7/18/2019 Ogle County Life | TV personality makes Kitchen Table donation

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TV personality makes Kitchen Table

donation

By: Andrew Heiserman - Updated: 6 days ago

Posted Jul 12, 2019

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ROCHELLE – When many people hear the name Mike Rowe they might rst think of
the celebrity’s hit television show Dirty Jobs, where he travels across the country and
demonstrates the most disgusting jobs people do for a living.
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7/18/2019 Ogle County Life | TV personality makes Kitchen Table donation

But Rowe might now be better known to Rochelle area residents for his generous
donation to Rochelle’s very own The Kitchen Table, operated by Carolyn and Grant
Brown and other volunteer board members.

Rowe produces a new internet series titled “Returning the Favor,” in which he
searches for stories of organizations and people who put others in the community
before themselves.

Local non-pro t organization The Kitchen Table was selected a few months ago to be
featured on an upcoming episode in the fourth season of the series which will air on
July 22 through Facebook Watch.

“The Kitchen Table recently received both the attention and a $50,000 donation from
celebrity Mike Rowe as a part of his new internet streaming series,” said Mark
Schwendau, kitchen table board member, in a press release.

Lois Piller a board member of The Kitchen Table nominated the organization and the
Browns to be featured on the show without anyone else’s knowledge. In early March,
a crew was sent from the show to interview diners and board members without
anyone knowing why they were doing so. Following the interviews, the next step was
to send Rowe and his crew to o cially lm the episode and lend a hand.

“On March 21, Rowe brought his lm crew to shoot a new episode of his show, he
interviewed the Browns and even pitched in by helping work at The Kitchen Table,”
added Schwendau.

While the help from Rowe and being featured on the show will likely bring awareness
to the organization, it is the $50,000 donation that will help the café serve the most
people possible. 

“Rowe’s $50,000 donation will be used towards an expansion project to build a new
dining hall at the community café, located at 7034 Klondike Road,” explained
Schwendau.

The Browns, who reside in Ashton, envisioned a restaurant such as The Kitchen Table
years before they eventually purchased the property in 2013 and opened for
business in 2016. The café serves about 10 meals a month where diners are asked to
pay what they can a ord. Those who are unable to pay are o ered the opportunity to
volunteer their time in exchange for their meal.

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7/18/2019 Ogle County Life | TV personality makes Kitchen Table donation

The café remains operational thanks to individuals who dine and then pay it forward
along with donations and grants received from individuals and corporations.

For more information on dining and volunteering, visit www.Kitchentablerochelle.org

(http://www.Kitchentablerochelle.org) or visit the restaurant’s Facebook page.

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