Softspot forsoft pretzels
Munich native brings authenticity to the process
Vegas Voices is a series highlighting notable
Las Vegans.
Hillmeier’s life has been full of twists.
Growing up in Munich, Germany, the soft pretzel capital of the universe, she found herself seeking out the yeasty, salty breadstuffs on her travels around the world, but none seemed to measure up. She began a career in motorsports, and a trade show brought her to Las Vegas 15 years ago. After suffering through an inferior pretzel at a local convention center — and learning that a local outpost of her hometown’s storied Hofbrauhaus wastoopen here — she found a new calling.
Now, she says, “I’m a Vegas girl by choice.” She’s also the owner of Prop & Peller, a company she started in 2012 to make the pretzels. Current clients include the Hofbrauhauses in Las Vegas and across the country, plus Topgolf at the MGM Grand, Lagasse’s Stadium at Palazzo, Gilley’s BBQ at Treasure Island, Hexx and Beer Park at
Paris Las Vegas, Cafe
Berlin, Rounders Grilling & Gaming, Gameworks and PKWY Tavern.
“The list is long,” she said. For the Hofbrauhaus
Las Vegas, Hillmeier said the pretzels are made in Munich, blast-frozen and transported by container ship.
VOICES
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challenges of being a supervisor to button-pushing charges who’d rather be anywhere but on the job, Voorhees keeps it real — even when reality is a tardy employee.
Song you need to hear: “My Life’s a TV Show.” “This is great summer cruise music,” Voorhees contends on the song’s hook. Yup.
Casket Raider, “On a Pale Horse”
For fans of: Severe sounds that begat sore throats
The lowdown: Pass that bottle of Chloraseptic to the dude on the mic. Better yet, make it a gallon drum. Jordan Kloepfer’s pain is your gain, as the Casket Raider singer straight up lacerates his vocal chords here, going for larynx-bloodying broke. His bandmates follow suit. Casket Raider incorporates more black metal influences into its hook-heavy — and just plain ol’ heavy — deaththrash on “Horse,” ranging from the bleak atmospherics of “Dancing With Dead Moths” to the caustic blast of “Remember.” “I’m not afraid to die,” Kloepfer howls on an albumclosing “Ultraviolet,” a sentiment
you’d better share before hitting play on this bad boy.
Song you need to hear: “Traitor.” Get pancaked by swarming, Morbid Angel-worthy riffs.
Anti-vision, “Anti-vision”
For fans of: Speed-of-light punk equally soused and socially aware.
The lowdown: You could dose up on caffeine intravenously, or maybe spare yourself the track marks and give the latest from these DIY punks a spin. Tearing through 11 cuts in less than 20 minutes, Anti-vision seldom pauses to catch its breath or allow you to do the same. To the band’s credit, though, these songs don’t
blend together into a scabrous blur, which can be the case with a bunch of rippers delivered this fast and furiously, thanks to ska and metallic flourishes on tunes such as “American Scheme” and “Threat to Sobriety,” respectively. Despite the velocity, though, Anti-vision never loses sight of crafting songs that you can sing along to — if you can keep up.
Song you need to hear: “Alcoholocaust.” “Drink more, think less.” Got it.
Contact Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Jasonbracelin on Twitter.