Kissin Kate's BBQ
Meet Katey
Howdy, y’all! Thanks for swinging by my little corner of the internet.
I’m Katey Anderson, the heart (and hands) behind Kissing Kate’s BBQ & Barlow Breads.
Yes, the name comes from the infamous outlaw in Disney’s Holes. I borrowed it because—minus the bandit-and-murderer résumé—Kate Barlow and I have a lot in common: life threw us curveballs, and we both decided to cook our way out of them.
Born and raised in Sheridan, Oregon, I left in my twenties chasing scrubs and stethoscopes. In 2017, after losing my dad, I moved back to Dallas, Oregon. Dad’s Old Smokey grill sat in the backyard like a dare. With time on my hands and smoke in my lungs, I taught myself brisket. One backyard plate led to another… and suddenly I realized, “Wait—I’m actually good at this!"
Three years later, the menu has grown: slow-smoked meats, crackly sourdough loaves, and craft cocktails that pair perfectly with both. Sourdough, by the way, is a jealous lover. You feed it, name it, talk to it. My answer to Wally and Barlow—the latter a 177-year-old starter descended from an 1847 Oregon Trail batch. My husband called it without realizing he’d just tied my two obsessions together with one word: BBQ + bread = Kissing Kate’s & Barlow Breads.
Then, 2021 delivered its own plot twist: I was unfortunately diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease, for which they currently don’t have a cure. Since the diagnosis, I have been disabled and have been doing my best to learn how to live with my new life. I do have bad, unpredictable flare-ups that will leave me incapacitated, but that also means there are good days too! On good days, I fire up the smoker, slide fresh dough into the oven, and fill the day with something that I enjoy doing. That is where smoking meats and you fine folks come in!
—Katey