Dirndl kitchen is a German food blog dedicated to all of those that love Germany or grew up in Germany like me and moved to the US or other countries and miss one of the most essential parts of German culture, the amazing German food.

HALLO!

Here just a bit about me. When I first moved to the United States in 2009, I felt very deprived of the German way of eating. To this date, I still miss German cake and coffee time at 3 p.m., so I decided to educate my fellow American friends by writing about German customs and food... which of course involves a ton of cooking, converting of grams to ounces and cups, and drinking of Paulaner Hefeweizen! A brand new post gets published once to twice a week, usually featuring something I cooked for my husband Jason and our friends. I also post about travel and style (and this may be mainly on my Instagram account, so make sure to follow me there, too! @dirndl_kitchen).

Why "dirndl kitchen" you ask? A dirndl is a traditional Bavarian dress that is worn to Oktoberfest in Munich (as pictured above), and I just thought it was a fun way to tie in more German style into my German blog! Please click here to subscribe to stay tuned on new posts with recipes and chances to win kitchen gear!

Guten Appetit!

❤️❤️‍‍❤️‍

Sophie

Here a small excerpt from an interview with a local Kansas City pottery company.

It All Started With a Desire to Visit America

Who am I? That's a question I have been on a mission to answer for all of my life! 🙂 Looking back, my life so far was really shaped by a handful of events, and especially one in particular. Having grown up in Germany and really only knowing America from movies and music, I planned my first trip to America when I was barely 12 years old. It was supposed to be a trip to New York City and I had every day planned out, Broadway shows to visit, restaurants to check out, excursions to go on and all. When that fell through because of the tragic events on September 11th later that year, I was shattered for so many reasons, but never gave up on my dream to visit America.

From Exchange Student to German Food Blogger

I ultimately decided it was time to explore America for the first time as an exchange student at age 16, and left Germany behind for a year to live in Tonganoxie, Kansas. Little did I know this exchange year would change my life forever. After the year, I came back to Kansas to study marketing and finance at KU, met the love of my life at a Christmas party and ultimately got married to him and now am the mother of two beautiful daughters.

What Inspired You To Start Your German Food and Recipe Blog Dirndl Kitchen?

My Heart Belongs In Two Places

My heart is split in two it feels like. On one hand, it belongs here in America with the family I have created with my husband and kids. On the other hand, it also still belongs in Germany, the German culture and values, and my family and friends there. After moving to the US in 2012, I missed the ladder so much that I felt the desire and need to stay connected to that very pronounced part of me. I remembered my Oma Sieghilde's (Oma is German for grandma) German cooking and baking and started cooking and baking more and more of her recipes.

Dirndl Kitchen Is the Result of Finding my Passion

The year I started my blog was turbulent to say the least. I had just graduated from college the Winter before, but felt like my passions in the career I pursued were unwanted. Feeling violated in my core values and beliefs, I ended up leaving that job, and started my soul search for where my passions really lie and could succeed. I also felt homesick like never before. My Oma Sieghilde's health deteriorated quickly and I had the urge to attempt to carry on what she left behind for us.

Goal: To Create a Community of German-Minded People

It almost felt like a calling to start my blog. Cooking, baking and writing about German food and my German upbringing is therapy in a way. The whole process has helped to deeper connect with my roots and to combat this immense homesickness I have felt. I also thought that I couldn't possibly be the only one feeling this way. So I started sharing my thoughts, feelings and German recipes (some family recipes and others that I researched and tested) with the world, in hopes to educate America about German food and culture and to create a community of German-minded people that would just like to be on this journey with me.