel Roseg as the hotel baker. Three years later, he was able to rent the bakery of the Hotel Saratz and sold bread and pastries to the rest of the hotels in Pontresina.
In 1906, the opportunity arose to buy property on the main street of Pontresina. Fritz Kochendörfer snapped at the chance and the new building was built in1907-08. He had only a few good business years before World War I began (1914 -1918), and later, starting in1929, the great depression. Furthermore, his state of health was so bad that he died at the early age of 56, leaving behind the business to a widow and two sons, both of whom also learned the bakery trade.
One of the two sons, Oscar Senior, along with his wife Felicie, took over the hard-hit business from his mother in 1927. Oscar Sr. didn’t let the daunting of a struggling business stop him and soon rebuilt the original business into a small hotel. Needless to say, the bakery and tea room were also still part of the business. Later the hotel grew to 42 beds. Aside from the difficult war years and the Great Depression, the Kochendörfer family always rebuilt or added to their business and a flourishing business emerged.
Oscar Kochendörfer Junior completed his apprenticeship as pastry chef at the Konditorei Roggwiler in St. Gallen. His apprenticeships also led him to Geneva, Klosters, Siders, England, France, Sweden and the Netherlands. Afterward his apprenticeship period, he studied at the hotel management school in Lausanne. In 1973, he and his wife Agnese Isepponi from Poschiavo, took over the family business. All rooms and 62 beds of the Kochendörfer hotel now belonged to a high standard of comfort. The bakery continues to make the family specialty "Kochendörfer's Engadine Torte" and it has become one of the most important products of the confectionery. The tea room has been joined together with a restaurant and is a great success.
Claudio & Stephanie Kochendörfer, the fourth generation of Kochendörfer’s, are now working since 2001 in the family business. After finishing their hotel management school in Thun & Lausanne and working in interesting positions at various first class hotels throughout Switzerland, the siblings make their appearance, with much delight and dedication, in the footsteps of their forefathers...
