Jürgen Jungbauer
2014 Hoosier German - American of the Year Born during the Second World War in Karlsruhe, Baden, JJ trained at Berufsschule Für des Nahrungsgewerbe. He worked in Munich and as a pastry chef on the SS Hanseatic of the Hamburg-American line. He emigrated in 1963 and was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1966. He described being drafted as the "best thing that ever happened to me" and his induction was a great boon for Indianapolis where he was stationed at Fort Benjamin Harrison and served with distinction as the pastry chef in the Officers Club. The Army gave him opportunities and a following of fans. After receiving the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious work in the kitchen, he was discharged in 1968 and immediately opened the now-famous Heidelberg Haus Bakery and Café in Lawrence where Fort Benjamin Harrison was located. The Heidelberg has been an outpost for authentic German cakes, pastry, and breads as well as German groceries and authentic German import items including clothing, Christmas ornaments, bumper stickers, flags, and just plain (but authentic) kitsch. Juergen Jungbauer has received numerous awards including Sagamore of the Wabash, 2014; Distinguished Hoosier Award, 2012; Kentucky Colonel, 1974; Indiana Restaurant & Lodging Association Hall of Fame, 2013; and the U.S. Culinary Olympics, Gold Medal team, 1968. Juergen Jungbauer has been a generous supporter of all things German, including assisting the Indiana German Heritage Society by selling its books and by donating baked goods to IGHS events and has been a Stammtisch speaker in 2010 on the topic of "Easter Season Baking Traditions." He is generous with his time to school groups and has been tireless in promoting German Culinary traditions with his classes and his bakery museum in the shop. He is a charter member of the German American Klub and has been recognized for his Springerle on the Food Network's "Food Finds." He has been a fixture on the German landscape of Indianapolis since 1968 and has been a loyal and enthusiastic supporter and friend of the Indiana German Heritage Society for its 30 years. Juergen Jungbauer has been a loyal friend of German organizations and a promoter of German culture. |