Drywood native is keeping the art of kolache making alive

By Ginna Young

Courier Sentinel

Every Father’s Day and for other events at the historic Bohemian Hall, crowds flock to the lodge, for Dana Moucha-Carlson’s famous, homemade kolaches. The pastry-filled treats are much sought after in the area, especially since they’re so hard to find.

“There are a few of us left,” said Dana, known as the “Kolache Queen.”

Kolác or kolach, with the plural version of koláce or kolache (pronounced co-loch or co-loch-ee), are derived from the Czech word “kola,” meaning wheels. The pastry originated in the Czech Republic in the 1700s, where round breads symbolize the sun and moon.

“Every nationality has their own version of a danish…so this is their’s,” said Dana.

There is a Texas version that calls itself a kolach, but that’s very different, with a savory sausage wrapped in dough. Texas has a bigger Czech population, after the immigrants were recruited to help build the railroad.

“Cadott has a large Czech population, because they were promised all this farmland, after they logged it off,” said Dana. “Around here, I don’t see the meat-stuffed ones ever. It just probably got mixed up somewhere along the line.”

Although she’s made at least hundreds of thou-

Dana Moucha-Carlson draws on her Czech roots to see her through each batch of kolache she makes in her Stanley kitchen. Taught the craft from her mother, Dana keeps the tradition alive by teaching others about the history of the pastries, as well as a hands-on approach to the lost art.

Ginna Young /Courier Sentinel