Casting mold, around 1987
Albert Kirchmayr is born on September 9, 1959, in Niederhofen, Swabia. At the age of 16, as an apprentice cook, he begins to feel his ‘wanderlust’, but the planned trip to Switzerland fails already at the Austrian border – only with his fishing license do the officials allow him to proceed. It is not until two years later, after completing his apprenticeship, that he successfully travels to Switzerland for a position as a cook. After further stops in Stockholm and Bermuda, he arrives in Baltimore, USA, in 1979 through a friend. Soon, the plan matures to establish his own company there. His first business has to close after two years, prompting him to work as a head chef in a country club for the next few years. However, the desire for his own shop remains – it should be a chocolate company. Albert Kirchmayr methodically prepares: in Germany and Switzerland, he learns the necessary craft for a year, and he purchases the required machines there. Back in Baltimore, he opens ‘Kirchmayr Chocolatier’ in 1987. Initially, the business struggles: on one hand, high-quality products are to be offered at a good price, and on the other hand, demand for the sweet treats perceived as European must first be created. Thus, Albert Kirchmayr has a Christmas figure mold produced by a German company right at the beginning of ‘Kirchmayr Chocolatier’. Despite the popularity of such chocolate figures on both sides of the Atlantic, the desired sales success does not materialize – the ‘Santa Claus’, which originates from a German mold, simply appears ‘too angry’ to the American customers. Albert Kirchmayr has no choice but to have another model made with a milder expression. The ‘Santa Claus’ should not look as if he is bringing out the stick along with the gifts. However, in the 32 years of ‘Kirchmayr Chocolatier’, the company owner not only grows to four employees but also becomes a name of regional significance. When Albert Kirchmayr decides with a ‘heavy heart’ in spring 2020 to close the store due to the COVID-19 pandemic, several newspapers in Baltimore and the surrounding area report this – and many customers reach out to express their gratitude.
