Pretzelfest

Saturday, January 28, 2012 from 5PM to 10PM

Pretzelfest is the official kickoff of the Bockfest season. Greg Hardman, President and CEO of Christian Moerlein, will preside over the ceremonial tapping of this season’s Christian Moerlein Emancipator Doppelbock. Local bakeries and restaurants will showcase unique pretzel creations. And award-winning blues artist Brian Keith Wallen will provide live entertainment.

In addition to being a great party, Pretzelfest is an important fundraiser. We keep Bockfest local and authentic with the help of people like YOU. Admission includes a sampling of freshly baked pretzels from local restaurants and bakeries, two beer/drink tickets, a Queen City Sausage brat cooked by Mecklenberg Gardens and served on a pretzel bun, and a chance to win a luxury suite at the Garfield Suites during Bockfest weekend. Tickets are $40 and all proceeds help make Bockfest 2012 possible. Space is limited and Pretzelfest 2011 had to turn people away.

Tickets are still available at the door tonight!

Singer songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Brian Keith Wallen has released 16 CD's and performed over 300 shows across the Midwest. He has been named the 2011 Blues Artist of the Year by the Star Gennett Foundation, and is also the winner of the Cincy Blues Challenge, WIFE Colgate Country Showdown, and the G101.3 Battle of the Bands. He is an IBC finalist, and will be competing in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis this February. His 2011 release, "Every Mile", was just named "Best Self Produced CD" by the Cincy Blues Society. Peter Clitheroe of England's "Suffolk 'n Cool" raves that Brian is "an amazing, prodigious talent," and we’re both proud and fortunate to feature him at Pretzelfest 2012.

Venue 222 will be hosting at their historic building at 222 East 14th Street.

Join us afterworks for the official afterparty across the street at MOTR Pub.

Check out photos from 2011 HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Venue 222 is a unique off-site meeting and gathering spot, located on a quiet, walkable street in Over-the-Rhine. Built in 1868, the building has been restored and remodeled to fit today's urban landscape. The open, loft environment enables flexible and creative arrangement options, making it an ideal venue to meet, greet, play and party in downtown Cincinnati. Owners Wade and Debbie Dent have developed a number of properties in OTR and are long-time and devoted advocates of the neighborhood's rebirth. They donate the space, design work, and planning time to make Pretzelfest happen.

Mayberry is a creation of Chef Josh Campbell, who was born and raised in Cincinnati. The goal of Mayberry is to bring high quality, creative food at an affordable price to the Greater Cincinnati area. Josh attended The Florida Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach, and worked at 11th Maple Street for 5 years as Chef De Cuisine. In 2003 Josh returned to Cincinnati for one year and worked as a private chef for Bohlke Veneer Corp and for David Falk at Boca when it was located in Northside. In 2004 he was offered the Executive Chef position at The Dunmore Beach Club on Harbor Island in the Bahamas where he also attended the Royal Thai Culinary Academy in Bang Saen Thailand where he learned the art of creating Thai Cuisine which he incorporates into many of his dishes. Then in 2007 Joshua was offered the position of Director of Cuisine for Graycliff in Nassau, Bahamas which is the only 5 star restaurant in the Caribbean. Returning to Cincinnati, he has offered unique flavors at The World Food Bar in Findlay Market, Mayberry restaurant downtown, and The Skinny Pig in Walnut Hills.

MOTR Pub is Main Street's newest bar. Executive chef Catherine Pleva got her start in 1997 as a premier Rock-n-Roll Caterer providing catering for many touring bands including: Korn, Green Day, Travis Tritt, Alice Cooper, Willie Nelson, Cannibal Corpse, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. A graduate of the Midwest Culinary Institute, her kitchen at MOTR serves seasonally house made cuisine using the highest quality, freshest ingredients and sources local products whenever possible.

Shadeau Breads opened a store on Main Street, selling at first to restaurants and markets and eventually to the general public. Owner Bill Pritz nurtured a dream of owning his own bakery for almost twenty years, ever since he first started as a baker’s assistant at the Virginia Bakery in 1975. The experience kindled his interest and he pursued his training at the Dunwoody Technical School in Minneapolis and the New York Restaurant school in NYC. Throughout he worked in bakeries, hotels, and restaurants in the Midwest and the East Coast. He focuses on quality by using pure ingredients, no preservatives and traditional methods. Almost everything is made fresh that day.

Since the late 1800’s the Servatii Family has been preparing fresh baked goods. Great Grandfather George started out in Muenster, Germany driving a horse drawn wagon door to door selling his fresh baked goods. His son, George attended Germany’s most recognizable baking school and received his “Konditor Meister” status – Master Pastry Chef. His son Wilhelm followed in his footsteps. He earned his Master Status, traveled the world, working in Australia, Poland and on an international freighter before settling in Cincinnati. In a one man shop with a bakery in the back he made a name for himself and gave Cincinnati a wonderful tradition for holidays and for every day celebrations. Wilhelm’s sons, Gary and Greg Gottenbusch both apprenticed in Germany – both earning their journeyman status – Greg in pastry and Gary in baking. Gary continued his training and earned his Master Baker Certification in 2001, the highest level attainable for baking in the U.S.A. Servatii’s has 11 stores throughout the tri-state and numerous wholesale customers. Collectively, the family works around the clock to ensure that our high standards are met.

Pastry Chefs Stefan Skirtz and Andrew Johnston have over twenty years of experience in the culinary and hospitality industries. They started working together in 2006 where they trained at the Midwest Culinary Institute under celebrated Pastry Chef James Myatt. Combining their old world training with modern production methods, chefs Skirtz and Johnston are able to design, produce and implement a wide variety of culinary solutions for any event. Skirtz & Johnston is an innovative and creative catering and pastry company located at Findlay Market that specializes in providing unique and customized food and pastry solutions for private and corporate clients. We focus on the creation of signature foods, beverages, pastries and plated desserts, designed to fit any budget, dietary requirement and event. And, of course, one of our specialties is the creation of celebration and wedding cakes.

Mecklenburg Gardens is Cincinnati's oldest restaurant and an important piece of our German-American history. Restored to its 19th century charm and strong German roots by its current proprietors, the Harten family, today's Mecklenburg Gardens features a full menu of German favorites, complemented by superbly prepared American classics as well as our kitchen's own creations. Of course, our bar also features one of the city's finest beer selections, with an unmatched collection of German biers.

Throughout the century, and for more than 100 years, Cincinnati’s historic West End was known as “Porkopolis,” with over 40 separate shops producing the fine meat products for the rest of the nation. It was the old-world recipes and traditions handed down from generation to generation that made it a meat-packing hub. In 1965, Elmer Hensler joined forces with Cincinnati’s best “spice man,” Alois Stadler, and master sausage-maker, George Nagel, to create Queen City Sausage. Using authentic German recipes, together they earned a reputation for making the best sausage in all of Porkopolis. Now, what was once populated by 40 different meat shops, is now the backdrop to one fine craft sausage-maker. Queen City Sausage is Porkopolis, and no one is more delighted than Elmer Hensler himself. The little meat shop that started with a dream and a whole lot of dedication has transformed into the region’s largest locally-owned and operated sausage producer. At age 81, Elmer is engaged every day like the first to ensure the craft-sausage tradition he defined lives on forever.

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