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| KATIE SHULL HERMANN Executive Chef and Co-Proprietor For Katie Shull Hermann, Co-Owner and General Manager of The Range, preparing and serving good food means more than just the appetizing dishes, delightful tastes, and piquant scents. “Whenever my family was together, there were always large meals, especially during the holidays,” she recalls. “Food evokes positive family and social associations for me.” Food is truly the staff of Katie's life at The Range, where she fosters a familial ambiance within the converted historic Central Texas residence housing the restaurant. It's an atmosphere that impeccably complements the savory fare created by Executive Chef Dave Hermann, her husband and business partner. Katie's love of food began as a toddler. Even before she could reach the stove, she would “sit up on the counter exploring,” explains Katie. “From a very young age, I would always cook things to give to my friends.” At 12 years old, she was the featured “Cook of the Week” in the Daily Telegram in Temple, TX, where she grew up (her recipes were Chicken Crepes and Luscious Chocolate Cake). During her college days at Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Economics, Katie waited tables, worked in restaurant kitchens, and ran her own Starving Students Catering service out of her apartment. During her subsequent studies at the Culinary Institute of America, she met her future husband, and honed her culinary expertise and management skills during a post-graduate fellowship in Seafood Cookery. As Katie and Dave developed their vision for their dream restaurant, she continued to expand her training in the kitchen of the All Seasons Cafe, an American restaurant with Asian and Mediterranean influences in Northern California's Napa Valley. The experience offered Katie valuable input for The Range. “I had a chance to learn and observe how every aspect of a family-owned restaurant works in synchronicity to enhance the food and the dining experience.” Once the Hermanns found an ideal location for their own place at the Barton House in historic Salado, TX, their vision “started taking on a life of its own,” she recalls. Just five short months after assuming the property - including time for their own nuptials - Katie and Dave opened The Range. The strong partnership the Hermanns developed enables them to divide their tasks at The Range to meet a common goal of restaurant excellence. While Dave runs the kitchen, Katie oversees management and hospitality in a style that merges the menu and atmosphere with organic unity. Paramount to that is the way she imbues the enterprise with a welcoming touch of grace, as well as expert service. “People always ask me: 'Don't you miss cooking?” she notes. “Sure I do, but I find the social and managerial aspects of what I do just as challenging and satisfying.” All it takes is a visit to the restaurant and a taste of the fare to understand how The Range is truly a labor of love for Katie Shull Hermann. |
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