Description of the attraction
Demel is a famous café and pastry shop in Vienna on Kolmart Street. In addition to cafes in Vienna, there are two more Demel cafes - in Salzburg and in New York.
The cafe was opened in 1786 by the pastry chef Ludwig Dene, who had arrived in Vienna shortly before. In 1799, Dene died of tuberculosis, and his widow again married the pastry chef Franz Wolfarth. After the death of her second husband, the widow transferred the management of the cafe to her son from her first marriage. However, his son chose a career as a lawyer, and the cafe was sold to the first assistant pastry chef Christoph Demel in 1857. The cafe worked successfully, earning the love of the local public.
After Demel's death, the cafe passed to his sons, who in 1874 began to receive orders from the imperial palace. The café's proximity to the palace played a big role in the café's success. For ceremonial receptions, the imperial house even began to rent staff from the cafe. The café's pastry chefs had to meet high requirements, so they constantly mastered new culinary technologies in Paris.
In 1888 the café moved to Kohlmarkt, where the interiors were made in the neo-rococo style with the presence of mahogany and mirrors. A respectable audience, famous actors and members of the imperial court began to gather in Demele. Only women who were students of monasteries worked as waitresses.
The most famous product of Café Demel is the Sacher cake, which caused a lot of noise and controversy. Originally, the Sacher recipe was invented by Franz Sacher. However, his son was trained at the Demel cafe, where he slightly changed the recipe, removing the layer of apricot jam. The two institutions have long and stubbornly argued for the right to be considered the creators of the real Sacher, until their issue was resolved in court. Now, the cake in the Demel cafe is called "Demelsky Sacher".
The second most popular product in the cafe is the candied violet petals, which were once supplied to the imperial table.
