Daly: Doc Benning hits the sauce, sort of

By Dan Daly, Journal staff | Thursday, March 15, 2007

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This is a tale of two South Dakota towns connected by Chinese cooking - or, more specifically, a product called Doc Benning's Old West Oriental Marinade and Stir Fry Sauce.

This Old West Oriental marinade (is that a geographic oxymoron, like southern fried northern pike?) is made by Black Hills Cooking Co., based in Rochford and owned by a couple in Redfield.

Redfield chiropractor Tim Benning and his wife, Heather, launched the new venture recently. They have vacation property just west of Rochford, where they hope to retire and launch a second career as marinade makers. That's why they headquartered Black Hills Cooking Co. in Rochford.

Tim Benning began experimenting with sauces and marinades in college, trying to spice up his low-budget beef ribs. His Chinese college buddy taught him Oriental cooking, and its flavors found their way into Tim's recipe.

Tim has been a chiropractor for 20 years, including 10 in Redfield. Heather, who moved to northeast South Dakota from Northern California, is president of Black Hills Cooking Co.

She has been working with wholesaler Dennis Keller at Dakota Distributing (348-3733) to get Doc Benning's into local retail stores such as Krull's Market in Hill City and Don's Valley Market in Rapid Valley. You can also find it in attractions like Reptile Gardens and Custer State Park.

Also, check out www.blackhillscookingcompany.com for recipes and more information.

Asian Grocery opens on East North

Rapid City has a new oriental food store. Asian Grocery opened three weeks ago at 1012 E. North St., across the street from Hardee's.

The owners are Dave Steichen, who recently retired from the U.S. Air Force after about 25 years, and his Filipino wife, Rio Steichen.

Dave said business has been good so far; it helps that Rio is well connected with Rapid City's Filipino and Asian communities. He said about 70 percent of his customers are Filipino.

The grocery store, however, offers a broad array of oriental foods - Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indonesian, Vietnamese and even some Indian groceries.

"We've got a smattering of everything. Our initial order was for 16 pallets; we're building on that and ordering more foods," he said.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call 388-6156.

Tree service goes big time

Mick Hurlburt retires from the U.S. Department of Agriculture at the end of April. When he does, his side business will become a full-time occupation.

He and wife, Connie, started CM Trees in Sturgis as a part-time business in 1996. In 2000, they planted a tree farm. "We planted every kind of tree that will grow here, and a few that won't," he said.

Now, they are turning their venture into a much bigger business. They bought a 90-inch tree spade - a hydraulic machine that can pick up, move and plant trees as big as 9 inches in diameter.

To move a tree that size, you need a root ball that is 10 times as big, he said. That's a chunk of dirt 7-1/2 feet in diameter.

For more information, call 347-4203.

Talking Business appears Thursdays in the Journal. Contact Dan Daly by telephone at 394-8421, fax at 394-8463 or e-mail: dan.daly@rapidcityjournal.com.