On any given day in Kansas City, you might find the scent of fresh pretzels drifting from a home kitchen, children chatting in both English and German, and a table set for Kaffee und Kuchen. At the center of it all is the woman behind Dirndl Kitchen, a local food influencer, cookbook author, and mother who has made it her mission to share German culture in a way that feels welcoming and delicious.
Her story begins in Trier, Germany’s oldest city, where she grew up surrounded by history, family, and the comforting rhythms of home cooking. As a teenager, she felt an undeniable pull toward the United States and enrolled in an exchange program at age fifteen, landing in a small town near Kansas City. While the experience opened her eyes to a new world, it also came with a powerful sense of homesickness, especially when it came to food.
After returning to Germany to finish high school, she found herself drawn back to Kansas, this time to study at the University of Kansas. What began as a short-term plan became a life. She met her husband, built a family, and now raises three children, ages seven, five, and two, in the Kansas City area. Keeping a piece of Germany alive at home has become both a comfort and a calling, one that helps her stay connected to her roots while passing them on to her children.
That connection is most vivid in the kitchen. Her earliest inspiration came from her grandmother, Oma Sieghilde, whose cooking was guided by intuition rather than written recipes. Watching her cook by feel left a lasting impression. When she moved to the United States, recreating those beloved dishes became an emotional and technical challenge. Hours spent on the phone and in handwritten letters helped translate Oma’s methods into measurements that worked with American ingredients and appliances. Over time, those efforts turned into something bigger.
In 2015, she launched Dirndl Kitchen, a German food blog that began as a personal project and grew into a thriving platform. Through it, she shares recipes that go far beyond the familiar bratwurst and pretzels, highlighting the regional and deeply personal nature of German cuisine. Dishes like Klößchen, her grandmother’s mini potato dumplings served with bacon and caramelized onions, carry memories so strong they can bring her to tears. The same is true of her pretzels, perfected after years of testing, which she describes as a five thousand mile shortcut back to Germany.
Living out German traditions in Kansas City extends beyond food. Her family celebrates both German and American holidays, sometimes overlapping in joyful chaos. Building a local community of German families has been essential, offering a place where children can play and speak German together and parents can share the unique experience of raising bilingual kids in the Midwest.
Kansas City has embraced her work with enthusiasm. From television appearances making pretzels and Christmas cookies to a pop up bakery at the Overland Park Farmers Market, she has found an audience eager to learn. One of her most meaningful moments came unexpectedly at Oak Park Mall, when a follower shared that she and her sister cook Dirndl Kitchen recipes together over FaceTime, bridging the distance after her sister moved to Germany. Stories like that affirm the power of food to connect people across borders.
Her recently released cookbook, German Home Kitchen, marks a new chapter. Writing it was both a dream and a vulnerable leap, especially knowing that printed pages cannot be easily edited. She hopes readers feel the love and persistence behind each recipe and find comfort in creating their own sense of home, wherever they are.
Looking ahead, her ideas are as abundant as her energy. She is developing German spice blends, a sourdough pretzel baking kit, and even an advent wreath. A cooking show and a German bakery and community space remain cherished dreams. Locally, she continues to find ways to collaborate, from farmers markets to unexpected partnerships like working with the Kansas City Chiefs to create content for their official German fan account.
At the heart of it all is a simple philosophy. Find your thing and do it well. In blending German tradition with an American belief that anything is possible, she has created more than a brand. She has created a shared table, one where Kansas City is always invited to pull up a chair and taste a little piece of Germany.
Find and follow Dirndl Kitchen:
Instagram and TikTok: @dirndl_kitchen
Recipes: dirndlkitchen.com
German Home Kitchen is available at major book retailers worldwide and locally at Made in KC, Pryde’s Kitchen Store, French Market, McLain’s Bakery, and Barnes and Noble.