Heads up: if you live in a small Minnesota community more than 3 hours from the Twin Cities, consider reading this post all the way to the end for a surprise announcement.
After last week's "highlight reel" of hellish things we've faced over the years, we thought we'd circle back to one of the most fun times we've EVER experienced: our road trip to Embarrass, Minnesota.
It all started back in the winter of 2014 when we heard that Embarrass, Minnesota, a town of 450 up near our Canadian border, was experiencing brutal temps of MINUS 64 degrees. "That's literally colder than the surface of MARS, exclaimed Mitch. "Let's invite 'em all to come to Minneapolis and warm up in Hell." Knowing that her chef/husband wasn't kidding, Cyn wrote a cheeky Facebook post inviting their residents to a complimentary brunch in Hell.
Sadly, even the offer of a free brunch with one of our heralded Bloody Mary's wasn't enough to entice them. Most had to decline our offer due to the (duh) weather. "We're too busy shoveling and thawing out" ... "the roads are really bad and icy" ... "great idea, but our animals need us."
But Jeannine Bjornrud, the pastor's wife (yes, church folks "get" us), turned things upside down with her reply to our invitation. "We would love to visit --thanks for the offer-- but if you'd like to come and serve your brunch at my house, the whole town could come. Here in Embarrass, we are all snuggles in for the great adventure. So, Hell's Kitchen, I extend the offer to you. Will even put you up for the night, because it would be too cold to drive home."
Mitch's mood instantly morphed from dejection to elation: Challenge accepted! He then raised the bar: instead of crowding into Jeannine and Marlin's house, he turned it into a fundraiser for the Embarrass Region Fire Dept. Here's where the magic happened: the entire community jumped in...the Embarrass Vermillion Federal Credit Union offered to print the tickets, Zups donated bacon, Northern Comfort B&B offered us accommodations, and an army of volunteers signed up to set up tables and chairs and help flip flapjacks at Timber Hall.
Thus started our first and only road trip from hell. After weeks of planning, a caravan of cars and a big 'ol rental truck fought through an unexpected hellish winter blizzard to get to Embarrass, oftentimes having to pull off the road through whiteout conditions. But thanks to the community's excitement, coupled with fantastic support from the town's surrounding communities, the event was a smashing success. Fire Captain Mike donned Mitch (a self-proclaimed pyromaniac) with firefighting gear, helped us all climb on top of his rig, and paraded us around the block as a final (and freezing) sendoff. But before we headed back home, Captain Mike confided in Mitch that when he first heard of our crazy idea, his first thought was, "Yeah, right. When Hell freezes over. I'll believe it when I see it." But he was smiling like hell when we we waved goodbye and our caravan rolled back out of town.
Surprise! A decade later, the employee owners of Hell's Kitchen hope to honor Mitch's legacy and recreate our Embarrass Fire & Brimstone experience in a different Minnesota community.
If you live in a small town that might be interested in hosting our team for a similar excursion in the fall of 2024, rally your friends and neighbors and throw your hat in the ring for our second-ever fundraiser by clicking HERE to let Cyn know!
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