Peter Grunauer facts for kids

Peter Grunauer is a well-known chef from Austria. He became famous for his cooking in New York City. He owned two very special restaurants there. One was called Vienna 79, which was one of the few restaurants in New York to get a top rating of four stars! He also owned Vienna Park, which served Austrian food.

Peter Grunauer's Career

Starting Out in America

Peter Grunauer began his career in the United States as a waiter. He worked at the famous Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn from 1971 to 1973. After that, he worked at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. He was a food and beverage manager there. He also held this role at Regines in New York.

Creating Top Restaurants

In 1979, Peter teamed up with Karl Zartler. Together, they opened Vienna 79. This was a fancy restaurant on New York's Upper East Side. It had 65 seats. The well-known food critic Mimi Sheraton gave Vienna 79 four stars. This was a very high honor! Peter and Karl ran Vienna 79 until 1989.

After selling Vienna 79, Peter started a chain of more casual restaurants. These were called Fledermaus. They were less expensive than Vienna 79. Fledermaus closed in 1996.

Current Work and Family Business

Since then, Peter has worked in different parts of the food business. He has been a food broker and a consultant for restaurants. He still does this work today.

In May 2010, Peter opened a new restaurant called Grunauer. He opened it with his son Nicholas and daughter Elisabeth. This restaurant is in Kansas City, Missouri. It is located in the city's Crossroads Arts District. Grunauer serves real Austrian and European food. Nicholas and Elisabeth now manage the restaurant every day. It is in Kansas City's historic Freight House.

Peter also wrote a cookbook. It is called Viennese Cuisine: The New Approach. Doubleday published it in 1987.

Personal Life

Peter Grunauer married Lynne Bielski in 1976. Lynne was a flight attendant. They have two children, Elisabeth and Nicholas. Their children grew up in Kansas City.