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Funding for Heartland Highways is made possible in part by Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System,
dedicated to providing care for all and creating healthy communities in East-Central Illinois.
Offering general and specialty medicine including a regional cancer center, heart and lung center,
orthopedics and sports medicine, a center for interventional pain, and a full complement
of diagnostic and rehabilitative services. Sarah Bush Lincoln: trusted, compassionate
care. Just ahead on this weekís show, weíre all
about food and cooking. First, weíre off to a small town restaurant in Hazel Dell,
Illinois, where people from all over come for home cooking and delicious desserts. Then,
weíre heading to a cooking school at the Kitchen Conservatory in St. Louis. Finally,
weíll make a stop in Terre Haute to see how porcelain-on-steel cookware is manufactured.
Thatís coming up next so donít go away. [music]
Welcome back to Heartland Highways. Weíre here today in one of the dining halls at EIU.
Thatís because todayís stories are all about food and cooking. First weíre headed to the
small town of Hazel Dell, Illinois, where people are coming from all over to get a taste
of homemade cooking, thanks to restaurant owner Kathy Smith
>>Narrator Tucked away in the southeast corner of Cumberland County sits the community of
Hazel Dell, population, around 100. Like a lot of small towns, that once bustled with
stores and restaurants, today sit empty buildings. But in Hazel Dell, thereís one exception.
[Restaurant sound] Since 2002, business has been booming for
the Hazel Dell Restaurant. Oh this is home, Iíve always lived here.
I always wanted to do something. Mom and Dad had the old store next door. My grandma ran
the post office and Mom and Dad ran the store. This was it here in Hazel Dell and I always
loved it here and I thought, we needed something here for the local people and so we opened
it up. And people will drive, I didnít know. My husband was very skeptical that they wouldnít,
but people will drive to get food and baked things. I was kind of surprised.
Well itís brought a lot of people here from all over. They come here from, oh, I donít
know, they come from Springfield, Decatur, just to get pie once in a while. Kind of a
long trip for pie, but itís good. >>Narrator After spending 13 years as a school
cafeteria cook, Kathy decided to open her own business. The original plan was to be
a bakery only, but soon after lunches were added, with each day offering a different
special, beginning with something some might remember from their school lunch days.
Wednesday, we call it ìcooks choiceî. I usually have whatever meat is on sale. I have
boneless pork chops or roast beef. Yesterday we had baked ham, macaroni and cheese. And
then on Thursdays we do noodles, chicken and noodles or beef and noodles, mashed potatoes
and homemade hot rolls. Thatís Wednesday and Thursday and then on Friday I make a like
a pulled pork barbeque sandwiches. We made the traditional sides like baked beans, potato
salad, slaw, things like that. And then we open at 6:00am earlier on Saturday and we
have biscuits and gravy and thatís kind of my big breakfast day. Iíve kind of gotten
away from breakfasts because I donít open as early as I used to.
>>Narrator Kathyís signature bakery items include her cinnamon rolls and coconut cream
pie. I make coconut pie every day. I was kind of
surprised; I thought the fruit pies would go real well. We have coconut pie everyday
and then usually we do some kind of fruit and then maybe some kind of soft pie. We have
chocolate, butterscotch, banana, lemon, pies like that. And then I make cinnamon rolls
everyday and they go over real well too. We sell several of those every day.
>>Narrator And those pies and cinnamon rolls go fast. So if you want to get your hands
on one, itís recommended you get here early or call ahead and reserve one. Kathy also
does special orders and catering as well. With seating for 12 to about 15, the restaurant
becomes a flurry of activity from 11 to noon. On this day, Kathy is assisted by Janice Decker.
Janice has been baking for a lot of years and she does a good, good job and I appreciate
her. >>Narrator Together the two women prepare,
plate and serve, all within a space, no wider than 12 feet and barely enough room for a
video camera. Customers enter the front door of the restaurant and find themselves basically
in Kathyís kitchen. Well we just come in and we have the list
of what weíre having that day on the side of the ice machine and everyone just comes
in and looks and tells me what they want and go sit down and wait. And we kind of have
the regularsí everyday that come in and get their lunches to take out or eat here. Weíve
got several thatís here every day. And weíve had a good crowd, lots of nice people.
