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Remembering Ely's Maid-Rite Cafe

Older-generation Elyites relate stories about their favorite place

Lynn O'Hara
Posted 8/27/15

ELY - I decided to write about a favorite place of many who are now considered the older generation of Ely.

On more than one occasion, while sitting in Zaverl’s Bar, I’d hear some of the …

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Remembering Ely's Maid-Rite Cafe

Older-generation Elyites relate stories about their favorite place

Posted

ELY - I decided to write about a favorite place of many who are now considered the older generation of Ely.

On more than one occasion, while sitting in Zaverl’s Bar, I’d hear some of the regular guys, now in their 60’s and 70’s start talking about “Old Ely.” They love to share their stories of growing up in this ethnic, northern town.

As I listened, it seemed they’d always mention a favorite place known as the Maid-Rite Cafe.

Before the building at the site of 32 East Sheridan Street was the Maid-Rite (also known as The Ely Café according to the Ely-Winton Historical Society), it was the site of Mike’s Pool Hall.

Owned by Mike Bacher, the pool hall was a popular gathering place in the early 1950’s and probably a bit before that, for the men who liked to shoot a game or two with the guys and have a beer, 3.2 beer to be accurate.

As the story goes, Mike Bacher’s feisty red-headed wife, Helen, finally tired of the drinking and pool hall scene and one day decided to turn the pool hall into a cafe! In Helen’s experience, having been around problem drinking, she had grown tired of behavior that pushed the limits, but found operating a cafe to be a highly profitable business in Ely at the time, even though she still would be catering largely to those hungry bar patrons crowding through her door late at night, jovial while feeling no pain. To Helen’s pleasure, no liquor was served on the premises following the closing of the former pool hall.

The cafe was a lengthy building and it could serve a lot of hungry people. Many booths lined the walls with tables in the center at the back of the cafe. With a menu of pizzas, dinners, steaks, sandwiches, chicken, soft drinks and beverages, everyone I spoke to seemed to have a favorite from the Maid-Rite still embedded in their taste buds. “The pizza ovens were up front and Joey Robich made the pizzas,” recalls Chotsie (Cecelia) Harri of Ely. “He was always up in front, whipping out the pizzas like crazy,” she chuckled. “I particularly loved the roast prime chicken sandwich,” she recalled. “After we’d eaten, we’d sit outside on the curb and wait for someone to give us a ride home.” Heading to the Maid-Rite after bar hours gave everyone just a little more time to enjoy the magic of the evening with friends. It was the only restaurant open at that time of the night, so, as they say, it was the only game in town.

Many Elyites, like Joe Folio, swear, “It was the absolute best thin crust pizza I’ve ever had. Even to this day!” “Greasy, but so good, just grab another napkin to wipe your hands and face!” said Joe. When Joe was in junior college up at Vermilion in 1969-70, he worked at the State Theater running the movie projectors. He says, “I’d finish up and head down to the Maid-Rite to get a seat because they filled up fast. One time me and my buddies were having squeeze bottle fights with the mustard and ketchup bottles and Helen kicked us out. It’d happened before,” he chuckled. “Helen didn’t put up with too much rowdy behavior in her cafe,” Joe exclaimed. Now deceased, Ely’s Bob Engelbretson was remembered by friends out at the Winton Roadhouse one evening, agreeing that Bob’s favorite thing to eat at the cafe was burnt toast!  Lots of menu favorites belonging to the many who treasured this cafe from Ely’s bygone era.

I will share one comical story I was told by a friend in Ely who chooses to remain anonymous.  She remembers one occasion when she and several friends gathered at the Maid-Rite after the bars had closed and packed into a booth. They’d all finished eating and while the subject of this story was distracted, her mischievous comrades stuffed a big handful or two of cafe silverware into her purse. The next day, she looked into her purse and was rather shocked to discover many pieces of the unwashed ware nesting inside. Too embarrassed to return them, she has been using them at home for all these years.

Mootsie Pluth, another long-time Ely resident, recalls the bowling banquets that were always held at the cafe. “Helen made the best t-bone steaks and served them on a sizzling hot platter! Boy they were the best!” exclaimed Mootsie.

I caught up with another fan of the Maid-Rite at Zaverl’s Bar. Although wanting to remain anonymous he said, “It was fun to go there late at night, cuz everyone was there, all your friends. There was a juke box to play and boy you could hustle chicks!” One Ely bar owner also has great memories of high times spent at the cafe and recounted a story of a couple who had gone in to order a pizza after the bars had closed. Cranky, tired and not desiring to sit and eat the pizza at the cafe, the man upset his female companion, causing her to snap when he demanded she hurry and get the pizza so they could leave! When the pizza arrived and was handed to the woman, she angrily tossed it forcefully overhead into the air and it stuck right to the ceiling. Somewhat satisfied, the woman quipped, “Now have your pizza!”  

Throughout the years of operation, many waitresses came and went, such as Deb Jamnick and Suzie Levar, both of Ely. They recall the late hours, fast-paced setting, and so many fun times they enjoyed while working there. There were plenty of cooks over the years, too. Mary Maki cooked at the Maid-Rite for years. Mary’s daughter, Doris Hautala, remembers periodically Helen Bacher would get angry and frustrated, fire everyone, close the cafe, then get a change of heart and reopen days later, often gifting her employees as a way of apologizing. On one of these turn-abouts, a brand new washer and dryer were delivered to the Maki house. Helen had purchased them for Mary as a gift of apology. Mary returned to work but could not in good conscience keep the gifts. It was just an example of Helen’s generosity.

Chotsie Harri, now retired from her long and festive career as a beautician in Ely, had the pleasure of fixing Helen Bacher’s hair for years. Helen presented Chotsie with an ornate china plate as a thank-you gift.

In addition to operating the cafe, Helen was an avid antique collector. While working on this story I received a phone call from a former Ely resident, Darrell Nikkinen, who now lives in West Palm Beach, Florida. He used to operate a scuba diving and recovery business from 1964 to 1968. “I did a lot of diving around Indian Island on Burntside Lake, recovering old liquor and medicine bottles, ink wells and whatever else I could find,” he said. “Some of the bottles were over one hundred years-old, round-bottomed and thick. They were worth some money,” he said. Recycling was not a practice back in those days so empty bottles and such were often thrown into the lake where they lie preserved in the cool, nearly silt-free, waters. Darrell would give these bottles to Helen Bacher because of her interest in antiques. Darrell told me he’d often been up into Helen and Mike Bacher’s apartment above the Maid-Rite. “It was like stepping back into the 1800’s,” he said. “You couldn’t believe all the old antiques she had up there,” he recalled. “Beautiful oil lamps, beds, tables, bottles and so many treasures.”  “I’d give my finds to Helen, then when I wanted a hamburger, it was on the house,” he said.

In addition to operating her successful cafe business, Helen was known to be a philanthropist, donating money to the nursing home in Ely and other charities. In February of 1973, Helen Bacher was appointed Counselor in Ely for the Arrowhead Center for Problem Drinking.  She was also a member of the Ely Crisis Intervention Committee and was the Ely volunteer coordinator for the Range Mental Health Center.

Like everywhere else, good things didn’t last forever. Sometime in the 1970’s the Maid-Rite closed its doors, while other restaurants sprang up on Sheridan Street. Because of Helen Bacher’s colorful, strong personality and all the happy, hungry faces that walked through the Maid-Rite Cafe it will always hold a special place in the hearts and memories of so many Ely people.

Thanks to Margaret Sweet and the Ely-Winton Historical Society and to all who contributed stories and memories.

Lynn O’Hara can be reached at scarlet@frontiernet.net