Helmuth Koch

A Christian Funeral Mass for Mr. Helmuth Joseph Koch, 68 of Cookeville, will be held at 10am Friday, September 12 at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church with Father John Pantuso officiating. The family will receive friends Thursday from 5 – 8pm at the Cookeville Chapel of Hooper Huddleston and Horner Funeral Home. Mr. Koch died suddenly Sunday, September 7, 2014 at his residence. He was born June 5, 1946 in Zums, Tirol, Austria to the late Freida Scheidbach. In addition to his mother, he was preceded in death by an infant son, Mario Koch, sister, Maria Lampert and step-son, Kenneth Pagano. Mr. Koch served in the Austrian military and then attended culinary school. He worked as an executive chef for five star hotels in France, Germany, Liechtenstein, and Austria. He served celebrities including Princess Grace, Queen Julianna, Queen Beatrice, Mario Andretti, and Niki Lauda. Mr. Koch came to the United States in 1985 and met and later married Kathleen Kreter Koch in New York, NY. His love of cooking and serving others led him to executive chef and banquet manager positions in New York, New Jersey, and Miami. He and his wife moved to Young Harris, GA and opened Little Bit of Austria restaurant. They later relocated to Miami, FL and opened Café Beethoven. After 10 years in Miami, Mr. and Mrs. Koch retired and moved to Cookeville. Not ready to completely retire, they saw a need for an ethnic restaurant in Cookeville. They opened Beethoven's Bistro and operated the business until his medical conditions forced retirement. Mr. Koch never lost his love for creating wonderful dishes and specialties in the kitchen. In addition to his wife, he is survived by son and daughter-in-law, Oliver and Connie Koch; daughter, Manuela Koch all of Klagenfurt, Austria; step-son and daughter-in-law, Steven and Hope Pagano of Huntington, NY; two step-daughters and son-in-law, Kathleen Arbassio of Loxahatchee, FL, Virginia and Marc Tolkin of Fort Salonga, NY; brother, Robert Koch; sister Ave Koch both of Feldrich, Austria; fifteen grandchildren Tamara, Sara, Jacqueline and Christopher Koch, Steven Jr., Paul, Kevin, Lisa, and Lindsey Pagano, Jake Schwartz, Nicole and Mia Kuryel, Marc, Samantha, and Sydney Tolkin; and one great-grandchild, Leah Koch. Sincere appreciation for Joseph Yoder, for all he had done to help Helmut.