"We wanted to be together doing this. It's a dream come true," Duvick said. "Kathy is my big sister. She's my hero. She taught me how to sew, she taught me how to cook, she taught me how to take care of my kids."
Albright and Duvick grew up in Madrid in a big family.
"There are 12 of us kids, so growing up we got used to cooking for large groups of people, using big quantities of ingredients and putting it in big bowls," Duvick said.
Albright, whose specialties include pies and cookies and crisps, and Duvick, the consummate bread maker, get to work and play together in a large, ultra-professional kitchen.
The fully-licensed and inspected kitchen is full of stainless steel appliances and the aroma of fresh-baked goodies. Despite its professional appearance, the kitchen also has a cozy feel, with pretty wall treatments and blue textured floors that look like Italian tile.
The kitchen is located in a renovated corn crib on Duvick's acreage between Slater and Madrid. The structure was originally built in the 1920s but has recently undergone a remarkable transformation.
Construction on the building was done by Duvick's husband, Dan, and son, Alex, 14, and the sisters' brother Dale Burkhart. The guys added a one-story room onto the side of the corn crib and that's where the kitchen is. Work on the first story of the three-story corn crib is complete and includes a dining room, rest room and storage areas.
Duvick and Albright have big hopes for the upper two stories of the corn crib, as well. Eventually, the upper stories will house a bed and breakfast with the top floor being a bridal suite complete with a walk-out widow's walk around the corn crib's cupola. From that vantage point, a person can see as far as the Principal tower in downtown Des Moines on a clear day.
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As impressive as the professional kitchen is, the food that comes out of it is even more so. Albright and Duvick have years of experience in the kitchen and bounding enthusiasm for their work. They are adamant about using quality ingredients and buy many items from local producers.
They also grow plenty of good stuff right there on the acreage. Pampered chickens lay fresh eggs, a strawberry patch and apple orchard offer fresh fruit, and a vegetable garden provides fresh ingredients.
"We peel our own apples. We make our own fillings - we don't use canned pie filling," said Albright, who lives in Madrid. "It takes more time to cook this way but the flavor is wonderful. It's what good food is supposed to taste like."
She is used to cooking in mass quantity at the Madrid Homes where she is the assistant food service director. There she is accustomed to cooking for about 180 residents a day. Albright is a certified food protection professional so she knows about proper food handling and safe temperatures for foods. "This is serious business," she said.
In the kitchen at Hometown Kitchen Classics, Albright can bake up to 30 pies at a time in the enormous convection ovens.
Items from Hometown Kitchen Classics can be ordered directly or are available for sale at Town and Country in Slater, The Market in Madrid and Picket Fence Creamery in Woodward. The dairy is owned by the sisters' brother Jeff Burkhart and his wife Jill and produces 100 percent natural dairy products. Jill runs a Country Store at the dairy, which is where Sue and Kathy's baked goods are sold.
They offer a variety of fresh baked desserts and breads, including tomato herb bread, cookies, sheet cakes, pies, crisps, brownies and muffins. Delivery is available, and customers can also arrange to pick up orders by appointment.
They offer a range of fully-catered meals for all occasions including weddings, anniversary, birthday, class reunions, business meetings, showers, retreats and club meetings. Menus include lasagna with homemade breadsticks, creamed chicken over fresh biscuits, chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes, and sweet and sour pork or chicken. But Duvick and Albright love to make new things, so they are open to special requests.
They also offer a reception hall that seats 22 and is open for booking. Duvick said it is the perfect place for off-site meetings, lunches, wedding rehearsal dinners, study groups, scrapbooking groups, baby and bridal showers, and club meetings.
"It's all part of being neighborly. We enjoy helping people out with their special days," Duvick said. "After all, it doesn't get any more 'Iowa' than this."
Family has helped get the business off the ground and running. Brother Randy was the electrician on the construction project. Brother and sister-in-law Mike and Berta also helped, especially with setting up the kitchen. Duvick's daughter Makenzie, 11, enjoys assisting in the kitchen and also helps with clean-up.
"My 3-year-old granddaughter Abbie loves to help me make chocolate chip cookies," Albright said. Her three other grandkids, Ali, 8, Jadyn, 3, and Danny, 1, have fun helping and eating, too.
"We feel very fortunate that we got to go after our dreams," Duvick said. "That's not something everyone is lucky enough to do."
To place an order or reserve the dining room, call (515) 795-9054. For menu information, visit www.hometownkitchen.com.
