Our Story | Ludger’s Bavarian Cakery
How a dessert created for Tulsa Oktoberfest in 1980 became the cheesecake at the heart of Ludger’s.
From the Ludger’s Archives
The article was recreated for visual purposes below:
In October 2019, Tulsa World food writer Scott Cherry sat down with Ludger to talk about his culinary career, Oktoberfest, and the story behind the Bavarian Cream Cheesecake.
Original Tulsa World Article Link
About This Tulsa World Feature
In October 2019, Tulsa World food writer Scott Cherry shared the story of Ludger Schulz and his long connection to Tulsa Oktoberfest.
Ludger first participated in Oktoberfest in 1980, just one year after the festival began. By then, his culinary career had already taken him from his apprenticeship in Münster, Germany, to hotels throughout Europe and Canada before eventually bringing him to Tulsa in 1979.
While working at the Westin Downtown in Tulsa, Ludger and pastry chef Hans Strzyso developed the recipe that became Ludger’s Bavarian Cream Cheesecake. Ludger received permission from the hotel’s general manager to take the cheesecake to his first Oktoberfest in 1980.
They weren’t sure what to expect.
According to Ludger, they sold approximately 7,000 to 8,000 slices that first year.
The response was so strong that Ludger continued making the cheesecake as his career evolved from hotels to restaurants, catering and eventually the bakery that became Ludger’s Bavarian Cakery.
Over the years, the Bavarian Cream Cheesecake became much more than an Oktoberfest dessert. It became a favorite for birthdays, weddings and celebrations throughout Tulsa—and ultimately the signature dessert at the heart of our bakery.
The Tulsa World feature also tells the story of Ludger’s decades at Oktoberfest, his international culinary career, the restaurants and catering businesses that preceded the cakery, and the family and friends who helped make Oktoberfest an annual Ludger’s tradition.
Original article: “Ludger Schulz, Bavarian cheesecake Oktoberfest staples since 1980”
By Scott Cherry, Tulsa World
October 15, 2019