About Us

The Dutch Oven is owned and operated by Ivan and Gloria Swartzentruber of Abbeville. They purchased the Dutch Oven in April of 2000 after approximately 18 years of ownership by Melinda Hershberger. Ivan and Gloria are of the Mennonite faith and they attend Cold Spring Mennonite Church. In 2006 they were privileged to be able to adopt three children. In November of 2006 they recieved an award and were named the South Carolina Adoptive Family of the Year.

The Dutch Oven serves a combination of southern cuisine and Mennonite home cooking. We don't take shortcuts in the preparation of our menu. For example, our mashed potatoes are made from real potatoes, they're not instant potatoes like a lot of restaurants serve. Also, most of our dessert recipes are from Ivan's mother, who also makes all the dinner rolls.

In 2006 and 2007, the restaurant won the Gold Plate Award from the Best Independent Restaurants Association. In 2007, the Dutch Oven was named "Small Business of the Year" by the Abbeville Chamber of Commerce.

The atmosphere is very family friendly. On Thursday and Friday evenings you'll see a lot of family and friends eating and visiting here at the Dutch Oven. The Dutch Oven is also expanding into catering. Hire the Dutch Oven to bring their signature menu to your event, whether you're feeding 30 people or 2,000 people. Contact the Dutch Oven for more details about our catering services.

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