Forget ice cream! I'd rather see this kind of truck! I know, crazy huh? I do love my veggies and the best thing to dip them in is ranch dressing. Mmmmm that yummy, creamy dressing that seemingly everyone loves. You can dip in it, drizzle it over a salad and even cook with it. It's all purpose and all yummy! But where did it originate? If you guessed Hidden Valley, then you're right!
Believe it or not, ranch dressing began with a plumbing contractor out of Nebraska named Kenneth Henson. Henson was 29 years old when he hopped up to Alaska shortly after World War II. Doing what he loved the most, he was the cook for his camp and enjoyed tinkering around in the kitchen. One of his little inventions was this buttermilk based salad dressing that his camp just fell in love with!
In the early 1950's, Henson moved right outside Santa Barbara with a new name (now Steve), a wife and a 120-acre plot of land that he built a ranch on. He and his wife opened up a dude ranch and named it...none other than...Hidden Valley. Henson whipped up some of that salad dressing that he served the folks in Alaska and his guests loved it so much that he would send them home with packets of "ranch" seasoning. In 1972, Henson sold the "Hidden Valley Ranch" brand to Clorox for a whopping $8 million and sold the dude ranch soon after. A 'shelf stable' version of Henson's delicious dip was created in 1983. Ranch is America's favorite dressing and has been a godsend for all parents who struggle to get their kids to eat veggies!