Well my wife has Alzheimerís and Iím not too good of a cook. Iím a learniní, but
anyway thatís the reason I come here for lunch. And she makes a good potato soup and
I get it on Saturdayís and we eat it through the week as our evening meal.
Yeah, thereís a little boy and we wanted to come someplace for his birthday. He wanted
to come and eat someplace. And he said ìitís where we ate in the kitchen.î And he couldnít
remember where it would have been and he said something about coming to Hazel Dell and he
said ìyes thatís itî. But he just always remembered he want to come in there at that
table, because he sat there and watched us cook and stuff. And that was his big thing;
he wanted to come to Hazel Dell. >>Narrator A loyal customer following draws
both locals and people from around the region. Advertising has come mostly by word of mouth.
When Kathy needed to close in 2007 to help her son, whoíd been injured in an accident,
people were supportive and ready to come back when she reopened the next year.
I like it, I enjoy it. Paul Huddlestun, that you talked to, a lot of days heíll say ìwe
sure had a good lunch yesterday; we sure appreciate you being hereî. Thatís makes it worthwhile,
itís a good deal. >>Narrator The Hazel Dell Restaurant, whose
motto is ìdown home cookiní at its bestî, is open Wednesday through Friday from 8 until
2 and Saturdays from 6:30 until 2. If youíd like to purchase a copy of any Heartland
Highways program visit our online store at www.weiu.net. DVDís are available for $25
each. Visa, MasterCard, discover or American Express are accepted. If you prefer, you can
call in your order at 1-877-727-9348. Just let us know what show youíre interested in
by mentioning the story name or person featured in the show. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for
delivery.
This next adventure takes us to St. Louis. We had the chance to tag along on bus trip,
sponsored by our local hospitalís tour program, AdvantAge 50. We did a food tour of St. Louis
and one of our stops was the Kitchen Conservatory, a cooking school and retail kitchen store.
>>Narrator A menu of butternut squash soup, beef tenderloin with gorgonzola sauce, potato-celery
root puree, green bean bundles and to top it off, an orange-chocolate mousse. This is
a demonstration class at the Kitchen Conservatory, where participants watch their meal being
prepared, learn about cooking techniques [kitchen sounds]
>>Narrator and most importantly eat! Started in Belleville, Illinois the cooking school
and kitchen store has been at this location on Clayton Road since 1991. Current owner
Ann Corey expanded the original building that now includes a hands on kitchen, demonstration
kitchen and retail space. Today, chefs and culinary educators teach over 700 classes
a year. Welcome to Kitchen Conservatory, my name is
Barb and Iím going to be your chef today. And I am assisted today by Barbie and Rebecca.
They are very important to me, because they are going to clean up after me, which is always
a plus, when you are cooking. Unfortunately they donít come home with me, so I have to
clean up my own mess at home. >>Narrator Barb, who is the cooking school
director, picked out some of her favorite recipes, starting with a butternut squash
soup. What I love about it is the bacon thatës
in it, the granny smith apples and itís got a little touch of apple cider vinegar in it
too. I always try to look for the squash that have the longer neck because thatís the solid
part that you can basically just cut it up and chop it. The bottom here will have some
seeds in the center. >>Narrator Throughout the demonstration, participants
are educated on various cooking techniques and tips.
And also, youíve probably noticed, Iíve got some brown stuff at the bottom of the
pan and that is very flavorful stuff. And when I start to put in my liquid that will
all loosen up and be incorporated into the sauce. So whenever you are browning, if you
use a non-stick pan, you wonít get that sticking and you wonít get that extra flavor. Cast
iron holds the heat really nicely and the coating makes it easier to clean, but it will
brown foods very nicely. >>Narrator With the soup underway, Barb moves
on to the next recipe, a potato purÈe that includes celery root.
Itís got a little bit of a celery taste. Itís a tuber sort of like a potato would
be. It mild, youíll have a little hint of the celery in it. But itís a dirty little
thing and ugly, but it tastes good. Because it so oddly shaped a peeler doesnít work
very well. I just take my knife and once I have a nice flat surface, Iím just going
to cut around and just cut this outside edge and then I just go back and trim these irregular
shapes >>Narrator The cooking demonstration is interactive
and people are encouraged to ask the chefs about all things cooking related.
