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Farewell Event Set For 'Chef Franz'

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By CHERYL KUCK, Tribune correspondent

Published: November 10, 2007

PLANT CITY - A farewell reception is set for Sunday for longtime chef Franz Schultheis, who has retired and is moving to the Charlotte, N.C., area.

The reception for Chef Franz, as he is known, is from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 1107 Charlie Griffin Road. The festivities include a presentation from Boy Scout Troop 14.
Schultheis is known for his volunteer work helping the Scouts, the church and other charitable causes.

Schultheis, who is from a small city near Frankfurt, Germany, has owned and worked at restaurants in the Plant City area for 30 years.

He graduated from a culinary institute in Germany, where he studied for three years in the classroom and three more years on the job.

"The finals lasted an entire day, with several judges closely watching each potential culinary graduate execute whatever their individual exam may be," Schultheis said. "In my case, I had to debone a quail, a chicken, a duck and a turkey. Then stuff each fowl adding layered varieties of stuffing in a different manner and flavor. You get only one shot at graduation and the right to wear the coveted chef's hat and scarf. If you fail your exam, you go back for one entire year."

He passed his exam, and later moved to the United States, where he lived in Texas and then Chicago, where he met his wife, Marie. They moved to Plant City in 1977 to be near her family. He began working at the Elks Club in Lakeland and became an area Arby's manager for two years.

He operated Schultheis Seafood in Plant City from 1981 to 1984, where he met the Rev. Donald Mason, then pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Plant City, who encouraged him in his Christian studies and charitable work. During the next nine years, he ran Franz's Picnic Basket for breakfast and lunch, prepared meals for a nursing home and delivered newspapers for The Tampa Tribune. His community service included leadership positions at the Plant City Softball Association, local fire department and Parent Teachers Organization at Springhead Elementary School.

In 1985, he volunteered to prepare Wednesday night dinners at Mason's church. That friendship continued when Mason helped found Evangelical Presbyterian Church, where the chef continued to prepare church dinners until May, when he officially retired.

Through the years, he worked at such restaurants as Castaway, Sea Harvest, Sea Harvest II and Henry B's in downtown Plant City. With the closing of Henry B's, he began 2 Chefs Catering and The Internet Chefs.

His restaurants were always open to church groups and religious organizations, and he participated in many fundraising events. Schultheis also used his culinary art to aid the Pregnancy Care Center, the National Day of Prayer breakfast and the Unity in the Community charity. He said he loved participating in school career days, when he would talk to students about the joy of cooking and being a chef.

"I just love everything I do. I love every minute. I love having my food knock people's socks off," he would tell the children.

Gary Sawyer, Scoutmaster of Troop 14, said Schultheis was generous with the Scouts.

"Franz has been presented with many certificates of appreciation for his work with the Scouts' Gulf Ridge Council and, for the past eight years, has both given and loaned cooking equipment as we were building our troop kitchen. He has personally donated funds as well as catering and planning five local Eagle Scout ceremony receptions," Sawyer said.

Schultheis and his wife are moving to live near their son and daughter-in-law, Adam and Tiffany.

Sunday's reception is open to the public.

Correspondent Cheryl Kuck can be reached at wkuck@tampabay .rr.com.

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