HEART OF HOME

For 50 years, Linda Escobedo has been whipping up magic in the kitchen and making her eatery the heart of home. But it hasn’t been just any ordinary kitchen.

Escobedo’s kitchen is a commercial size one at her downtown restaurant, The Kitchen, which she has worked at since 1975 and owned for the past 28 years. She began her journey in the restaurant business at another now-closed joint in Owatonna, Park Lane Restaurant, where she worked for about a year and a half before getting fired. “It was my fault,” she said now laughing about it.

She then ventured over the Ev’s Kitchen on North Cedar Avenue where she has remained for the past half century. The restaurant had been owned by Ev Greene when Escobedo started.

The hours have changed drastically over Escobedo’s career. She began as a night waitress working until 9 p.m., which she did for 23 years. In the early years, the restaurant hosted many groom’s dinners on Friday nights and even a wedding one time. There have also been family Christmas parties at the restaurant.

Today the restaurant is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily except Sunday.

In 1997, Escobedo and her sister, Barb, purchased the restaurant after it had changed hands several times over a few years. Escobedo bought out her sister in 2002.

Escobedo prides herself on featuring home cooking of everything from burgers to melt sandwiches to hot beef dinners. She also makes a variety of soups, onion rings, BBQ sauces, dressings and cookies. She especially enjoys making breakfasts.

While Escobedo offers her special touch in the kitchen, cooking isn’t her favorite activity. She prefers to be waitressing where she comes into direct contact with customers. When she has extra help working, she’s able to pull herself out of the kitchen to focus on her first love of waitressing.

“I enjoy engaging with the guests,” she says. “I’d miss them a lot if I wasn’t here. You meet lots of different people from all over.”

Once customers leave, Escobedo wishes for one thing. “I hope they realize how much I love the place, and they are happy when they leave,” she said.

Asked what her secret has been over the past 50 years, Escobedo paused and said, “That’s a tough question. You just really need to love what you do. This isn’t like a job to me. It’s my life.”

Escobedo can’t believe she has been working at the same job while in the same place in downtown Owatonna for 50 years. “I enjoy it, otherwise I wouldn’t be here,” she said.

She is quick to shake off the notion of retirement. At 72 years old, Escobedo has no plans to step aside. “If it were a job, I probably would retire. But it’s not a job to me,” she said, adding she enjoys working with her two adult children and grandchildren in the restaurant at different times. Her daughter-in-law, Christine Escobedo, also helps out.

Escobedo, a 1970 graduate of Owatonna, has never had a driver’s license. She relies on her son, Jose, to take her to the restaurant in the mornings. He stays to help out for a while before taking off for his full-time job.

Operating a restaurant, Escobedo said, is challenging and lots of work. “But I think it’s what keeps me young,” she said.

During a recent interview, Escobedo came across an original menu from when she started at what was Ev’s Kitchen. Among the specialties featured on the menu were shrimp burger, potato salad and a beverage for 85 cents and a dinner of pork chops for $1.25. She emphasized how pork chop was plural with more than one chop offered. “Isn’t that crazy?” she said marveling at the prices.

While her prices have obviously gone up from those early years, Escobedo noted that she hasn’t changed her prices since COVID-19 in 2020. She hinted that prices could change in the near future.

Besides the prices, another big change has been the volume of business. She said the restaurant isn’t as busy as it once was because of the number of dining options now available. She used to have two or three cooks in addition to another two or three waitresses. “It was super busy,” she said. Now she often works by herself.

There are many groups that utilize The Kitchen as a meeting spot. Some of them include Toastmasters, retired nurses, Ham Radio, Christian motorcycle, youth Bible groups, Red Hats, Garden Club and Christian Women’s Club. Former congressman Tim Penny also has a group that comes in on Saturday mornings. She offers them a private spot in the back room. “People like the privacy,” she said. She added Saturdays are usually the busiest day of the week.

Some of her most notable guests over the years have been former professional Minnesota Vikings player and Supreme Court Justice Alan Page and Gov. Tim Walz when he served in the U.S. Congress. Escobedo remembers when Page rolled up in a tiny vehicle. “He got out of the small car and he’s so tall. It was so funny,” she said. She added Walz enjoyed her bread pudding.

A sign posted in the restaurant reminds customers that the “Heart of Home” comes with some rules, including love each other, hugs and kisses, do your best, have fun, use your manners, no whining and always tell the truth. Another sign produces a chuckle from Escobedo: “A recent study has found that women who carry a little extra weight live longer than the men who mention it.”

She wants to continue the happy memories by celebrating her 50 years with the community on Thursday, July 3 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. During the celebration, Escobedo will offer free cake and ice cream as well as other gifts. “It will be fun to see everybody,” she said.

“We’ve made lots of good memories,” Escobedo said. “We’ve had a lot of fun here over the years.”

Who: Linda Escobedo celebrates 50 years of restaurant business

What: Free ice cream and cake and other gifts

Where: The Kitchen- 329 N. Cedar Ave., Owatonna

When: Thursday, July 3 during Downtown Thursday until 8 p.m.