Opening Near For Karen's Kitchen

Dreams do come true, and for Karen Hewitt her Karen's Kitchen "is that dream."

"I always had this dream, I always knew that someday I would have my own restaurant," she said.

Karen Hewitt and her husband, Tom, of Kimball are patiently waiting for their dream restaurant to be completed and for the first day of business.

Experience is the best teacher and Karen has 45 years of restaurant experience. She began in the restaurant business as a 14-year-old dishwasher and then proceeded to be a waitress. She then learned to cook and manage restaurants.

The new restaurant will be open 6 days a week from 6 a.m. to around 4 p.m. and closed on Mondays for a much needed break.

They will serve breakfast and lunch, but Karen shared that her plans also include, in due time, having steaks and prime rib on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Karen's Kitchen will have a simple menu and specialize in home cooked meals. The breakfast menu will include breakfast sandwiches, breakfast burritos, Belgian waffles, and of course regular breakfast items.

The lunch menu will always include a lunch special and a salad bar will be available along with lunch sandwiches.

The restaurant is just south of the Kimball City Library on Walnut Street.

"We have totally remodeled the inside," she said. "We were taking out walls and while remodeling we came across some other issues. We knew there was floor damage, but it turned out to be a little more extensive than we thought."

The building has been vacant for about three years, according to Karen.

They are waiting on the shipment of equipment, including a grill, fryer, steam table, salad bar and char boiler. The opening could come in the second week, but that could change because they want to be fully prepared for that first day of business.

Karen's Kitchen will be offering a 10 percent discount to military, police and firefighters. They will also have a small gift area that will include handmade knives, oil paintings and sculptures.