Albert Uster

1932-2008
“From the dreams of one to the dreams of many.”

When one learns of a 75 year old man passing, they picture someone moving on quietly in their sleep, their body leaving them before their spirit may have been ready. This is what many expect of our elders: a hushed shift into memory, an uneventful ending to what may have been a truly engaging story. Albert Uster was not one of these people. Indeed, he died living his life more vivaciously than some half his age. He lost his life doing something he had a great passion for, with his heart open and a smile on his face. Albert lived, laughed and shared his enthusiasm for life right up to the final moments. To learn how to attain this vibrancy from another is truly the greatest gift we can learn from our friend, teacher and leader, Albert Uster.

His life could be characterized by the word, “passion.” In his time on this earth, his accomplishments, pursuits and dreams spoke volumes about who he was as a businessman, a chef, a leader, a father, and a friend. As a professional chef turned savvy businessman, Swiss-born Albert Uster spent the last 50 years in an industry that he treasured beyond measure, and beyond comprehension. He developed a very early interest in food; eagerly taking part in his family's daily cooking and seasonal baking. He knew in his heart that becoming a professional chef was his true vocation: his one desire. In preparation of the fulfillment of this great dream, he trained at some of the finest restaurants in Europe. It was while working at the Hospes International Culinary Show in Bern, however, that he was offered a position in New York.

Standing proud and tall at the starboard side, his heart leaping in anticipation and excitement, Albert Uster gripped the iron bar of the ship and pictured his dreams that he knew would take shape, as he arrived at Ellis Island in October of 1954. When the ship docked on that cold, windy day, Albert had $12 in his pocket, a vivid dream he would never lose, and most importantly, hope. Shortly after arriving, he began working at The Esplanade in what was intended to be a one year stint. Ten years later he was still in the United States, working in Houston at the Petroleum Club.

While in Texas, Albert attended the University of Houston, majoring in industrial psychology and management. He also opened three hotels for the Hotel Corporation of America in Houston, New Orleans and Hartford. While working as the executive sous chef at the Shamrock Hilton, he opened several more hotels in Kansas City, Aurora and Atlanta.

It was while working at the Washington Hilton as an executive chef that Albert experienced a profound epiphany. A small voice in the very depths of his subconscious called to him strongly, as it had been doing for many months. Albert pondered the voice again, thinking of its message. Every time he created another great culinary masterpiece, the flavor did not meet his high standards. The ingredients were not quite right, he thought to himself, trying to find a way to alter each recipe. He knew that he had the finest group to work with, in surely one of the finest places in the United States, yet he was missing some elements of the kitchen whose importance was as vital to the Executive Chef as air: he needed a variety of gourmet food items that could not currently be found to truly create the most extraordinary dishes.

Never being someone to accept either defeat or the mediocre, Albert picked up the kitchen phone to arrange a special shipment from Switzerland. “I need Swiss couverture,” he said into receiver. Not wanting to stop there, he continued to cite important must-have pastry elements. “I also need marmalades, pastry mixes, chocolate decorations, and of course pralines and truffles.” His colleagues listened to him on the phone with curiosity. “Will that truly make such a difference?” his Sous Chef asked, as Albert placed the receiver back in its place. Albert smiled enthusiastically. “Of course it makes a difference! You can make a mediocre dessert with mediocre ingredients, but you can only make a premium dessert with premium ingredients.”

What started as a simple phone call to Switzerland became legend: Albert decided to form his own company. Partnering with Harold Giesinger, Guido Gerosa and Sam Schattner, the team formed the Restaurant Corporation of America. At the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC, they built a 30,000 square foot restaurant. To stock the pastry kitchen, Albert returned to his Swiss roots for the solution, and he began importing the products he couldn’t find stateside.

In 1980, Albert took the company out of the Watergate and named it Albert Uster Imports. He built a warehouse in Gaithersburg, Maryland and began hiring employees, some of whom were from the Watergate. For the next 18 years, he built the company up, forming strategic partnerships with Swiss manufacturers and importing only the finest ingredients and products. Most importantly, he nurtured his great passion, turning this into eminent success, not just for himself and his family, but for his valued employees and friends.

In 1998, he passed the reins of leadership to Philipp Braun. He then served as chairman of the board, proudly overseeing the growth and expansion of the company into the frozen food and savory food business. He also continued his membership in the RFEC. It was not uncommon to see him quite often in the halls of AUI, hear his laughter piercing the silence from the kitchen like a shooting star, or to share in one of his many jokes. Many times when he was in his office with his beloved dog, Esprit by his side, the sounds of drifting classical music leaked from his office walls like a fresh rain, revitalizing and cheering everyone.

It was Shakespeare who had rightly stated in Hamlet, “This above all: To thine own self be true,” and although the sentiment held appeal to many, there were few who had seized upon its message, and fewer still who had adopted a proactive stance to attain its extolled virtue and allure. Albert is a man who has done both, and done them well, inviting others to share in his triumph. His company has grown from the dreams of one to the dreams of many. The importance of this company, this family that Albert Uster built and cherished will not end with this tragic loss. Instead, like a well-loved and tended garden, it will flourish and burst forward, with the help of all those Albert loved.

Mr. Uster is survived by his daughters Jenny Schaepper-Uster, Scarlett Uster, and Kristen Narlinger-Goldner, his sons Albert D. Uster, Adam Uster and Erik Goldner, his brothers Hans Peter Uster and Henry Uster, and his close companion Josephine S. Cooper. 

Albert, you will always be loved and always be missed! Your AUI family.