who was hazel?

Hazel’s Northeast is a love letter to giant pancakes, cheesy cheeseburgers, and huge bowls of pasta. It’s a sometimes quiet and most times bursting-at-the-seams neighborhood diner. It’s covered in art and filled with family and friends.

But it began as a tribute to my feisty, faithful, and virtuoso grandmother Helen “Hazel” Sieve.

My grandmother started working in restaurants in Central Minnesota in the 1950’s and eventually opened her own alongside husband Ben and their children. Her kitchens churned out all kinds of classic Americana dishes and became known as the place to eat in my hometown of Alexandria, MN. Eventually my dad and uncle took over her restaurants and ran them for over four decades. When I finally entered the kitchen Grandma would remind me always to move quickly, never rush cooking an egg, and be sure to serve the bacon crispy.

Hazel’s Northeast is dedicated to the lady who started it all for my family. Our doors opened in 2010 and we’re grateful to carry our family legacy of providing warm hospitality and serving Modern, midwestern comfort food—we call it “real good food”—to Minnesotans morning, noon, and night.