Peter Mueller is a quiet, soft-spoken, retired chef who has spent his life unmarried.
After winning Wednesday's $20 million Lotto 6/49 jackpot, he's just become Revelstoke's most eligible bachelor.
Mueller, 68, purchased the only winning ticket in Canada, meaning the $20,22,182 jackpot is all his, the BC Lottery Corporation announced in a news release Friday.
"I was surprised," Mueller told the Times Review in an interview Friday. "It's a good-looking number."
He bought the ticket at lottery retailer Malone's on Mackenzie Avenue in downtown Revelstoke.
"I have always hoped to win but never though it would happen to me," he said. "I have seen people win on the news before, so I knew it was possible."
Mueller was in Vernon for an oil change when he heard on the radio that the winning ticket had been purchased in Revelstoke. He went straight to the Village Green Mall to have his ticket checked.
"The clerk thought I was joking until she had seen the numbers for herself!” Mueller said. “She validated the ticket and confirmed the win before she could believe her eyes.”
Mueller, who is originally from Switzerland, was the head chef at the 112 Restaurant for 30 years until his retirement five years ago. He now spends his days golfing, swimming and riding his bike when he can.
Mueller said he will be consulting a financial advisor before deciding how to spend his prize. First, he's going to take a trip to Mexico to go golfing and swimming.
"I can't think that big," he replied when asked what to do with his money. "You have to let it sink in a few days and then I'm sure I'll come up with a few ideas."
Mueller was never married and has no children, and his family is in Switzerland.
Brady Beruschi, who worked with Mueller at the Regent for 20 years, said Mueller was "a great guy all around."
"We loved working with him," said Beruschi. "Every Christmas he's been with our family for dinner.
"He's a pretty solo guy but he's got a great heart and he's been religiously playing the 6/49 for as long as I can remember."