The Schönegg Story

The dream

Welcome. Country Guesthouse Schönegg is the realization of a shared dream for your hosts, Evelyn and Richard Everson. ‘Schönegg’, pronounced ‘Sher neck’ is Swiss-German and means ‘pretty corner’. Since commencing hospitality studies your hosts each knew their goal was to own their own business.

Your hosts

Evelyn completed her Housekeeping Apprenticeship in Germany and spent many years working in 4 & 5 star hotels in Europe. Richard, a Canberra local, completed his commercial cookery apprenticeship at the Canberra International before heading overseas. Richard and Evelyn met at the May Fair Intercontinental in London and worked together for one and a half years on the QEII and later at the Metropole Interlaken, Switzerland. Richard also worked at the Intercontinental Geneva, the hotel’s restaurant ‘Les Continents’ holds a Michelin Star. Whilst in Switzerland Richard completed a Hotel Management Diploma. They married in Germany in 1994 and settled in Canberra in 1995.

In the kitchen, Evelyn is responsible for bakery and pastry; we like to think she takes care of making a good first impression with her wonderful bread and great last impression with her blissful desserts. Richard takes care of the all other food production including stocks and sauces with the assistance of our wonderful hospitality trainee Zoe.

Schönegg’s development

Evelyn and Richard purchased 8 hectares of grazing paddocks in 2000. They built their home, the restaurant and first two B & B rooms in 2002 and welcomed their first B & B guests in March 2003. Café Schönegg opened in July 2003.

With the assistance of a grant from AusIndustry your hosts were able to add 4 additional guest rooms and a private guest lounge; these were opened in January 2007.