Our History

The rich history of Café Christa begins with the birth of the Bavarian theme in Leavenworth during the 1960's and 1970's.

Heinz and Christa Ulbricht moved to Leavenworth to help re-design the town with realistic Bavarian and Tyrolean architecture, colors and style brought from their home country.

One of the larger buildings Heinz designed and remodeled was the Corner Hardware Store (located on the corner of Front & 8th Streets originally built around 1907) for Ted Price & Bob Rodgers. Ted & Bob were both a driving force behind the transformation project in Leavenworth of adopting the Bavarian theme.

In 1977 Christa Ulbricht opened a small cafe on the second floor of this newly remodeled building on the corner of Front & 8th Streets. This cafe affectionately became known as Café Christa.

July 1, 1986, the Delvo family purchased Café Christa from Ted Price & Bob Rodgers. In 1988 the open deck was enclosed with windows to allow year-round use for dining.

In 1999 the group and festival seating area was added after Kris Kringl (the Christmas Shop) moved to a larger location up the street.

Since October 1, 2000 the youngest member of the Delvo family, Jori, has been guiding Café Christa. Jori lived in Europe for over two years and traveled extensively throughout Europe, and specifically Bavaria, before and since residing in Leavenworth, which afforded great opportunity to gain insights and vast knowledge into the food, beer, wine, and culture of Germany.