Photograph by Andrew Doench
Could mustard save us from ourselves? Leaving the Händlmaier Mustard Club’s monthly gathering at Wiedemann Brewery & Taproom, the thought doesn’t seem so lofty. Seeing hundreds of people representing at least three generations of Cincinnatians gathered in a physical space to celebrate the yellowest of condiments, it’s hard not to ruminate on the way digital environments are overtaking the once-common act of regularly recurring get-togethers. Or maybe that’s just me. At any rate, this club is exactly what it sounds like—a space dedicated to an appreciation of mustard and German culture.
But to be clear: This is not just any mustard. Participants gather monthly to consume copious amounts of Händlmaier Mustard, a traditional mustard created in Regensburg, Germany, in 1914 by Johanna Händlmaier using a saucepan in her husband Charles’s butcher shop. The brand was officially launched in 1964 and today boasts gourmet sauces, a “super sharp mustard” (Superscharfer Senf), sausage mustard (Würstlsenf), and barbecue mustard (Grillsenf).
The Cincinnati club is the first chapter of its kind in the U.S. and only the second in the world. The first, Händlmaier’s Freunde Niederbayern, which translates to “friends of Händlmaier,” was formed in Bavaria in 2004.
Club founder Scott Scholz of Ft. Mitchell grew up visiting a German dinner club with his parents, and the ingrained appreciation for German culture led him to a year abroad in Bavaria, where he first fell for a certain condiment. “The factory authorized their fan club, and I became a member when introduced to the club by my friends,” he says.
When Scholz’s time in Bavaria was up, he told his friends he planned to start a Händlmaier Mustard Club in Cincinnati. They laughed at him, saying it wasn’t exported to the U.S. “I told them that it would not be a problem and challenged them that we would enroll more members in our chapter than they had in theirs,” he recalls.
The inaugural meeting of the Cincinnati club took place in 2006 with 30 attendees, a number that doubled in about a year’s time. The chapter currently has more than 400 paid members (besting its Bavarian counterpart, which had a mere 150 members at the time of the initial challenge), and Händlmaier Mustard is now available locally at Jungle Jim’s and other retailers.
And though German mustard is at the heart (and in the name) of this club, president Ryan Preston clarifies that an appreciation of Händlmaier (or any mustard) isn’t a requirement. “We’re a German heritage club, not a lot different from other German heritage clubs here in Cincinnati,” he says. “You don’t have to be German or have German ancestry to come and check us out or join. You just have to have an open mind, want to meet new people, and participate. It’s all about a term called ‘gemütlichkeit,’ which loosely translates to ‘a feeling of well-being and belonging.’ That’s what we strive to have.”
It was this promise of camaraderie that initially drew Preston to the club some 12 or 13 years ago upon the recommendation of family members. “They knew that I had a young family, and they were already members,” he recalls. “They said, ‘Hey, come on out. We know you would love this.’ This is back when it was at Mecklenburg Gardens in Corryville. I went to my first meeting, just as a regular member, and was absolutely hooked by all the nice people. It only took one time.”
The monthly gatherings take place on the second Saturday of every month at Wiedemann’s Brewery & Taproom in St. Bernard, drawing crowds with a traditional Weißwurst breakfast buffet that includes a variety of sausages, pretzels, bier cheese, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, and sides (you’ll have to pay extra for the wheat beer). The brewery is packed with people of all ages and stages of life, most dressed in the club’s mustard yellow tees, enjoying beer, sausages, and each other’s company.
Photograph courtesy Händlmaier Mustard Club
Oh, and the mustard, which, again, you don’t have to like to join the club but, according to Preston, you should try because it’s quite tasty. “I’d never had it until I went there. You know, in the beginning, I was like, ‘Hey, what’s Händlmaier Mustard?’ ” he says. “It was just an excuse to get together and have a great time and whatnot. But you try the mustard, and it’s like, yeah! It’s really good.”
“Bavarian sweet mustard is a unique style of mustard,” adds Scholz, “and Händlmaier’s is the leading and tastiest manufacturer in the sector.”
Some of the monthly meetings go beyond general get-togethers with themed events such as December’s Medal Month, October’s boot kicking competition, Mother’s Day flowers in May, Father’s Day appreciation in June, and more. There’s an annual beer chugging competition and occasional bar takeovers and pub crawls, too. The club even offers a wide selection of fun swag on its website.
Next year will mark the Händlmaier Mustard Club’s 20th anniversary, which members will celebrate with an 11-day trip to Germany in May, featuring stops for food and sights all across Germany. There will even be an exclusive tour of the Händlmaier Factory—a special treat just for the club.
Scholz recalls the club’s sold-out 10th anniversary black-tie gala as a major highlight, and he’s both amazed and honored to prepare to celebrate its second decade in existence.
“Mustard Club was intended to be a place where easygoing people could gather and enjoy each other’s company in the midst of the world’s greatest mustard,” he explains. “I thought that if the club survived five years, we would be lucky. As we achieve the 20th anniversary next fall, it is a testament not only to the great leadership given to the club over the two decades but also the dedicated membership.”
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