Born in Stuttgart, Germany, Harald (Hank)
grew up surrounded by great cooks and great bakers. Following his adoption by a US Army soldier, Harald first came to the United States in the mid 1970s.
He joined the United States Army after graduating from high school. After a quarter century of service, Harald retired from the Army and decided to go back to his first interest in baking. He trained under a commercial baker who was well-known known for his pretzels and artisan breads on the East Coast, and he trained in Berlin in two commercial bakeries.
Harald worked alongside a baker in Maryland. After several years there, he decided to start his own business, Das Pretzel Haus. As his business grew, Harald was approached by one of his clients to buy into his business to help elevate the brand and grow. Enter John Issa, Johan Cortes and Christian Cortes. In our brand new facility we still fuel the passion and pride this business was founded on. We look forward to continuing the tradition of great baked goods and fresh food made from the best ingredients available.