Hosts

There are houses that impress through their architecture. Others remain in memory because of an extraordinary menu, a special wine, or a stylishly furnished room. The Mesnerhaus combines all these elements—and gains its unmistakable character above all through the people who lead it.

Maria and Josef Steffner are not merely the owners of an award-winning gourmet restaurant and a small boutique hotel. They are present in the daily operations. They greet their guests, accompany them through the evening, listen, share stories, recommend, and attend to those small details that transform a good stay into a personal experience.

In doing so, both have their own areas of responsibility and a clearly recognizable signature. Josef leads the kitchen and develops the culinary direction of the house. Maria is responsible for service, the wine selection, the organization of the restaurant, and the care of hotel guests. Both areas intertwine to create an experience that feels harmonious from the first welcome to the final farewell.

Maria and Josef have led the Mesnerhaus together since 2007. What began as a courageous step by two young restaurateurs has evolved over the years into a multi-award-winning establishment known far beyond the Lungau. As important as the recognition from restaurant guides and guests is to them, the focus remains to this day on the people who visit their house.

Maria and Josef both hail from the Lungau. Their connection to the region is not a later developed concept, but a part of their life story.

Josef grew up in Mauterndorf. Gastronomy was part of everyday life in his family. Early on, he experienced that an inn is far more than a place where food is served. It is a meeting point, a workplace, and a social center. Behind the apparent ease of a successful evening lie preparation, long working days, and the willingness to remain attentive even in demanding situations.

Maria grew up in Mariapfarr in an agricultural environment. She learned early on how much work goes into food and that quality does not begin with the plating of a dish. It originates where products are grown, nurtured, harvested, and processed.

Both are therefore united by a down-to-earth work ethic. They know that hospitality should appear light and natural to the outside world, but internally requires reliability, discipline, and careful organization.

Maria knew even as a teenager that she wanted to work in gastronomy. At the age of 16, she began her culinary apprenticeship at the Mesnerhaus. For her, this was a conscious decision: she wanted to learn in a demanding establishment where high expectations were placed on craftsmanship, quality, and commitment.

In the kitchen, she learned how strongly preparation, timing, and teamwork determine the course of a restaurant evening. A dish only reaches the guest in the desired form when many individual steps interlock precisely. This experience stays with Maria to this day—even though her professional focus later shifted.

After her training, she worked for several years as a chef, gaining experience in various establishments at home and abroad. When the opportunity arose to take over the Mesnerhaus together with Josef, she consciously chose a new path. She did not want to work as a second chef alongside Josef, but rather to shape the side of the house that connects the kitchen, wine, atmosphere, and guest.

Maria deepened her knowledge in service and evolved into a sommelière and host. Today, she is responsible for restaurant service, the wine cellar, the organization of the boutique hotel, and a large part of the operations behind the scenes. Her training as a chef is a particular advantage: when she explains a dish, she knows not only the ingredients but also understands the work and the thoughts behind them.

Hospitality with intuition

Maria’s style of hosting is personal, attentive, and unobtrusive. She observes closely how people wish to experience their stay. Some guests enjoy detailed explanations, recommendations, and conversation. Others desire peace and restraint. Maria does not try to impose the same routine on everyone, but adapts her guidance to the respective situation.

For her, it is not about rehearsed politeness. Her strength lies in an honest interest in people. She listens, recognizes uncertainties, and often senses early on whether someone needs a clear recommendation or prefers to discover things for themselves.

Those who come regularly to the Mesnerhaus should not feel as though they have to start from scratch with every visit. Preferences, special occasions, and personal details are noted. In this way, relationships are formed that sometimes last an evening and, in other cases, many years.

When it comes to wine, self-promotion is not the priority for Maria. A recommendation should suit the dish, the occasion, and above all, the guest. She speaks clearly about origin, character, and special features, aiming to inspire people for wine without creating unnecessary distance or using overly technical language.

As a young man, Josef initially wanted to leave the Lungau. He was curious about other cuisines, countries, and ways of working. He wanted to experience how work was done in prestigious restaurants and find out how far he could develop his own skills.

His professional journey took him through various establishments in Austria and abroad. He became acquainted with modern techniques, worked with internationally influenced culinary styles, and encountered chefs with very different signatures. These years broadened his perspective and provided him with the precision that later became a vital foundation of his work.

At the same time, a decisive realization emerged: techniques can be learned and further developed. However, a credible culinary identity must grow from one’s own experience, one’s own attitude, and one’s own environment.

When Josef returned to the Lungau, he looked at the familiar products of his homeland anew. What previously seemed self-evident became the starting point for an independent cuisine. He saw his task not as copying international top-tier cuisine as precisely as possible, but as combining the knowledge from his apprentice years with the possibilities and stories of the region.

Today, Josef is the culinary mind of the Mesnerhaus. He works with concentration, observes closely, and questions even those dishes that already work well. He finds inspiration in products, in nature, with producers, on travels, and in exchange with other chefs. He particularly enjoys being out in the forest, gathering mushrooms and experiencing the changes of the seasons firsthand.

Maria and Josef knew the Lungau and its gastronomy from their youth. However, their shared future took shape during those years when both were working outside their homeland.