Chicken stock, you start with some aromatics, which are carrots, onions and celery and youíre
going to put that in the pot. Usually youíre going to use like backs of the chickens or
carcass and you want to cover it with water, bring it to a boil and let it simmer. I would
say 5 or 6 hours is ideal. Then you strain it and then at that point, I usually like
to put mine in a big bowl in the refrigerator and the next morning all that fat has come
up to the top and congealed and I just kind of spoon that off. If it make it, I try to
make a lot and Iíll put it into zip lock bags and put it into my freezer.
>>Narrator As the soup and potato dishes are cooking, itís on to the main course of beef
tenderloin Weíre going to season it nicely with salt
and pepper and then Iím going to heat up my pan until they are really hot. Iím going
to put in a little oil and then Iím just going to do a quick sear on all sides of the
beef, get a nice crust on that. And that that point, Iím going to take the entire pan,
put it in the oven and weíre going to roast that. Today Iíll probably roast it until
itís about 130 degrees or so. When we bring it out of the oven, you always want to let
it rest. What that does it all those juices can soak back into the meat. At lot of times
if you take something right out of the oven and you cut it, youíre going to notice all
of the juice running out. So whenever Iím doing any type of meats, always let it rest
before you slice it and that just enables those juices to get back in there.
>>Narrator As pots are boiling and the meat is roasting, itís a good time to browse the
retail store. Here they stock a multitude cooking utensils, pots and pans, small appliances,
cookbooks, knives, spices, baking supplies and a whole lot more.
[Music] >>Narrator Back at the demonstration, colorful
green bean bundles, wrapped in bacon are being assembled as the butternut squash soup course
is being served. Todayís meal is especially good because of
two main ingredients, heavy cream and butter. Barb explains the difference between European
butter and U.S. butter. What makes it different is that the United
States standard for butter is 80 percent fat. The standard in Europe is 82 percent fat.
So it just makes it that little bit better [laughter]. Better with butter, always is.
>>Narrator Those two ingredients, along with a fine quality chocolate, make up the final
dish, orange chocolate mousse. And Iím a firm believer in the better your
chocolate; the better your desserts are going to be.
>>Narrator With the rest of courses ready, itís time to eat. Participants leave with
a full stomach, but also the recipes from todayís class. For those wanting a more applied
cooking experience, Kitchen Conservatory also offers a variety of hands-on classes too.
So whether youíre an aspiring chef or donít know teaspoons from your tablespoons, the
Kitchen Conservatory offers what you need and what you need to know to become the Iron
Chef of your kitchen. To finish our food-themed adventures, weíre
going to take a look at how porcelain on steel cookware or granite is made at Columbian Home
Products. This Terre Haute business has been through many changes in its history, but one
thing remains the same, the quality and care that goes into making their products.
>>NarratorColumbian Home Products got its start back in 1870 in Ohio as the Bellaire
Stamping Company. At the time they wanted to get into the new business of enamelware
products. A fire at the Ohio plant prompted a move to Harvey, Illinois, to a new plant
and a new name. The Chicago World's Fair was being prepared,
and it was called the Columbian Exposition, so the company name became Columbian Enameling
and Stamping Company. That factory burned to the ground in 1899. They refinanced, came
to Terre Haute, Indiana. >>NarratorOn January 2nd, 1902, Columbian
Enamel and Stamping went into production. The new plant was steam operated and totally
independent from city services, like water, sewer and even the fire department.
It's kind of interesting to note that the first piece of equipment to be brought on
line when they moved in was the sprinkler system. They didn't intend to burn out the
third time. But it was totally independent. They had a fire brigade, their own security
force. And the street that runs in front of this building where we are at this moment
was maintained by the Columbian Enameling and Stamping Company until the city took it
over later in the twenties, I believe it was. Narrator) Since the factory was built without
electric lighting, it was constructed with large windows that would allow daylight in
and excess heat out.
And they worked one 12 hour shift. And the reason for the foundry style and the high
day windows was to give maximum light. Narrator) The workers employed at the plant
made ceramic on steel products for the consumer and even the medical market. The products
were affordable and could be purchased at dime stores and hardware stores across the
country. While there were many other U.S. manufacturers at that time, Columbian was
best known for their line, called Hoosier Gray.
