ST. CLOUD — Maddie Waseca's culinary career has taken her from California vineyards to fine dining restaurants in Chicago and Minneapolis, and most recently back to a family-owned diner in St. Cloud.
The 27-year-old bought the restaurant from her father two years ago and has been revamping the 58-year-old establishment ever since.
This included a name change to pay tribute to his grandparents' Country Kitchen and his father's Copper Lantern, and Copper Kitchen was born.
“Three restaurants, three generations, that's what makes us who we are,” she said.
Trent Abrego / St. Cloud LIVE
To understand the history of Copper Kitchen, you need to go back to 1966 when Robert and Ira Waseca opened their franchise, Country Kitchen.
At the time, the restaurant was known for its specialty strawberry pie, which sold for 60 cents. Another popular item was the “Supreme Sandwich Treat,” a quarter pound of ground beef, melted cheese, pickle garnish and special sauce for 49 cents.
The business was taken over by Maddie Waseca's father, John, and his brother, Mike, in 1984, but Maddie has been involved since she was a child.
“Growing up, I did little jobs here, bagging french fries, chopping strawberries, making soup,” Waseca said.
These experiences planted the seeds for her future career in the restaurant industry: Waseca attended culinary school in California and worked in Napa Valley before moving to Chicago to pursue a career in fine dining.
“I came back during COVID to help my family and run the business because we were closed for most of that time,” she said of her move back to St. Cloud. “My dad was getting close to retirement and I wanted to keep the family business going, so I came back to help out.”
John retired and Maddie bought the business.
Trent Abrego / St. Cloud LIVE
Since taking over the restaurant, Waseca has used his diverse culinary experience to bring vitality to the establishment.
“We live in St. Cloud, Minnesota, so we don't have access to a lot of fine dining restaurants,” she says, “but we wanted our restaurant to be something a little different, something that would stand out from other restaurants in Minnesota, or even the country.”
That includes introducing farm-to-table partnerships with companies like Sauk Rapids-based Heritage Angus Farms, creating an omelet with the company's jalapeño cheddar sausage.
“I love the farm-to-table aspect that I saw a lot in California, but in Minnesota, it's a little different because the growing season is a lot shorter,” Waseca says. “I tend to choose artisanal items like butcher shops and local meats and products like that.”
Under her management, Copper Kitchen has also acquired wine and beer licenses and forged partnerships with Minnesota-based breweries and wineries, which allows it to offer mimosas, something she feels is lacking in the area.
“My goal was to make it a little more current and catch up with the younger generation,” she said. “Not necessarily something you can put on Instagram, but if you're looking for something a little more fun, think of us first instead of other breakfast restaurants in St. Cloud.”
Waseca recently purchased the former Old Dutch Maid Bakery on St. Cloud's east side and plans to open a combination cafe/restaurant concept there.
While there is no definite timeline, she said part of her vision is to create a boutique restaurant group that will open several small, diverse restaurants in the St. Cloud area.
“If we were to open another space, it wouldn't be the same. We would never do the same concept twice,” Waseca said.
what: Copper Kitchen Restaurant
where: 15. U.S. Highway 10 in St. Cloud
when: Open daily from 6am to 3pm
online:
Copper kitchen
