RFD-TV and RFDHD are now proudly distributed by over 625 small, independent cable operators, along with these loyal distributors
Dutch Oven & Camp Cooking
Until the mid 1980’s, folks knew Cee Dub as either Butch Welch; or, in his official capacity as Senior Conservation Officer, C. W. Welch, with the Idaho Department of Fish & Game (IDFG). But as often happens in life, a nickname is born for reasons unknown. In Cee Dub’s case, one of his river running buddies started the whole thing by calling him by his initials, “C.W.” At some point on that particular river trip, his buddy’s tongue became a little thick after downing several cold beverages, and it came out as Cee Dub. (It “sthuck”!) Anyway…meet C. W. “Butch” Welch, the host of DUTCH OVEN & CAMP COOKING!
Butch, known as Cee Dub to his fans, grew up in Southeast Idaho. He learned at an early age about self-sufficiency on his family’s small acreage by doing the many chores associated with gardening and taking care of the stock. Cee Dub started exploring the outdoors by hunting and fishing with his Dad almost as soon as he could walk. Family camping outings were a regular occurrence as well, and a 12” Dutch oven, some cast iron skillets, and a two-burner gas stove made up their camp kitchen. But it was the weekend hunting and fishing trips with his Dad that provided the stimulus for Cee Dub ultimately to become a game warden. And at the same time, Buzz, his dad, began teaching Cee Dub Dutch oven cooking around campfires as they traipsed around Southern Idaho.
Cee Dub began a thirty-five year formal association with IDFG when he joined an Explorer Scout Post sponsored by IDFG in 1964. Cee Dub went straight from being an Explorer Scout to working as a Bio-Aide on IDFG research projects while attending college. After attending Idaho State University, he transferred to Utah State University where he graduated with a BS Degree in Game Management in 1974. While working on temporary wildlife research assignments for IDFG, he spent a summer as a guide on a dude ranch, seasonally worked as an operator/truck driver for a large potato farm, spent three field seasons trapping grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park for the Inter-Agency Grizzly Bear Study Team, and drove a long haul semi truck.
In September of 1978 he hired on permanently as an Idaho Conservation Officer, based in Challis, Idaho. Cee Dub spent a lot of time patrolling a big chunk of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area. He ran a white water raft patrolling down the well-known Middle Fork of Salmon River over thirty times. During the fall big game seasons, he “jerked a pack string” on patrols into the “Frank Church” from one to three weeks at a time. Simultaneously, Cee Dub’s reputation as a good cook soon spread within IDFG to include the regional and headquarter offices. He found himself detailed to special assignments cooking for VIP’s and high-level department meetings. Cee Dub later broke new ground both for IDFG and himself in June of 1987 when he became their first full-time undercover investigator with an emphasis on poaching operations. Some years later, while serving in a patrol area in Southern Idaho near Nampa, Cee Dub did Dutch oven catering on the side and pecked out his first cookbook, CEE DUB’S DUTCH OVEN & OTHER CAMP COOKIN’. He completed his twenty-one year IDFG career as a designated backcountry officer in Grangeville, Idaho, in September 1999.
Some folks think Cee Dub began his television career after he traded his gun belt for an apron in 1999. Wrong! He actually started in August 1991 when he did a cooking episode for INCREDIBLE IDAHO, a monthly half-hour television show co-produced by IDFG and KTVB, the NBC affiliate in Boise, Idaho. He participated in several other episodes of INCREDIBLE IDAHO, some about rafting and being a game warden, and of course, some parts about cooking. In the fall of 1998, he and his bride, Penny, filmed the first eight episodes of the series, DUTCH OVEN & CAMP COOKING, between backcountry horse patrols for IDFG!
After leaving IDFG in 1999, Cee Dub continued to film television shows and to write cookbooks. A total of thirty-nine episodes were produced over three seasons for distribution originally on Public Television, now on RFD-TV. The series was filmed entirely outdoors. The main objectives were to demonstrate Dutch oven cooking techniques, and that outdoor cooking, especially while camping, did not have to be just beans, hot dogs, and hamburgers. The recipes are quite simple and easy to prepare. But the best part is the entertaining manner in which Cee Dub prepares the dishes as he is cooking. He is definitely a storyteller, and enjoys sharing his life experiences with his audience as he cooks. The feedback is proof that Cee Dub grabs the attention of the viewers who range in age from toddlers to grandmothers, and many that do not even cook with Dutch ovens or in the outdoors!
Cee Dub has written two more cookbooks. MORE CEE DUB’S DUTCH OVEN & OTHER CAMP COOKIN’, was released in 2000; and, CEE DUB’S ETHNIC & REGIONAL DUTCH OVEN COOKIN’, in 2002. He writes a regular column featuring Dutch oven cooking in the magazine BARBEQUE & Beverage, published in Grand Junction, Colorado, since the magazine began in May 2002. Along with more cookbooks in the planning and gathering stages, he has begun writing a book of a much more serious nature.
Cee Dub and Penny, aka PDub, live and operate their businesses from their home overlooking the South Fork of Clearwater River near Grangeville, Idaho. Their internet site www.ceedubs.com is a commercial site where they sell outdoor cooking equipment and accessories, including Cee Dub’s three Dutch oven cookbooks and a video. The website www.ceedubsproductions.com was launched for the purpose of being an information site for Cee Dub’s television shows, including his newest series, DUTCH OVEN COOKIN’ WITH CEE DUB. Cee Dub and Penny spend time traveling doing cooking demonstrations, teach Dutch oven cooking clinics, and make personal appearances, in addition to producing and promoting their television series.
