Even after 75 years of hosting the fair, the Salem Lutheran Church dining hall still has a strong appeal for its volunteers.
Jim Zieba, 77, started as a teenager. According to him, there was an unspoken agreement that helping out was mandatory when attending confirmation classes.
“It was almost a sin to miss church unless it was State Fair time and we were all dragged out here to peel potatoes and chop vegetables,” he said.
In the 1950s, the Minnesota State Fair was held in church dining halls. Fast food was not available at the fair, and the halls provided meals for farmers and fairgoers to rest on.
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There were 26 church-operated dining halls during that decade, but 75 years later, only two remain—the Hamline Church Dining Hall and the Salem Lutheran Church Dining Hall.
When Salem looks back over the last few decades, it is said that the cafeteria can only survive if it adapts to the changing fair guests.
In 1962, Salem was going downhill. Zieba’s father and others joined forces to save the hall.
“They were able to make some changes and bring the thing back to life,” he said.
They eliminated the evening shift at the time because their location, the former Machinery Hill, was known for early mornings and farm equipment. There wasn’t too much traffic later in the day.
In the years since, they’ve outsourced staff from other churches, hired guests as volunteers, and introduced new menu items. Attendance is no longer a problem in the 21st century. Now it’s about securing volunteer numbers.
Pastor Eric Hoffer greets visitors in the dining room of Salem Lutheran Church on opening day of the Minnesota State Fair.
Ben Hovland | MPR News
Steve Johnson, 70, is the cafeteria director. He describes Salem as a multigenerational family affair. People continue to volunteer because their parents – or grandparents – did, but the number of active members from the north Minneapolis parish has dwindled.
“Every year, by God’s grace, we find a way to fill the shifts and get all the work done. So as long as we can do that, we’ll be here,” Johnson said. “We’ve changed and adapted as the fair crowd has changed. This is one of the few places where you can actually sit down.”
Marcia Peterson, 79, follows the pattern of your average Salem volunteer. She started working in the cafeteria as a teenager and immediately felt at home. Away from the hustle and bustle of the fair, there was a corner on the North End with community meals and home cooking.
She got married, became a teacher and was only able to return in 2012. For her, the cafeteria was a place with many memories of summers with her parents and friends – she knew she had to return.
Marcia Peterson, 79, smiles as she checks out a fairgoer in the dining room of the Salem Lutheran Church on opening day of the Minnesota State Fair.
Ben Hovland | MPR News
“I wanted to carry on the tradition, my mother was instrumental in the fair,” Peterson said. “I love our customers who come and say, ‘Oh, I come here every year’ – that’s why I keep doing it. I think maybe I won’t do it, but I’ll end up doing it anyway.”
One thing sets them apart from the rest of the dishes – their Swedish egg coffee. Zieba is the expert and took over the craft in the late 1980s. The specialty coffee consists of smashed eggs in coffee grounds and boiled. Zieba says he makes about 40 cups at a time.
He describes the cafeteria’s most popular product as mild and smooth, and a must-stop for many of the fair’s morning visitors. During the fair, Zieba says he runs about 5 to 7 miles a day while perfecting the coffee. Last year, the coffee alone brought in $30,000.
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Other iconic menu items include the Swedish meatballs, the meatball sundae and a new addition this year: the Swedish sundae. This was invented by Peterson and consists of lingonberry jam and Swedish ginger cookie crumbles.
While the food is good, Johnson says at the end of the 12 days of the fair, it ultimately comes down to the people who continue to work to show why it is so important to hold on to the dining rooms.
“My 8-year-old grandson can’t wait to work here. A lot of it is the continuity… When I walk into the building, I can almost feel the spirit of the people who worked here when I was a kid and who have passed away. For me, that’s what makes it so much fun. Those are the lasting memories.”
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