Keller Family Blog

Bill Marquardt was quite the character. He was also a dear friend to both Rex and Marie, although he was especially fond of Mom/Grandma, as she was of him. “Uncle Bill”, as he was known, was an important figure in the Keller family’s lives through the 1950’s and well into the late 1960’s.

Dad/Grandpa Keller met Bill Marquardt on the streetcar he drove. Bill was what they called “a regular”, meaning he was on the same streetcar at the same time almost every evening. By then, he had already had a fascinating career. He was born in Switzerland, where he was classically trained as a chef, and for many years afterward, he worked as a waiter for Matson Cruise Lines. He had sailed to many exotic destinations, such as the Pacific Islands and Australia. Mom/Grandma and Dad/Grandpa had several souvenirs from his trips, including a Kiwi bird that used to be on their fireplace in both Ukiah and Santa Rosa. Do you remember it? I had seen it on their mantle for years but never knew the story of how they ended up with it until after they passed away. Somewhere along the line, the Kiwi bird chipped. I’m not sure what happened to it after that.

Both Bill and Dad/Grandpa were wonderful conversationalists, and so I’m sure it didn’t take them long during those streetcar rides to learn about each other and become fast friends. At the time they met, Bill was the headwaiter at the famous Paoli’s restaurant, a major gathering place for politicians and boxing figures in San Francisco. Somewhere during that time, Bill also rented the front downstairs apartment on 15th Street and remained there until Dad/Grandpa’s parents moved in. It was during Bill’s stay that he and Dad/Grandpa decided to become entrepreneurs and open a breakfast place in South Lake Tahoe. It was called the Breakfast Bar. Some of you know most of this story; some of you know some of this story. However, my telling of one of the most famous Keller family stories of all time would do a terrible disservice to Rex and Bill’s Great Adventure! This is a story best told in person by someone who was there, with plenty of wine and plenty of time.

Bill was famous for his delicious, buttery spaetzle, a Swiss specialty. Larry still remembers eating a bowl of it at Uncle Bill’s apartment in San Francisco’s Financial District. Dad/Grandpa and Mom/Grandma loved his spaetzle too, and Mom picked up the technique of making them in no time. I can still see her standing over a large pot on the stove, deftly slipping small bits of dough into the boiling water as if it were the easiest thing in the world. I have never been able to make my spaetzle anywhere near as perfect as hers, and so I’ve decided that before I make them again, I’m buying a spaetzle maker! It looks like a cheese grater with large, round holes. If you have a colander or a slotted spoon with large holes, that should work well, too. That evening, Mom/Grandma served her spaetzle with salt, pepper, butter, and parsley, which is about as perfect a presentation as you would want. She might even have put some garlic in it. I’m not sure, though.

When we were assembling the family cookbook, several of us looked for Bill’s or Mom/Grandma’s spaetzle recipe, but we never could find it. I decided to check online for a similar recipe and, in the process, came across a recipe that included mushrooms in a rich mustard sauce. It sounded so good that I put that version in the cookbook as our spaetzle representation. Not that long ago, Larry and I finally made the recipe. OMG, so delicious! You have got to try this one! Other than a few fresh herbs, you should have most of the ingredients already in your refrigerator and pantry. Don’t worry if you don’t have a large-holed colander, slotted spoon, or spaetzle maker. You might just do better with Mom/Grandma’s method than I did. She used 2 teaspoons. She would dip the end of one teaspoon into the boiling water to wet it, then dip it into the batter. Then, she pushed the spaetzle dough with the other teaspoon into the boiling water. The spaetzle turned out to be just the right shape and looked as perfect as anything you would see in a restaurant. I can tell you from personal experience that if they turn out to be larger than the traditional size, they will taste just as delicious. They’ll just make the dish a bit more hearty and take a few more minutes to float to the top.

Mushroom and Mustard Spaetzle is on page 20 of the Keller family cookbook. The recipe calls for button mushrooms, but you can use any kind of mushroom you wish. The image I’ve included with this blog looks like they used either Chanterelle or Cremini mushrooms, which are both very pretty and have a slightly deeper mushroom flavor than the buttons. I don’t think you can go wrong with either version! Enjoy!