Hidden Valley Ranch is a staple at family gatherings across America. And whether you use the zesty condiment as a dip for veggies marinade for chicken or dressing for salad you know the iconic label: a magical-looking field of green and a blue sky with fluffy clouds. It’s an idyllic image but you might be shocked to learn that there is a literal Hidden Valley Ranch — and that for years it was a wild place.
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The Man Behind Hidden Valley Ranch
Before the seasoning became famous however there was a man named Kenneth Henson. Henson who went by Steve worked as a cowboy in Nebraska before moving to Alaska with his wife. In Alaska Steve worked for oil companies in Alaska where he was tasked with cooking for his crew. Steve got creative with the ingredients he had around him. Those ingredients—mayonnaise creamy buttermilk and herbs and spices—eventually became Hidden Valley Ranch dressing.
But where did the literal ranch come from? After Steve left Alaska in 1956 he moved to Santa Barbara California. He and his wife bought the Sweetwater Ranch and renamed it — you guessed it — Hidden Valley Ranch. They hoped to transform the property into a vacation spot for outdoorsmen. That dream didn’t quite work out.
In a 1987 letter to the Los Angeles Times a man named Alan Barker shared his memories of Steve and life at Hidden Valley Ranch. "He charmed most of those who came to the ranch" Barker said. Kenneth Henson "opened Hidden Valley as a sort of country club nightclub dude ranch in the mountains … The ranch was not well received and promptly went bankrupt." Barker also said that the ranch was often used by UCSB fraternities and sisterhoods for parties which certainly gives it a different vibe than the bucolic label on the bottle.
