Home » World » Wolfgang Zindler cooked for Siegfried and Roy when they inaugurated the White Lion enclosure in the safari park: Currywurst for the magicians from Vegas – Holte-Stukenbrock Castle
Wolfgang Zindler cooked for Siegfried and Roy when they inaugurated the White Lion enclosure in the safari park: Currywurst for the magicians from Vegas – Holte-Stukenbrock Castle
Zindler gratefully holds a watch in his hand that the successful duo had sent him. For decades, the magicians Siegfried and Roy have fascinated audiences with their breathtaking shows in the famous Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. Until his death, the park manager of the safari park, Fritz Wurms, who died in January 2019, maintained a very friendly relationship with the magician star duo. This friendship made it possible for Siegfried and Roy to come to Stukenbrock in 1996 for the opening of the White Lion enclosure in Safariland.
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A souvenir photo from 1996 shows Wolfgang Zindler with the magicians Siegfried and Roy. Photo: Manuela Fortmeier
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Wurms had hired his good friend and passionate cook, Wolfgang Zindler, to provide the catering. Zindler will never forget the extraordinary weekend. “That was something extraordinary. I made a plan beforehand how I could indulge the two artists from Las Vegas with culinary delights. ”The long prepared menu plan included baked potatoes with a herb dip and fried bacon with onions and other specialties. They all tasted great, but they had a special request. “Siegfried and Roy, both born in Germany, had a huge appetite for a good, delicious currywurst.” He was only too happy to grant them their wish. “They were totally thrilled”.
On Friday evening, the evening of his arrival, Fritz Wurms invited his friend Wolfgang and the magicians to his private home before the big opening day. “We sat there with his mother, brother-in-law Willy, sister Annette and Siegfried and Roy in a small group and laughed a lot.” After all, it was extremely exciting and entertaining what the two had to say. “With whiskey, beer and wine we celebrated until the early morning. We even smoked a thick Havana together, ”recalls Zindler.
Around midnight, Roy made another request. All evening he had been looking fascinated at the colorful glasses that had been Wolfgang Zindler’s trademark for years. “I like the glasses. Where can I get it? ”
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Wolfgang Zindler honors the wristwatch with the head of a white lion and the signature of Siegfried and Roy. Photo: Manuela Fortmeier
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The next morning, Zindler drove to Frau Henrichs at Optik Pieper and got the touch-ups, cut them to Roy’s glasses and handed them over to him. “Oh man, he was happy.” In reports about the artists, Zindler often saw “his glasses” on Roy and remembered “how easy it is to make people happy”.
“Really great” was the great gala party in the Oriental after the grand opening of the enclosure, “to which everything that had a reputation in the region was invited”. Wolfgang Zindler also had an invitation. When he and his wife Gundula appeared in the restaurant for the gala at around 11 p.m., he assumed that he would no longer speak to the magicians. But he was quickly recognized by Wurm’s brother-in-law Willy and waved past the security. “So I was allowed to sit down next to the two of them in the separate VIP lounge area for a whole evening and enjoy the evening.”
Siegfried and Roy are not the only prominent artists that Wolfgang Zindler was allowed to spoil. Luigi Colani and folk musician Heino also had woodcutter steak with him, and folk musicians Marianne and Michael stayed with him in the hotel for several weeks during various regional performances. Michael Jackson’s double has also returned. “That was the nice thing about my job. I was able to indulge my lust as a cook every day. The great contacts with many nice people were a bonus. I don’t want to miss a single day. ”
