Allespach, Renate

We regretfully announce the loss of our beloved mother and friend Renate

Weinmann-allespach on

September 6, 2021. Renee died from complications relating to liposarcoma cancer. In her last weeks, she was surrounded by family and friends and supported by Heartland Hospice.

She died peacefully at her home in Powell listening to Mozart’s “Eine Kleine

Nachtmusik” and her favorite Beethoven with family by her side. Renee was born in

Schwäbisch Hall, Germany,

February 24, 1944. The youngest of five children, she was raised in the village of Kesselfeld by fruit tree farmers, wine makers and schnapps distillers. At the of age 16 she left for the Black Forest to study

Hotel and Restaurant Hospitality

Management. It was there that she met her future husband Ziggy. He left for Switzerland continuing his chef training and five years later she joined him in Fort Worth, Texas. A fairy tale romance, they married in 1967 and a year later daughter Stephanie was born; son Marc followed soon after. Partners for life

Renee and Ziggy moved to Columbus in 1972. Together

they worked, saved and achieved their dream of restaurant ownership, opening Ziggy’s Continental in 1978. Side by side they built a community, Renee as the house maître D’ and

Ziggy the executive chef.

They created a space to showcase their love for food, wine and hospitality.

A fine dining experience of continental cuisine with an emphasis on Swiss-french haute cuisine, a first in perspective, Renee encouraged people to recognize the hospitality industry as a complete career, helping change perceptions about what waitstaff could be.

She and Ziggy worked with

Columbus State Community

College to establish an

American Culinary Federation

Apprentice Program, one of the first of its kind.

A first-class hostess Renee understood the art of service and how to make people feel special. As one customer Tom Jones sang, “She’s got style, she’s got grace…she’s a lady.” Renee welcomed everyone with a smile from the Who’s Who of Columbus like Mayor

Buck Rinehart to teenagers on prom night. She did not discriminate, other guests included Boston Symphony

Orchestra conductor Seiji

Ozawa and Vice President-nobel

Peace Prize winner Al Gore. A connoisseur Renee introduced wines and champagnes that no other establishment sold. First growth French

Bordeuxs, German wines from Mosel, Californian

Cabernet Sauvignons and

French champagnes Moët & Chandon. Ziggy’s Continental established the first and only Four-star restaurant in Columbus, enjoying a long run with Mobil Guide until 1989. After selling the restaurant, her work-partnership with Ziggy continued at the Lakes Country

Club. A savvy business woman, she would later go into real-estate investment and owned the luxury consignment shop Mona Lisa.

A perpetual world traveler she loved culture and adventure. Touring with family and friends snorkeling the

Great Barrier Reef and bicycling in Berlin. A lifelong skier and member of the

Hans Dorn Tyroler ski club, she traversed the Alps and

California with her daughter and grandson. She had a fondness for sailing, steering Lake Erie, Saint Thomas

Island and cruising with her son in South Carolina. She collected art and explored museums in London, Paris and New York, other expeditions included China, Columbia

and Mexico. Music and dancing were possibly

Renee’s greatest love. She played violin as a child and took up piano at 60. She had a proclivity for dancing from the Shake to the Polka.

She and Ziggy danced the Tango in Argentina! She was always on the lookout for live music, Jazz or R&B.

A strong supporter of symphonies and operas from

Venice to Vienna and the

Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

A wonderful grandmother, she introduced her grandson Max to opera at a young age. In 2019, he had the honor of singing for her in the Los Angeles Opera production of La bohéme.

A friend and mentor to many she is described as inspirational, kind, loyal, fun and noble. Renee is survived by Marc Allespach,

Stephanie Allespach,

Maximilian Allespach-matsu,

Diana Schon-rupp and is predeceased by

Ziggy Allespach, Eberhard

Weinmann, Hermine Weinmann-linse.

We also want to acknowledge Renee’s friends Rosemarie Keidel,

Kay Kibby-kaufmann, Debbie

Steele, Kevin and Edie

Sullivan, Peter Smerdon and Amy Larson, who were incredibly thoughtful and kind. As well as long-time supporters Carol Kizer, Kamal

Boulos, Pamela Bishop and Bill and Joyce Roberts. “Unable are the Loved to die. For Love is immortality.” - Emily Dickinson.

Please join us in celebrating the life of Renee at

SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST,

1740 Zollinger Rd., on November 20, 2021.

Visitation at 2pm with the memorial service at 4pm. A link to view the service can be found on Renee’s webpage at www.schoedinger. com. We welcome you to visit and share memories on Renee & Ziggy’s Continental

Friends Facebook page. The family asks that donations be made to the

Renee & Ziggy Allespach

Fund which recognizes distinguished alumni of

Columbus State’s School of

Hospitality Management &

Culinary Arts in memory of

Renee. https://foundation.