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Tag: St. Mary’s

Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Dan Hohman, Sugar Creek Country Store

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

“This Reuben sandwich,” said the New Yorker, “is better than we get back in New York.”  That is high praise, for this sandwich comes from a store in the middle of the country. Not only does this place provide great sandwiches, it provides the experience of entering an old-time general store with lots of classic products.

Dan Hohman, Jen Hohman and Philomena Hohman

Dan Hohman is founder and owner of Sugar Creek Country Store in St. Marys, Kansas.  In 1992, Dan and his wife Jen relocated their family from Pennsylvania to St. Marys because of the school system. They were seeking the traditional Catholic education that is offered at the St. Marys Academy.

Dan’s background was in the industrial hydraulics business. After coming to Kansas, he eventually launched his own company which specializes in recruiting engineers and technical sales people for the fluid power industry. For more information, see www.fluidpowerjobs.com.

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Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Walter Anderson – First Fast Food Hamburger Chain – White Castle

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

What was the first fast food hamburger chain in the world, and where did it begin? You are correct if you answered White Castle in Wichita.  This innovative company was begun by a man from rural Kansas.  It’s today’s Kansas Profile.

Walter Anderson, who grew up in St. Mary’s, Kansas was co-founder of White Castle, considered to be the first fast food hamburger chain.

Walter Anderson was born in 1880. He became a short order cook. In 1916, he opened his first diner in a converted streetcar in downtown Wichita.

Walt Anderson liked to experiment in the kitchen. According to legend, one day he became so frustrated with how his meatballs were sticking to the griddle that he smashed one with a spatula. With that, the flat patty was born.

Anderson found that starting with a mound of fresh beef, pressing it into a flat square and poking five well-placed holes in the meat meant that he could cook the burger thoroughly without having to flip it. He also found that cooking the patty on a bed of chopped onions on the grill with the bun on top permitted all of the flavors to permeate the bun.

His hamburgers were so popular that he wanted to expand to additional locations. He enlisted the help of a real estate agent named Billy Ingram. As the men got acquainted, they decided to go into business together on a hamburger restaurant.

Continue reading “Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Walter Anderson – First Fast Food Hamburger Chain – White Castle” →