The experiences abroad opened up new professional opportunities for them. At the same time, they changed their view of the Lungau. What had sometimes seemed small or limiting in the past took on a new meaning from a distance: the landscape, the proximity to familiar people, the regional identity, and the chance to build something of their own in one place for the long term.

When the opportunity arose to take over the Mesnerhaus together, both faced a far-reaching decision. They could have continued their careers in existing establishments. Instead, they chose independence, responsibility, and the return to Mauterndorf.

In the summer of 2007, they opened the Mesnerhaus for the first time as a joint hosting couple. At that time, they were only 27 years old.

The shared beginning

Taking over an already well-known restaurant brought both opportunities and significant pressure. Maria and Josef took over not only rooms, kitchen, and name, but also expectations. Regular guests knew the house in a certain form and observed closely what changes the young couple made.

Josef began to develop his own culinary line. Maria shaped the service according to her vision. At the same time, both had to learn how to run a business economically and organizationally. Suddenly, calculation, purchasing, personnel, investments, repairs, and long-term decisions were as much a part of everyday life as cooking and hosting.

The first years were demanding. Not every change was immediately accepted. Some guests remained skeptical, others compared the new signature with what they knew from previous years. Nevertheless, Maria and Josef consistently continued to develop their path.

Over time, the profile of the house became clearer. Guests increasingly traveled to Mauterndorf specifically for Josef’s cuisine and Maria’s hospitality. Awards and recognition followed. Even more important, however, was the growing confidence in their own work.

When Maria and Josef were later able to purchase the Mesnerhaus, the managed business finally became a shared life’s work. They could plan for the long term and realize their visions step by step—not with growth at any price, but with the ambition to develop the house carefully and personally.

The collaboration between Maria and Josef works not because both do everything together, but because their areas of responsibility are clearly distributed and they trust one another.

Josef leads the kitchen and develops the culinary direction. Maria is responsible for service, wine, the hotel, and a large part of the organization. Both understand the other’s area of work well enough to recognize connections and impacts.

Maria knows the requirements of the kitchen from her own experience. Josef knows that even an excellent dish loses its impact if the timing, atmosphere, or communication are not right. In the Mesnerhaus, kitchen and service do not stand side by side, but together form the experience.

Their different perspectives complement each other. Josef focuses on products, taste, and artisanal details. Maria directs her gaze toward people, processes, and mood. Where these two perspectives meet, the special signature of the house is created.

Hosts from arrival to departure

The personal presence of Maria and Josef is an essential part of the Mesnerhaus. Guests should know who stands behind the house and by whom they are received.

Maria greets, accompanies, and remains approachable during the stay. Josef works in the kitchen during service, but also seeks contact with the dining room when the workflow permits. The goal is not a staged proximity, but an honest connection between hosts and guests.

For both, the quality of a stay begins long before the first course. It is evident in a clear reservation, a personal greeting, a harmonious rhythm, and the ability to perceive wishes without overloading every moment.

Within the intimate setting of the Mesnerhaus, encounters also occur between guests. During special evenings, at the regulars’ table, or at breakfast, people who did not previously know each other strike up conversations. Maria has a fine intuition for facilitating such encounters without forcing them.

For Maria and Josef, a restaurant is more than a place where food is served. It can bring people together, create memories, and for a few hours, provide a space where everyday life and time pressure fade into the background.

With the Boutique Hotel, the Mesnerhaus gained a new dimension. A multi-course menu, a careful wine pairing, and a long evening no longer had to end with the question of how guests would subsequently reach their accommodation.

The rooms and the breakfast area are therefore not intended as an independent, anonymous hotel operation. They extend the experience of the restaurant. Guests can arrive in peace, enjoy the evening, stay overnight in the house, and begin the next morning without time pressure.

For Maria, the hotel brought an additional area for hosting. She coordinates arrival, rooms, individual wishes, and breakfast with the same attention that characterizes the restaurant service. For Josef, the possibility of an overnight stay gives guests more freedom to immerse themselves in the menu.

A dinner thus becomes a small getaway: arrive, enjoy, stay, and depart the next morning in a personal atmosphere.

Maria

Maria is the host, sommelière, organizer, and communicative heart of the Mesnerhaus. She combines clarity with warmth, makes decisions pragmatically, and remains attentive and open in her interactions with people.

She loves good conversations, special wines, and encounters with people who bring different experiences and stories. Her strength lies in shaping a space without putting herself in the foreground.

New projects, events, and collaborations also bear her signature. Maria recognizes opportunities, brings people together, and ensures that an idea becomes a concrete project.

Josef

Josef is the chef de cuisine, craftsman, product explorer, and creative mind. He works with concentration, observes closely, and seeks solutions that are clear in taste and simultaneously independent.

He finds his inspiration in nature, with producers, on travels, and in exchange with colleagues. The forest and mushroom picking in particular give him peace, new impressions, and ideas.

Despite all his precision, he does not see himself as a distant artist. His dishes are created for people and are intended not only to impress, but to touch and remain in memory.

Together

Maria and Josef are different enough to complement each other, and similar enough in the decisive questions to follow the same path.

Josef gives the Mesnerhaus its culinary signature. Maria shapes the framework in which this cuisine is experienced. Together, they create a place that is both award-winning and personal.

The Mesnerhaus is not intended to impress by creating distance. It is intended to touch people because skill, origin, and hospitality come together credibly.