By Lori EhdeDon and Crystal Ellefson, Luverne, announced this week that they’re buying the Country Kitchen restaurant from Jan and Raney Israelson.The ownership transfer, which becomes official next month, will signify the end of Country Kitchen in Luverne and the start of an independent family restaurant for the Ellefsons.The new name for the restaurant (pending approval from the Department of Commerce) is "Chit Chat’s Family Restaurant," and it will continue to offer sit-down, family style meals and service that Country Kitchen did."We’re not going to make it a sports bar or anything," said Don Ellefson, who brings more than 20 years of culinary experience to the business."Jan and Raney have been great owners and operators, and I will continue to offer excellent food and great service at a reasonable price."A grand opening is planned for July to formally introduce new signage and menus, but he said no major remodeling is planned. "It will be a similar menu and I’ll throw in some favorites from my past catering and restaurant experience," said Ellefson, who holds a bachelor’s degree in restaurant management from Southwest State University, Marshall.Culinary résuméThe son of LeRoy and Lanett Ellefson, he grew up in Jasper and got his first job at 16 washing dishes for the Glass House restaurant in Ihlen. He soon started working in the kitchen there, and two years later left for college.While in Marshall, he cooked two years at the Best Western Inn and a year at the Mediterranean Club in Tracy.He moved back to Jasper where he owned and operated the Jasper Lanes for two years before becoming an instructor of culinary arts at Southwest Technical College in Pipestone for a year.In 1993, he became deli manager for Glen’s Food Center, but left after a year to manage a family restaurant in Redfield, South Dakota.He returned to Luverne in 1995 to become deli and catering manager for Glen Gust at Glen’s Food Center. In 2001, he also assumed responsibilities of the Blue Mound Banquet and Meeting Center, also owned by Gust.Ellefson said he now looks forward to working for his own cause."I have been wanting to start my own business for quite some time, and this opportunity made that possible," Ellefson said.End of 30-year Country Kitchen era in LuverneSelling the restaurant to the Ellefsons will be the end of 30 years of Country Kitchen in Luverne.In 1983, the Israelsons bought the franchise from Jim Drake, who had owned it for seven years prior to that."Country Kitchen is the oldest franchise restaurant in the country — we’re even older than McDonald’s," Raney said. "A group of investors from Ohio started putting them up more than 60 years ago along with Mobil Stations."Luverne’s Country Kitchen and Mobil Station appeared not long after Interstate 90 was completed.The Israelsons had been planning to retire once Raney turned 65, and that was a year ago, so they said the time had come."We’ll miss the people. You do acquire friendships with a lot of your customers," Raney said. "You get to know them personally, and you always make time to sit down and visit with them."He added that interstate customers add strangers from the East Coast to the West Coast to the crowd to keep things interesting."I just want to thank the community and all the people who have patronized us for 23 years," he said. "We’re going to miss them."He said customers remained loyal after the business switched to a smoke-free restaurant last year, and some new ones started coming as a result. The Israelsons said they’ll especially miss their employees. "We’ve employed a lot of people through the years," Raney said. "A lot of kids got their first jobs with us and then went on to become doctors and lawyers."The business employs about 30 people, half of which are full-time. Two of their current full-time employees have been with them since they started 23 years ago, their daughter, Staci Zwaan, and Mary Lou Gonnerman."Staci and Mary Lou were actually there two years before we bought the business," Raney said. "They’ve both quit at times and have come back to us."Jan hinted that she’ll apply for a part-time job as hostess for the Ellefsons, just to stay in touch."I just cried the other day when we had a staff meeting about it. We have enjoyed our time here, but it’s hard to move on," she said, adding that they’ll stay in Luverne to be close to children and grandchildren."We wish Don and Crystal all the best of luck in their new adventure."