As we approach the beautiful alpine hut at 1450 meters above sea level, even the marmots crawl out of their hiding places. They know the familiar voice and are greeted affectionately with "Mausi" and "Schatzi". A little later, the lady of the house holds her two-meter-long hazelnut stick with a wrought-iron tip firmly in her hand and begins to talk about her life in Pinzgau dialect. There's no doubt about it: this is the uncrowned queen of the Hochalm, who holds court in her kingdom and can't stop gushing. She talks about the inner longing that she was born with, so to speak. She talks about her father, with whom she started farming the mountain pasture together with her brother at the age of ten. With love and passion for the cows, goats and other creatures that have grown close to her heart to this day. "I love every centimeter up here. No one can imagine the value of an alpine pasture like this," says the resolute Salzburg native, raving about the herb garden that covers the entire 131 hectares of alpine pasture.
This is where the ingredients of an incomparable natural cuisine are grown, which also bears her signature. In Theresia Bacher's other realm: the "Schweigerlehen", a 500-year-old farmhouse with the "Rauchkuchl" inn in Stuhlfelden. There, the ceilings and walls are blackened with soot, the tables are beautifully laid and the large wood-fired oven with its blazing fire and oversized pans are a constant eye-catcher and a great photo opportunity.Creative, regional natural cuisine is served, the herbs come from the mountain pasture, the vegetables from the hotel's own garden, the fruit is grown behind the house, the game is hunted by the hotel itself or comes from hunter friends. The bread that goes with the menu comes from our own bakery.
Since handing over the Rauchkuchl to her son Tobias, the emphasis of her area of responsibility and daily work has shifted somewhat. "The boy cooks, you put him down," she smiles and can now leave the heavy pans over the open fire to her junior with a clear conscience. This leaves her more time to devote to renting out rooms and looking after the guests in the Schwaigerlehen and Dürsteinhof and, of course, up on the mountain pasture. She is particularly keen to maintain contact with the regular guests from near and far who have been with the Bachers for many years. "If you can share the nice things with the guests, then everyone has a good time," she says and sees her role as a hostess as one of give and take: "You can learn a lot from the guests and vice versa. After the vacation, everyone is as they should be. There is also a great sense of gratitude."
Now she can also think about a new book project. "As soon as something is written, it's much more valuable," she says. She has already done this in her first book "Meine Heimat, meine Küche". This collection of dishes and meals made from local, high-quality and unadulterated food is now to be followed up. "You can bring every season to the plate so beautifully," she says, taking a few fresh herbs from the alpine meadow. She says goodbye to her Mausis and Schatzis and heads down into the valley.
Michael Sabath
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