Thank you Mayo, Grandma's Kitchen

Last Monday I was at an Albert Lea Kwik Trip store when a voice I had not heard in a long time said, “Hi Eli.”

 

In disbelief I turned around, stunned.

 

The man saw my face and said, “Grandma’s Kitchen.”

 

It was Bob, former owner and cook at a restaurant my dad and I frequented often in my teen years and I continued to patronize as a young adult.

 

Grandma’s Kitchen was a little diner located in the Albert Lea Mall in the 2010s, next to an arcade, across from the movie theatre. In the same decade, it moved to a downtown location which I frequented as a young adult, often staying for hours when I did, chatting with the family staff. 

 

When I was between the ages of around 12 to 15, my dad and I would go play pool in that arcade nearly every night.

 

We befriended the mall managers who were in charge of keeping an eye on things. They would wander over and  chat for hours as my dad and I played pool. 

 

We never spent more than $1 a night: My dad and I would catch the pool balls in the pockets and save them in order to play additional games. 

 

Right next door was Grandma’s Kitchen, including Bob and family. 

 

Bob is famous for great burgers and fries. 

 

All of these memories and more came rushing back to me in an instant. 

 

Standing in Kwik Trip, I told Bob I had been worried about him because I hadn’t seen him for years. I tried to visit the restaurant in 2024 and discovered it was closed.

 

Bob said 12 years had been long enough. “It takes a toll,” he told me. “We’re proud of the work we did.”

 

Bob now works at the school in Albert Lea.

 

Thank you, Bob, and Grandma’s Kitchen, and Bob’s family who helped run the restaurant, for many great memories. If anyone in the Freeborn County area could ensure Bob, from the school, gets a copy of this paper, I would appreciate it. When I learned of the closure last year, it made me wish I had written about the business and all it meant to me. Now I’ve gotten my chance.  

 

On a completely different note, I had a successful endoscopy and colonoscopy performed at Albert Lea hospital on Friday morning.

 

Prep started the week before, which included a low fiber diet. The day and night before the procedure I was not allowed any food and had to drink three liters of a solution. None of it was bad. The solution, with my nose closed, tasted like nothing, maybe a little slimy. That process took about three hours. 

 

Friday morning I again had no food and had to finish the final liter of solution. I woke up at 4:45 a.m. and Deb Bently picked me up at 7 a.m. to take me for the 7:45 a.m. procedure.

 

I could not have asked for better treatment by the staff at Albert Lea Hospital. A+, 5/5 stars. 

 

The staff was kind, caring and good at their jobs. They made good conversation and really made me feel comfortable. 

 

Deb told me I seemed really calm. 

 

I was not feeling that way on the inside. 

 

They let Deb sit with me in the prep room until they wheeled me back to the operating room where they put me under anesthesia for approximately 30 minutes.   

 

The results were great. Healthy stomach, colon, esophagus and all my insides. This thankfully rules out a lot of bad causes of the pain I’ve experienced every day for the past two and a half  years. 

 

What’s next for me? 

 

My doctor said she would order an MRI after going through this endeavor, to see what else may be causing my discomfort. 

 

I’m really grateful for Deb, for driving me, but more importantly for the support on such a stressful day. Her presence made everything a lot easier. 

 

And again, to the staff at Albert Lea’s Mayo Clinic, “Thank you.”

 

P.S. For folks worried about getting an endoscopy or colonoscopy: After going through both, I feel silly for having worried as much as I did. It was easy and painless.