One of the most interesting things I learned while writing a book about Fulton’s Nestlé factory was how it created and produced all those yummy chocolate products. It was fun researching the steps of making chocolate and learning about the former employees who labored long hours to satisfy my sweet tooth. One Nestlé worker who was mentioned several times during my interviews was Christian Klaiss.
Chris was born in Switzerland, where the Nestlé Company was founded. There he learned how to make chocolate and by the time he came to Fulton, in 1969, he was considered a true craftsman in the art of confections. Chris worked at the Nestlé factory until 1991, training Fultonians, as well as people across the United States, in chocolate making. He also helped develop new products, including the O’Henry, Chunky, Alpine and $100,000 bars. While here, Chris became part of the Fulton community. So did his family.
Recently, I was contacted by Chris’ daughter, Jacqueline Klaiss Brons. Jackie read my book and emailed to thank me for including her dad’s contributions to Fulton’s chocolate history. She moved to Switzerland in 2000 and through the wonders of the internet and a surprisingly clear phone line, she shared memories of her time in Fulton, starting with how many people still remember that city:
“When I read the opening of your book, where you describe the city smelling like chocolate, well, that’s exactly the way I remember Fulton. We lived on Forest Ave, on the west side of the Oswego River, about equidistant from Nestlé and the Miller Brewery, so some days we got a combined smell of chocolate and malt.”
During Chris’ career with Nestlé, he was sent to several of its international factories. “He worked in South Africa,” Jackie said, “then in Germany, where I was born, and then the United States. In August of 1969, we flew from Frankfurt to Zurich to New York, and then from JFK to Syracuse.”
Once in Fulton, Chris and Jackie’s mom, Bruni, began searching for a home. While they looked, they stayed at the Chalet, a private residence owned by Nestlé for visiting guests. There they met Bill and Joanne Camp, who became close friends with the Klaisses.
“Bill worked for Nestlé in Connecticut, and he and Joanne moved to Fulton the same time that we arrived,” Jackie explained. “My brother, Christian, Jr. (Chris), was born in Syracuse and since we had no relatives in the U.S., the Camps became our adopted aunt and uncle. They accompanied us during our formative years.”
I thought the Klaisses might have had to adjust to the English language when they moved here, but Jackie corrected me. “Dad already knew English because he had been to England and South Africa, though he had a heavy Swiss-German accent. Mom had learned English when she was in school, though it was different then conversational English.”
Jackie’s family did have to adjust to Oswego County weather. “There’s nothing like a Fulton winter,” she recalled. “One of the first winters I lived in Switzerland, they closed the airport in Geneva because of seven inches of snow. I simply had to chuckle since I remember flying to and from Chicago O’Hare and Syracuse airports in blizzard-like conditions!”
During my Nestlé research, people kept mentioning Chris’ versatility as a chocolate maker. When I mentioned that to Jackie, she offered this about her dad’s approach to his work: “I call it his ‘Three Ps’: Passion, Perfection and Professionalism. Making chocolate was not just a job for Dad; it was his life and his passion. He made cakes for birthdays, truffles for Christmas, and chocolate eggs for Easter. He’d hand-wrap them and give them away. He had high expectations of himself (Perfection), and strove to be and remain an expert in his field (Professionalism).”
The Klaiss children sometimes benefited from their father’s work. “We took piano lessons for many years,” Jackie explained, “and our teacher wanted us to give a piano recital before we left for college. For both parties that followed our performances, Dad made a large cake—mine had musical notes made from chocolate and my brother’s had a grand piano made from chocolate. Each served about 150 people.”
While Jackie was in college, at Notre Dame, she worked at Nestlé during vacations. “That was a wonderful experience,” she said. “I’d be working at Westreco [Nestlé’s research lab] and people would observe me as I tempered chocolate, saying, ‘Oh, you’re Chris Klaiss’ daughter.’ It wasn’t always easy to be my father’s daughter; he was just as good a cook as my mom. If I had any inkling to try to cook or bake something new, I’d have my father telling me how to do it!”
Jackie left Fulton in July 1989, after graduating from college. She started her working career in Chicago and last visited Fulton in spring 2004. “Although I have moved on," she told me, “I still have fond memories of Fulton, and have often said it was a wonderful place to grow up. It was a close-knit community and our family knew several families whose parents worked at Nestlé. I went to school with their children and still keep in touch with my high school classmates, Rose Duver and Carolyn (Guarrera) Volan, whose fathers, like mine, worked at Nestlé.”
When Chris died in December 2007, the Klaisses received many notes of condolence from his Nestlé coworkers, customers and friends. One of his customers, Gary Dinstuhl, wrote this about one of our city’s most memorable chocolate makers: “I’m sure that he will be waiting for all of us with a plate of truffles when we see each other again.”
Learning more about Chris Klaiss’ influence and contributions has reminded me how important it is to preserve the history of Fulton’s chocolate factory and its workers. A group of former employees are currently planning to open a museum to do just that and someday soon we’ll be able to revisit that sweet chapter of our past. I can almost smell the chocolate just thinking about it.