PASSION STORIES No. 2 It all began with a longing. Specifically, “a longing for allies and the desire to create and shape something together,” recalls Josef Floh (Der Floh, Langenlebarn) about the founding of the JRE association 20 years ago. A crucial detail that would shape the group’s future came about by chance. The first four founding members were friends: “We and Josef Floh have known each other since childhood,” describes charter “matriarch” Christa Hollerer (Zum Blumentritt, St. Aegyd). “Having leased the restaurant at the Kössen golf course in Tyrol, my sister Ulli and I also became friends with Simon Taxacher and Otto Bayer (now at Café Balthasar in Vienna).” ROOTED IN FRIENDSHIP This quartet was welcomed into the international JRE family in 2004 in Verona. At home, it was more challenging at first, “since we still had no partners on board.” The strength to continue came from European networking: “It wasn’t until the international congress in Dresden that we first realized what it means to be a member of JRE,” says Christa Hollerer, “and that energy, well, it was just brilliant.” Josef Floh also remembers that spirit of the early years: “In 2008, Ulli Hollerer and I were completely alone on the first evening of the JRE Congress in Florence. But our Swiss colleagues kindly invited us to their table” – a foretaste of the closeness within the community. The membership made a significant leap forward under the leadership of Andreas Döllerer (Döllerers Genusswelten, Golling) and Thomas Dorfer (Landhaus Bacher, Mautern). “In 2007, there were seven of us in Austria, four of whom were founding members,” says Dorfer. Andreas Döllerer goes on to add, “When I stepped down as president in 2020, we were already 38.” More important than the raw numbers is the group’s harmony, about which JRE founder Christa Hollerer remarks, “We meet twice a year, and you can clearly tell how much everyone looks forward to seeing each other, exchanging ideas, and of course, simply having a good time.” QUALITY CULINARY EXPERIENCES The spirit of the early days, as evoked by Hollerer and Floh – friends elevating the level of local cuisine collectively – still shapes the group’s interactions today. “The chemistry has to be 3 Photo: Peter C. Mayr 20 YEARS OF JEUNES RESTAURATEURS AUSTRIA Heading into the future with endless passion: the board of JRE-Austria including Richard Rauch (pictured center, President) and – from left to right – Klemens Schraml (Sustainability Officer and Secretary), Stefan Eder (EU Delegate), Vitus Winkler (Vice-President), Michael Kolm (Media & Social Media), and not pictured, Lukas Kienbauer (Finance). Text: Roland Graf What started in 2004 as an idea amongst a handful of friends has grown into a tight-knit community known to gourmets as the national spearhead of fine dining. A success story that is far from over.
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