A ceramic engineer here back at the turn of the century invented the formula. Unfortunately,
when he died, he took the formula to the grave with him. And so we never have been able to
discover the secret of the process. It's an exceptionally chip resistant enamel. Maybe
not the most beautiful, but absolutely the strongest.
>>NarratorWith 10 acres under one roof, Columbian was the largest manufacturer of ceramic on
steel cookware in the world, employing as many as 1,000. They were known as a company
who paid their staff well, even staying open during the Depression years. It was not just
a place for men to work, but women were most often employed in the dipping department,
while the men operated the stamping mill. The company has gone through many changes
in name and ownership throughout its history. In 1998, the company returned back to private
ownership, after being the world headquarters of General Housewares. They even took back
their original name of Columbian. Today they are the last manufacturer of ceramic on steel
cookware in the United States. Operating from the same location, Terre Haute, the company
continues to make those familiar black and white turkey roasters, stockpots and canners.
The entire manufacturing process takes place right here, and begins with two raw materials,
glass and steel. The glass frit is milled on site. It's ground
and mixed with other ingredients to become the porcelain slurry.
The other raw material that we deal with is steel. And by raw product, it does arrive
in a coil form. From the coil form, we send it to a press, where we blank, or cut, circles
or squares or whatever shape might be needed that is the first in the operation in line
to the completed product. Those blanks then have a lubricant applied to them. Then they
go to a drawpress, where they are formed. From the drawpress, it will go through a trimming
and possibly a beating operation. And then maybe to a resistance welding operation, where
a handle or some sort of weldment, as we call them, is attached through resistance welding.
From that point, it's basically fabricated. And the remaining operations are cleaning,
where we go through an alkaline washer. >>NarratorOnce the product is cleaned, it
heads up to the finishing department, where it is wet dipped.
Early in our years, this was all a hand operation. And it has since progressed to these machines
that are basically designed and built in house for this particular end use.
>>NarratorThe combination of materials within the porcelain slurry keeps the mixture from
just running off the steel. It's what also gives the finished product its color, in this
case black with white specs. Once the pans come out of the dipping process, the move
to the drying furnace, and then on to the much hotter firing kiln.
And that's where it's baked to a 1,500 or possibly 1,530 degree temperature, at a minimum
time controlled slot, so as to do it properly. And it's all very critical to the operation.
>>NarratorThe firing process literally bonds the porcelain and steel together, making it
extremely durable for many years to come. This cookware is also great for its ability
to transfer heat. Each piece is inspected, packaged and made ready for shipment to a
number of major discount retailers in the country.
We have a three day turnaround time. We have to have it on a truck and have it shipped
within three days. And we don't always know what the order is coming in for specifically.
So we have to have some in process inventory readied so that we don't disappoint a customer.
And that's how we keep our customer base as it is.
>>NarratorWith increasing overseas competition, companies like Columbian Home Products have
become a rarity. But for more than 100 years, they have remained in business here in the
United States. Their ability to produce a quality product that keeps up with customer
demand is just one of the reasons for their long term success.
Our average length of service is 24 years. Which is phenomenal in this day and age. Employees
come here and stay. I have been here 42 years, in March. However,
we are very comfortable in the fact that a lot of our employees have been here a lot
of years. And I think that's one of the reasons that we are managing to be successful in this
day and age, with a much older product. Over the years, we have refined processes,
we have upgraded processes, we have been able to increase the speed of the operation to
offer the customer the best product at the lowest possible cost, when they want it. And
you don't mess with success. Where else can we go and do that?
Want more information on the story youíve just seen? Head to our website at weiu.net/hh.
Check out our online episode gallery for past and present shows. Send us an e-mail or find
out how to contact the people and places we feature in the show. Thatís weiu.net/hh.
Weíre just about our of time for this weeks, show, but before we go, we want to thank you
for watching and for all of you who send us great story ideas and comments about the show.
We love hearing from you. From Stevenson hall on the campus of EIU, weíll see you next
time. Funding for Heartland Highways is made possible
in part by Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System, dedicated to providing care for all and creating
healthy communities in East-Central Illinois. Offering general and specialty medicine including
a regional cancer center, heart and lung center, orthopedics and sports medicine, a center
for interventional pain, and a full complement of diagnostic and rehabilitative services.
Sarah Bush Lincoln: trusted, compassionate care.