Well, she did it. My wife dragged me all the way to Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Do you know what's in Pawhuska? Not very much. In fact, there's really not very much between here and there either. It would not have been my first choice for a day trip.
I'm kidding. That's probably the standard husband response to a trip to the Pioneer Woman Mercantile in the heart of this small Oklahoma town, and I wouldn't want to disappoint other husbands by revealing that I like this kind of stuff. The Pioneer Woman, of course, is Ree Drummond, blogger, cook, author, and host of her own cooking show on the Food Network. Mrs. Drummond has opened a store to tout her favorite things (and a few souvenir trinkets, as well). Admittedly, she has done a beautiful job of revitalizing one of the old buildings in town.
When we arrived, the line to get into the store was a block and a half long - people standing in line not to board a train or an amusement park ride, but to enter a store that was already packed with other people. Another line was also a couple of blocks long for a little diner that Drummond also owns. This town wasn't ready for the kind of traffic she has attracted.
I must admit that I like her approach. Drummond is not pretentious like all the other TV "chefs" and cooks. She has kept simplicity in her TV program. She also has kept things at home, choosing to record her show and produce her cookbooks locally. She also features her husband and children on her show, who are portrayed as hard workers on the ranch which is actually quite a large cattle operation located on thousands of acres near Pawhuska.
I'm kidding. That's probably the standard husband response to a trip to the Pioneer Woman Mercantile in the heart of this small Oklahoma town, and I wouldn't want to disappoint other husbands by revealing that I like this kind of stuff. The Pioneer Woman, of course, is Ree Drummond, blogger, cook, author, and host of her own cooking show on the Food Network. Mrs. Drummond has opened a store to tout her favorite things (and a few souvenir trinkets, as well). Admittedly, she has done a beautiful job of revitalizing one of the old buildings in town.
When we arrived, the line to get into the store was a block and a half long - people standing in line not to board a train or an amusement park ride, but to enter a store that was already packed with other people. Another line was also a couple of blocks long for a little diner that Drummond also owns. This town wasn't ready for the kind of traffic she has attracted.
I must admit that I like her approach. Drummond is not pretentious like all the other TV "chefs" and cooks. She has kept simplicity in her TV program. She also has kept things at home, choosing to record her show and produce her cookbooks locally. She also features her husband and children on her show, who are portrayed as hard workers on the ranch which is actually quite a large cattle operation located on thousands of acres near Pawhuska.
While at the store, we received directions that guided us outside of town to the family ranch. There, in their "lodge", is the location of the kitchen she uses on her program. The whole thing was open for people to freely walk through.
I didn't think I needed to take many pictures of any of this, but here's what I have (no shots of the Mercantile in Pawhuska though).
I didn't think I needed to take many pictures of any of this, but here's what I have (no shots of the Mercantile in Pawhuska though).
Anyone in the Joplin area can easily get to Pawhuska in two and a half hours. It's a nice trip with some interesting sites along the way if you're willing to stop. Go the right way, and you'll be in the vicinity of the Little House on the Prairie homestead location, a town that boasts the country's longest Yellow Brick Road (You'll be in Kansas, so you have to expect that.), and a couple of other hidden "gems". Take a day and check it out.
