By Jan Jackson
When Shaun Rottner talks about how the Bavarian Haus Restaurant and Lounge won the 2008 Mt. Angel Business of the Year award, he quickly credits his brother and chef Eric Rottner for the food, long-time hostess and former owner Ginger Mikkelsen for the hospitality, his wife Jackie GrosJacques for her marketing and management sense and the people in the community of Mt. Angel for loyal home town support.
The brothers, who bought the restaurant three years ago, are being honored for improvement to the facility and their management of the business.
“The whole thing got started when Eric called from upstate New York and said I’m tired of subzero winters,” Rottner said. “I had already moved from Texas to try my hand at commercial fishing with another brother. When we had the opportunity to buy the Bavarian Haus in Mt. Angel, it looked and felt good to us.”
A graduate of culinary school in New York, Eric had not only worked under a German master chef but he had also been a chef in a German restaurant. “You can believe that every wiener schnitzel that comes out of his kitchen is hand-pounded and hand-breaded.”
The brothers, with Shaun’s wife Jackie GrosJacques and server Ginger Mikkelsen, continued to transform the country-style restaurant and bar into a charming Bavarian-style Gasthaus and lounge.
“No other business in our community has shown as much improvement in their facility, presentation and management in the past year than the B’Haus,” said Jerry Lauzon, who with his wife, Connie, nominated it for the award. “They prepare and serve some of the best German meals this side of the Atlantic and their management style is inviting and hands-on. They have attracted new business to the community and at the same time they are keeping their regular clientele happy.”
The Bavarian Haus team has only begun the work on the business and has a long to-do list. They want to do more work on the outside, complete the work they started on their outdoor patio, they are remodeling the bathrooms and when time and money allow, they want to put in a new kitchen. In the meantime, they continue to participate in community activities and festivals like the coming Wurstfest, Oktoberfest and the KriskKindlmarkt in December, the Abbey Art Festival and other events.
“We have diners that come from Portland and Forest Grove for Eric’s food,” Rottner said.
“We are proud of our food and the atmosphere in which we serve it but what we are most proud of is to be a part of this community. Our team is driven to produce the best food in the best way in this community and we are moved that this community has embraced us by giving us this honor.”
The Bavarian Haus is located at 115 E. Church St., Mt. Angel. Phone 503-845-9466. It opens at 10 a.m. Tuesday – Sunday, closed on Mondays.
