In 1870, the confectioner Rumpelmeyer moved from Pressburg (now Bratislava, Slovakia) – others[who?] say from Upper Austria – to the French Riviera. He probably first worked in Viktor Sylvain Perrimond's business in Menton. In 1896 they founded the Perrimond-Mayer company and opened new shops in Cannes, Nice and Aix-les-Bains.[1] The Rumpelmayer establishment at 107 Avenue du Général du Gaulle in Aix was opened in 1887. It is still open today.[2]
Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary often visited the area. In the course of these travels, she visited the Rumpelmayer establishment, and as a result, he was received at the Vienna Court to be awarded the honour of Hofzuckerbäcker ("Confectioner to the Court"). He was awarded this in 1896 by the Empress in person and is thus one of the very few whose award was made verbally by an imperial majesty. Rumpelmayer's partner received the honour at the same time.
In Dresden, Conditorei Rumpelmayer GmbH ran its own factory producing chocolate candies, fruit preserves and a sweet pastries. The company had branches in Baden-Baden, Bad Nauheim, Frankfurt (at Gallusanlage) and Berlin (at 208/209 Kurfürstendamm).[3]
The Rumpelmayer in Baden-Baden is still open.[4] Rumpelmayer was also Purveyor to the Court of Baden and Saxony.
In 1903, Rumpelmayer opened a shop at 226 Rue de Rivoli in Paris and another branch with his son René. René Rumpelmayer [pl] was an accomplished balloonist setting the world distance record of 2,434 km with Mme. (Gustav) Goldschmidt in March, 1913.[5] Rene died in 1915. From 1916 his widow Angelina (née Guillarmou) took over. The Angelina tea house became the meeting place of Parisian high society, and is still open.
Further Rumpelmayer Cafés opened, operated either directly or as franchises. The one in St James's Street, London became a household name.[6] Its delivery service even found its way into literature: it is mentioned several times in Virginia Woolf's novel Mrs Dalloway.[7]
^Bastard, Algernon (2007). The Gourmet's Guide to Europe. Echo Library. pp. 36, 38. ISBN9781406837131. Retrieved 21 April 2010. To keep up the illusion that Aix-les-Bains is a part of the Riviera, there is a Rumpelmayer cake-shop within two minutes' walk of the Villa des Fleurs.
^Sheppard, F. H. W., ed. (1960). "St. James's Street, West Side, Existing Buildings". Survey of London: volumes 29 and 30. pp. 472–486. Retrieved 20 April 2010. The site of Nos. 71–73 (consec.) St. James's Street and 3–6 (consec.) Little St. James's Street was cleared in 1908, and a new block of buildings completed in the following year. (ref. 28) The architects were William Woodward and Sons of Southampton Street, Strand, and the builders Messrs. Perry and Co. Ltd. of Bow. The upper floors were designed as residential chambers and the ground floor and basement as a shop for Rumpelmayer's celebrated confiserie. (ref. 29) This building was designed in the 'François Premier' style, perhaps to suit Rumpelmayer's salons-de-thé.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
Haslinger, Ingrid; Patka, Erika; Jesch, Marie-Luise (1996). Der süße Luxus. Die Hofzuckerbäckerei und die ehemaligen k. u. k. Hofzuckerbäcker Demel, Gerbeaud, Gerstner, Heiner, Rumpelmayer, Sluka (in German). Vienna: Kulturkreises Looshaus – Geyer & Reisser. ISBN3-9500302-4-7.
Haslinger, Ingrid (1996). Kunde – Kaiser. Die Geschichte der ehemaligen k. u. k. Hoflieferanten (in German). Vienna: Schroll. ISBN3-85202-129-4.