Ask a question, and the words pour out. It’s as though Debbie Dance Uhrig has been preparing her whole life to be Silver Dollar City’s master craftsperson in Culinary, and she’s ready to tell you all about it!
Debbie worked for years as an elementary music teacher, cooking for her family and friends until she finally opened a restaurant in the northern Kansas City area, called the Covered Dish. In one of those “I couldn’t have made it happen” stories, she self-published a cookbook that ended up in the hands of the marketing department at the theme park. They were looking for the right fit to lead the new Culinary and Crafts Center, and found it in the down home recipes and attitude Debbie displayed.
“The cookbook opened the door,” she told The Food Channel. “I made a fast transition once I saw the new kitchen. It meets your wildest dream of what you can work on in a kitchen.” She cites some of the kitchen’s features:
- All Viking appliances
- Four ovens
- Eight burners – four on display with a griddle
- All peg construction, using flooring from an old farmhouse
- Woven copper backsplash
- Copper countertop
“My favorite part,” she adds, “besides the kitchen, is that we are surrounded on three sides by a rocking porch. There is a a lemonade stand at the front corner. What more could you ask?”
Debbie’s cookbook is called “Simply Yours: Simple Recipes to Reunite Family Dining.” She also shared one of her favorite recipes, which you can see using the link below:
Click on the links below for more stories and recipes from the Culinary & Crafts School.
Additional Stories
Culinary Classes Meet You Where You Are
Midwest Living Senior Food Editor Tastes it All
An Interview with the Designer
The Culinary Class Experience
Recipes
Pumpkin Dessert
Fall Brownies
Harvest Skillet
Succotash
Ginger Cookies
