Oklahoma City says goodbye to local legend Ingrid's Kitchen

The same week the 405 diningscape welcomes a new artisan bakery, it says farewell to one of its most iconic.

On Monday, Ingrid's Kitchen, 3701 N Youngs Blvd., announced it was permanently closed with signs on the business and social media accounts.

Ingrid's Kitchen opened in the spring of 1982, initially offering breads and European deli items. The legendary restaurant later became a popular spot for holiday dinners, and afternoon dances on weekends.

Ingrid's was born in the early 1980s, but it was conceived by Ingrid Quitz from a pair of businesses she'd purchased beginning in 1978.

Quitz, a native of Berlin who escaped to West Germany when she was 15, told The Oklahoman back in 1983 that she'd come to the United States in 1962 and "never could get used to the breads."

Quitz was still married to Dan Childers in April 1979, which is when she became the new owner of the Dutch Treat International Delicatessen in the Mayfair Shopping Center, records show. Quitz, who had previously worked as a dental hygienist in Kansas City, quickly grew Dutch Treat into three locations. It featured breads baked locally at Irene's Bakery.

Irene and Jack Siegel became Quitz's bread mentors. When they decided to retire, Quitz bought the business and opened the original Ingrid's Kitchen on N Youngs in 1982. By then, she'd added a Dutch Treat deli to the Regency Tower Apartments. That location and the one at Mayfair were turned into Ingrid's locations by 1984, offering "18 varieties of rolls and bagels."

Ingrid's emerged from bankruptcy and a fire in 1991, and expanded the bakery at the original location on Youngs.

When Quitz was ready to retire, she sold the business to veteran caterer Lee Burrus in 2001. Burrus, who passed away in May, was the owner of Lee’s Gourmet To Go and had come to Oklahoma City in 1969 from San Francisco. Burrus owned the business when chef Guy Fieri of Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins & Dives" visited in 2009. The appearance preceded a period of unprecedented growth.

"Business has more than doubled,” Burrus told The Oklahoman in 2009. "It’s been a great experience.”

Burrus bought Oma's Pantry and turned it into Ingrid's Pantry in 2010, then expanded the original location to take over the entire corner for more seating, more storage and the addition of Ingrid's Lounge. Burrus opened a second Ingrid's Kitchen on May Avenue just north of NW 63 Street in 2014.

Over the past three decades, Ingrid's evolved from a bakery with a European breakfast and lunch menu into a commercial bakery with a full-service restaurant featuring a broad menu of diner items plus German specialties. It was noted for serving on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and Easter.

Burrus put the business up for sale in 2018, citing a desire to retire. A buyer never emerged, and once the pandemic struck, Ingrid's fortunes declined. Baked goods expanded into grocery stores during the pandemic, but the May Avenue store closed, and the original store was shuttered by the Oklahoma Tax Commission last year for back taxes. The store reopened days later but only accepted cash for the duration.

Operation manager Jason Mann did not return calls for comment.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ingrid's Kitchen closed its OKC doors after 40 years in business