Gunther Krupp is seated in the recently renovated Green Room just off the main lobby of the Read House. The space has all of the opulence and grandeur of its earlier days when it was “the” place to celebrate a special occasion.
It is used only for special events these days, but Krupp is thrilled to see it returned to glory. With his walking cane at his side, he speaks in a heavy German accent about what the restaurant and hotel were like back in the day.
When the Read House held a Roaring ’20s-themed gala last month to show off its $25 million renovation, among the hundreds of guests was Krupp. While the 88-year-old wasn’t around at the hotel during the days of flappers and the Lindy Hop, he was the chef from 1961 to 1979, which were also popular eras for the city landmark.
“When I started, we were the best hotel in town,” he says. “Any organization, the Cotton Ball, any kind of big to-do happened at the Read House.”
And for all of those functions. Krupp was there in the kitchen, first as one of many chefs on staff and later as the man in charge of a large staff of waiters, servers, sous chefs, pastry chefs, butchers and printing-press operators.