You Can Still Eat At The Delicious Nebraska Restaurant That Invented Dorothy Lynch Dressing In The 1940s
By Delana Lefevers|Published July 29, 2018
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Delana Lefevers
Author
As a lifelong Nebraskan, Delana loves discovering the many hidden treasures of her state. She has worked as a writer and editor since 2007. Delana's work has been featured on more than a dozen websites and in Nebraska Life Magazine.
If you’ve never heard of Dorothy Lynch dressing, chances are you’re not from Nebraska. It’s the salad dressing of choice at many a salad bar and it makes appearances in plenty of other dishes in the typical Nebraska kitchen. It was invented in St. Paul, a small city in Howard County, in the 1940s, and you can still eat at the restaurant where it was developed.
American Legion Post 119 in St. Paul was first chartered in 1920, and it's been in continuous operation since then.
In the 1940s, the restaurant in the American Legion Hall was operated by a woman named Dorothy Lynch and her husband. Dorothy concocted a new type of homemade salad dressing that was sweet, tangy, and a little spicy all at once.
Dorothy Lynch dressing was eventually purchased by Tasty-Toppings, Inc. in the early '60s and a manufacturing facility was built in Columbus, NE. The production was eventually moved to a larger facility in the little town of Duncan, where the dressing is still produced today
Although Dorothy has now passed on, you can still eat at the American Legion in St. Paul. It's a favorite dinner destination for folks from all over the surrounding areas.
There are rotating specials every evening; stop in for tacos on Tuesday, burgers on Wednesday, chicken fried steak on Thursday, steak and shrimp on Friday, and ribeye on Saturday.
You can add the soup and salad bar to your meal, or just make that your entire dinner. And yes, you'll still find Dorothy Lynch dressing on the salad bar.
The St. Paul American Legion is located at 804 Howard Ave, St Paul, NE. Visit its Facebook page for specials and more information. You do not need to be a member to enjoy a meal there.
There’s a little village within the town of St. Paul that you should definitely visit when you’re in the area. Read all about it here.
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