Meet Dianne Linderman
As a teenager, Dianne enjoyed creating healthy dishes that had her four brothers—all of whom were picky eaters—asking for seconds. This passion for food inspired her to create dozens of family favorite recipes that appealed to everyone from junior to grandpa.
When Dianne turned 20, her father purchased a ranch with a working farm in Oregon and put her in charge of the kitchen. She had the time of her life baking homemade bread, making cheese, butter, and yogurt, and growing and using the fresh vegetables and herbs from a three-acre garden in her meals. The ranch also became a place where troubled teenagers could learn skills to give their lives purpose. As teens came from all over, she fed them and then became their mentor, teaching them how to take the bounty of the farm and turn it into meals. In doing so, she discovered how cooking helped to instill confidence and build self-esteem.
While at the ranch, Dianne met David, who became her husband and business partner. A few years later, they opened three successful family restaurants in Oregon, one of which was profiled in Sunset magazine. They were also involved in the establishment of a certified school cafe at a prestigious private school in the area, and helped the students start a brownie business.
In 2004, David built a fully transportable live cooking stage out of a 1940 Ford Convertible. This platform inspired the creation of her “Everything That Matters in the Kitchen Cooking Show” an interactive cooking roadshow in which Dianne demonstrates quick and easy home cooking at state and county fairs. And when kids huddled together at the stage in awe, watching her create meal magic in under 20 minutes, Dianne realized it was time to create a show just for them. Kids Can Cook became that show.
Dianne Linderman's Everything That Matters in the Kitchen Cooking Show
In addition to the popular Kids Can Cook roadshow, Dianne offers the Kids Can Cook Academy, with ongoing cooking classes and events for kids and families at her ranch in Stephenville, Texas.
Great American Lone Star Ranch in Stephenville, Texas
The ranch will also welcome kids through class trips and other hands-on experiences. Kids will learn about working on a ranch, caring for animals, and how food is sourced. They will even get to milk goats. And, of course, they will also join Dianne in her new kitchen classroom, where everyone will cook something together from scratch and then eat it.
Check out our KIDS CAN COOK page for information on classes at Great American Lone Star Ranch in Stephenville, Texas.
Visit GreatAmericanPettingZoo.com/kids-can-cook to find out more about Dianne's Kids Can Cook traveling show and her other incredible cooking shows and attractions. The Great American Entertainment Company is America's #1 Agricultural Family Entertainment Company and was founded by Dianne and her husband David in 1983.