Salads to sales

TIFFIN - As part of Women's History Month, the A-T is telling the stories of local women who have made an impact. Today's story is that of Betty Shertzer who created a signature salad, leading to the formation of her business Betty's Dressing. Betty Shertzer (Timko) was born on July 1, 1920, in Tiffin. In her early years, she lived at 44 S. Monroe St. and attended high school in the area. During her teenage years, Shertzer started her career in the food service industry as a waitress and assisted her mother at Islay Dairy located at 139, according to the Seneca County Historical Society. In the 1930s, Shertzer met her future husband at the Tiffin Theater, George Timko, born in Barberton, in 1915. He was an usher while attending school at Heidelberg University where he was the football team's captain. They married September 25, 1942, in Spokane, Washington, while Timko was serving in the Army Air Force. Following the end of World War II, Timko retired as a colonel from the Air Force, and the couple settled in Toledo, where he pursued a career as an insurance agent. In 1962, Shertzer came up with her salad dressing while a church hostess at Collingwood United Methodist Church in Toledo. She later became club manager at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, during her time there she perfected her signature spinach salad and dressing combination that would soon become synonymous with her name - Betty's Salad. The unique and delicious recipe would later become a staple in Timko's Soup 'N Such restaurants located in Perrysburg, West Toledo and Monroe, Ron Timko said. Timko, Shertzer's grandson, is the owner and President of Timko Enterprises, Inc. and Betty's Dressing. The idea for bottling and selling Betty's famous salad dressing came about in 1983 after extensive testing by the Timko family. They experimented with various ingredients such as corn oil and soybean oil to optimize the flavor profile and acidity of the dressing. Once the salad dressing business took off, the Timko's focused more on this venture, with her husband representing the brand at food fairs and cooking demonstrations. Betty Timko's culinary talents and entrepreneurial spirit made her a beloved figure in the Northwest Ohio restaurant scene. Betty passed away at 75 on Valentine's Day 1996. Betty's salad dressing is still at Kroger's in Fremont, Molyet's Farm Market in Tiffin. To find other locations where it is sold visit: bettysdressing.com Her grandsons Ron Timko and Tim Timko currently own Timko Enterprises, Inc.