In June, the crème de la crème of local chefs, winemakers and tourism experts met at the Floh restaurant in Langenlebarn. The reason was the presentation of Austria’s new culinary positioning by Astrid Steharnig-Staudinger, Managing Director of the Austrian Tourist Board. The aim is to establish Austria internationally as a leading culinary destination in Europe. Styria Tourism Managing Director Michael Feiertag is one of the driving forces behind the new major culinary offensive. In an interview, he explains how Austria is to become the new foodie paradise:
With a long overdue collaboration between the tourism industry, Austria will be presented worldwide as a high-quality and sustainable culinary hotspot. How did this ultimately come about?
MICHAEL FEIERTAG: Together with the Austrian Tourist Board, we federal states have found a topic that unites us all. It is not cycling. It is not skiing. It is not cultural tourism either. There will also always be a federal state that deviates in some direction. But when it comes to the topic of cuisine, we all said: that is exactly what Austria stands for.
The Ramsauer Brandalm hut landlady Eva-Maria Schrempf offers authentic Styrian food with recognition value © Martin Huber
Denmark has been the number one culinary foodie destination for many years. People travel from all over the world just to eat at one of the hyped restaurants. But why?
Anyone who knows Denmark, anyone who knows the hinterland of Denmark and has ever been here, will think: What happened there? Where did we take a wrong turn? Where until now we thought there was nothing but lichen and smørrebrød, today people eat like nowhere else. Leading minds and above all the state have achieved great things with culinary branding. That is why it is so gratifying that we are now willing to pull together in our country. The conditions and quality have always been there. Now we just need to communicate it properly.
This new culinary positioning now highlights the importance of originals. Is this the right way to start?
The originals are our marketing tool. A common element to create recognition. From products to locations and table culture to dishes and characters that make up Austria’s culinary identity. Let’s put it this way: the pot is on the stove. Now it’s a matter of filling it together with the best ingredients.
“Austria should become a leading culinary destination in Europe – the new positioning is the basis for this.” Astrid Steharnig-Staudinger © Karo Pernegger
What makes the industry happy is the fact that good money is being invested. Do you know exactly how much and for what?
There is already a commitment of several hundred thousand euros. Across all federal states and the Austrian Tourist Board. With Astrid Steharnig-Staudinger at the head of the Austrian Tourist Board, we finally feel like we have a contact person for this issue who understands it and wants to work with us to get things moving. But that is just the first step. We Styrians are definitely determined to take the lead on this important issue.
Measures to combat the shortage of skilled workers in the catering industry are also an important topic at the moment. Shouldn’t we start there first and then build on it internationally?
The shortage of skilled workers is a development in society that of course is not bypassing the catering sector. Unfortunately. Everywhere you look, people are only talking about more vacation, more home office, more work-life balance. That doesn’t work. I can’t get breaded schnitzel from my home office. Period. But that is not an Austrian development, not a Central European one, but one of the Western world. In my opinion, we have already taken an important step towards making the catering industry more attractive for skilled workers again: next year there will be a Michelin Guide in Austria again. That will motivate many people to work in a star-rated establishment. It is still a stepping stone beyond national borders for your CV.
In his podcast “Fiete Gastro”, German TV chef and restaurateur Tim Mälzer confirms that Austria actually has the potential to become the “new Denmark”. When could this be achieved?
Difficult to answer. But that is exactly what we want to achieve together. If we can actually do that, then I think we can all pat each other on the back. Now we are especially patting our fantastic companies on the back that work in the culinary industry and lay the important foundation for it.
