by Cori Hilsgen
Carole Tamm and her family are saying farewell to the El Paso Sports Bar and Grille with a 70th anniversary and “See Ya” party Saturday, Aug. 22.
The event will include various food and drink specials and a DJ, Troy Battig of St. Joseph, will be playing their favorite musical tunes.
A morning paint-with-mimosas session will be held at 11 a.m. That event is filled. People are welcome to stop by at any time throughout the day.
Tamm, 68, says it’s time for her to end the legacy and spend time doing what “normal people do.”
She plans to spend time with her children, grandchildren and friends, and to work around her house.
Tamm has four adult daughters and two grandsons, Blake, 12, and Chase, 9. Her children Jodi Rajkowski, 46; twins Tasha Tamm and Tanya Tamm, 39, and Ashley Tamm, 32, have all worked at the business.
All four daughters also have other professions. Jodi is a financial worker at Stearns County, Tasha works for Stearns County Administration, Tanya is a police officer in St. Paul and Ashley is a technology advisor at Marco Inc.
Tamm said it’s because of her parents, Claude and Marian Menzhuber, her children and grandchildren and Denny Tamm that she’s hosting the party.
Tamm’s family has owned and operated the bar and restaurant for 70 years. After her father was drafted and served in the U.S. Army, he and his wife, Marian (Varner) Menzhuber had planned to move to California, but Claude changed those plans when he purchased Leo’s Bar for $25,000. Leo’s was located about a block from the current El Paso building.
Claude’s uncle, AC Walz, owned the bar with the Menzhubers from 1945-1966.
Shortly after the purchase, Leo’s Bar had an electrical fire and was destroyed. The Menzhubers rebuilt the bar and reopened it in six months.
Tamm said her father asked her to remember and patronize people and businesses, such as the Bernick family, who helped after the fire. She has continued to do this throughout the years.
The family built a new bar at the current location in 1960, which included six bowling lanes acquired from the St. Joseph Lab School. Two shifts of teams bowled Monday-Friday, and one shift of teams bowled on Saturday and Sunday. Many skilled bowlers used the lanes in the 1960s, but eventually bowling nights were reduced to two nights each week and then one night each week.
A restaurant menu was created in 1966. At one time, it included steaks, seafood, hamburgers, a salad bar and more. Later, the family got out of fine dining and the menu transitioned to hamburgers, wraps, pizzas and more.
A banquet hall was added in 1978. They became well known for their chicken and dressing that was catered at many weddings and other events. Other favorites included the family-secret recipes for a barbeque sauce and coleslaw dressing.
Updates and renovations continued through 1990. A vaulted ceiling area and two sand volleyball courts were added. In 2006, a patio area was added for outdoor dining.
Tasha coordinated summer volleyball games, consisting of 64 teams that played Monday-Thursday, 16 teams each night.
Throughout the years the El Paso has hosted many weddings, anniversaries, holiday parties and more. Organizations such as the St. Joseph Lions, Sno Joes and others hosted annual fish fries.
Tamm said the El Paso was a good place to host holiday parties because employees could have bowling, bean-bag and pool tournaments all at the same location.
She and her family are thankful for the many friends and customers who have supported them and shared friendships throughout the years.
Not going into work at the El Paso will be a huge change for her.
Tamm grew up spending a lot of time at the business and has been there 55 years. When she was younger, she had considered moving to California, but her father wanted her to stay and help them with the business, and she did.
Tamm said she will miss the people, but she will not miss the work of owning and operating the El Paso.
Tamm started working at the El Paso when she was young, wiping tables and chairs and setting clean ash trays out. During the years, she continued to take on more duties, including serving, bar-tending, cleaning up after bowling and much more.
Family members put in many long hours at the business. First Claude and Marian, then Carole and Denny Tamm and then their four daughters.
Many holidays were spent at the El Paso and they invited employees and customers, who didn’t have anywhere to go, to join them for a meal. Christmas Eve gifts could not be opened until later when her parents finished working.
For a while, they worked seven days each week until Sunday buffets were eliminated, and the El Paso closed on Sundays. Tamm was then able to spend Sundays with her children.
After she was married, Tamm remembers after taking the baby-sitter home, she sometimes didn’t get home until 2:30 a.m.
Her daughters often worked shifts after they finished shifts at other jobs.
Claude also sold boats, pontoons, anchors and more as a side business. Tamm often helped him in that business when she wasn’t working at the El Paso.
Because of her commitment to the business, Tamm missed out on other events. One event she recalled is when her friend had front-row seats and invited her to an Elvis Presley performance and she couldn’t go because she couldn’t find anyone to work for her.
It’s because of her family’s legacy she has kept the business and stayed as long as she could.
Tamm said the celebration is a lot about her father. She was close to both her parents, but as a business partner, she saw her father almost every day.
“He did a lot for the community,” she said. “He was active with the Boy Scouts, St. Joseph Fire Department, St. Joseph Lions, St. Joseph Planning Commission, St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce and more.”
Besides owning and operating the business, Tamm helped care for her parents before they died. Both died at age 95, several years apart.
A famous celebrity she remembers meeting at the El Paso is actor Martin Landau, who starred in Mission Impossible and other shows. He came in on a Saturday night, on a bus with other cast members who were performing Dracula at the Ordway Theater in St. Paul.
She recalled she had been varnishing tables and had changed clothes to help serve because they were busy serving prime rib that night. She thought he looked familiar but couldn’t place him.
When she met and visited with him, he was very nice and invited them to one of his performances, which they did go and see.
Tamm remembers going to work the day her twin daughters were born. Because of a snowstorm in 1975, she said she almost didn’t make it to the hospital before they were born. She didn’t know she was having twins, but her mother had predicted she was having twins, something her doctor didn’t confirm. Tasha was born first and Tanya was born 30 minutes later. One baby had been positioned behind the other one.
Tamm said the worst experience that has happened to her and her family during her years of being at the El Paso is when Jodi’s husband, Ron, was struck by a driver while working at a construction site in Burnsville Oct. 13, 2011. He and his supervisor were both struck. His supervisor died at the site and Ron died several hours later.
She said it was so sudden and unexpected and he is a great loss whom they all grieve very much.
Through the years, Tamm has had some very good employees, several who stayed with the business a long time.
Two employees, Kelly Crue and Kelly Kilanowski, were with her business for 10 years and moved on to other occupations last year. Kayla Grahn and Mary Munden, will be with her until she closes the business. Grahn has worked for her for six years, and Munden has worked for her for 10 years.
New employees helping through the summer include Colleen Fleck, Jennifer Komis and Brenda Bollig.
Tamm’s final day in business will be Sept. 26. She made a promise to host a final wedding celebration on Saturday, Sept. 26, and she plans to keep her promise. After the wedding, Sunday, Sept. 27, her family will prepare and set up for the auction which will take place at 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 28.
She plans to auction off almost everything from the business.
The property has been sold to a developer and it will no longer be used as a bar and restaurant.
“It’s important to note while I’ve been in this business, my family has been here to help me,” Tamm said. “My four daughters and my two grandchildren are the most important people to me. If I can retire from here and my family can have good health, then I am the wealthiest lady in the world.”