Familiengeschichte! Interview With Heidi Krobutschek of Strudelmeisters’ Daughter

The smell of fresh baked treats or a home cooked meal can often take us back to precious moments shared with loved ones. For many, recipes passed down through the generations of a family are a priceless heirloom. In this interview we sit down with Heidi krobutschek of Strudelmeisters’ Daughter to discuss the value of family recipes, her father’s legacy as the Strudel meister, and continuing his baking legacy. You are in for a treat!

Heidi Krobutschek's apple strudel, 2024.

1.     Can you tell me a little bit about your business?

HK: My business didn’t start with me, it started with my dad. My dad came to Canada from Germany when he was 18 years old. That was around 1955 and his dad was a master baker back in Germany. When dad came to Canada, he had the recipe that his dad had created for Strudel. When we were kids, we'd get strudel at Christmas time, but he decided to take the recipe and go into business for himself a number of years ago. He passed away in 1997 so before that he would take strudel to the farmers markets and some local businesses all over Alberta.

I had all his stuff; I had the recipes so around 2017 I thought, I'm just going to give it a try. It's gone really well and It's grown quite significantly since that time. I'm planning on going into it full time and getting my own space to bake.

2. Can you tell me a little bit about his story and how he came to be known as the Strudelmeister?

HK: When my dad and mom were married, he would make it for us as kids and the extended family. Everybody just loved it and I have an Uncle Ed Who jokingly said we should call you the Strudelmeister! That's kind of how that name came to be! He didn't use it business-wise for years until he decided to go on his own. I was trying to think of a name for my business then I just thought, Studentmeisters’ Daughter. It's long, but it's exactly what it is.

Gunther Krobutschek selling strudel, between 1993-1997

Image courtesy of Heidi Krobutschek

3. I know your father originally started making strudel based on a family recipe. How did he learn to make it?

His dad was a professional baker, so he learned to make it in Germany when his dad was still alive.

4.     When did your father immigrate to Canada? Did he share with you what this process was like for him?

There was a lot with the history of the war and there was a lot of pain there. So, dad didn’t talk about that much. He was affected by the lack of available food, but also there were some camps that German people had to go to. He spent time in one of those camps. It was probably about 10 years after the war ended that he came to Canada. The only thing I really know is that he came to get a better life. His older sister, and her husband were in Regina already so that's why he came here.

Heidi Krobutschek's signature

apple strudel, 2024.

5. What made your father transition from selling strudel at local farmers market’s to opening a bakery?

He opened the bakery to sell at the farmer’s market back when he was in Alberta. That was a really big thing to get into farmer’s markets. He'd go to Edmonton, Calgary, Innisfail, and Just all over the place to sell strudel. So, when he had his bakery, it wasn't necessarily one that people would come and sit down. People would come in to pick up a whole bunch of things but mostly strudel. It just got to the point where he needed a bigger space!

6. How did you learn to make your family’s strudel recipe? Did you bake a lot with your father growing up?

Well, I had the recipe, and I watched my dad, but I never actually did it with him that I can remember when I was a kid. The first time I ever made strudel was with my adult son. I think he was in his 20s. I said let's try to make this! So, we did and it tasted great but it really looked bad…it was very very bad! Once I decided that I wanted to do this business I was suddenly able to roll the strudel properly. It was just from watching him and I knew the ingredients he used. He made apple, cherry, blueberry, and poppy seed. Now a lot of the fillings are my own! I do triple berry, peach, strawberry, and pumpkin. So, there's different ones that I've created on my own, to kind of expand. Apple is the biggest seller but not everyone likes that.

Heidi Krobutschek selling strudel

Image courtesy of Heidi Krobutschek

7.     What inspired you to follow in his footsteps and continue making and selling strudel?

When he passed away in 1997, I was absolutely devastated. You know, your dad's your hero. My stepmom had given me a lot of things from his bakery but the thought of doing it was just too heart-wrenching. So, I never thought about making strudel for probably 15 or 16 years. One day I just thought, I’m going to give this a go. I started out with little trade shows, and I did Centennial Market was open. I was at a trade show at the German Club and they asked me if I would be willing to sell my strudel to them. It started as just an idea that came to my head. I hadn't planned on it, but I think it just kind of fell into place. I just thought it was worth a try. There's no harm in trying right? I'm a full believer if you want to do something, you need to do it. If it doesn't work try something else, right?

8.     What are some of the ups and downs you have encountered while starting your own business?

Well, I absolutely love working for myself. I have a couple grandkids that are living with me, and one has special needs. Working for myself has allowed me to take them to appointments and not have to worry about getting someone to back me up at work.

I also absolutely love the people! I love dealing with people! I have become good friends with a lot of my customers. You know, we end up chatting or joking when we see each other. One of the biggest challenges that I have faced is that every recipe for strudel is different. People have said to me oh, it's not real German strudel because I roll it. Lots of people stretch the dough but I'm not a stretcher. I mean, it's a German recipe just everybody does things different, right?

Heidi Krobutschek's apple strudel, 2024.

9. Can you tell me a little bit about the process of making strudel? How long does it usually take, what is your favorite part, etc.?

I love all aspects of making it, but the prep work is the biggest thing that you need to accomplish before you can start. Things like peeling the apples, making the dough, and preparing the fillings all need to be ready to go when you start baking. Apples work a lot better and look nicer when they have been frozen for a few days, then thawed before I roll my apple strudel. So, when you take them out of the freezer, they're softer and the dough doesn't have to go over hard pieces of apple. there are just little things like that! Now I do have a sheeter which is an automatic roller, but when I was doing it by hand you get a little sore. I still do it by hand when I do small amounts!

10. Where can people purchase your strudel?

The Regina German Club has apple and berry strudel available. I also sell at the German Club’s annual Christkindl Markt that happens around Christmas time. You can order through my website at strudelmeistersdaughter.ca. Or you can contact me through my email at strudelmeistersdaughter@gmail.com.