After nearly 36 years, Linda Schwieters has hung up her proverbial hat and said goodbye to a job she never even expected to land.

The Pioneer Press recently featured Schwieters -- a "farm kid" from St. Joseph turned hostess of one of St. Paul's most well-known restaurants -- following her retirement from W.A. Frost.

"I was hired on March 11, 1983, as an assistant manager and a host," she told the Pioneer Press, "although my main job was hosting. To be honest, I don’t remember that much about my first day.”

She may not remember that first day, but she does remember her surprise at landing the job.

“It was 1983 and I was 40 years old. We had four children by then, all attending parochial school, and I needed to supplement our income to help pay for their education.”

She goes on to share some of the invaluable lessons she learned over her tenure as a hostess.

"Name recognition is really important," the 76-year old says. People are valuable and want to be known. In addition to remembering names, she would also make a point to "compliment them on something. Like a bow tie or a necklace.”

Linda is Minnesota Nice personified, the Pioneer Press says of her. Schwieters (maiden name Zimmer)  and her husband Arnie were originally from St. Joseph, her daughter Mary told us; her family still lives in the area, and her brother Jerry still farms the family farm. St. Cloud was considered the "big city" before they moved to St. Paul for Arnie's job in the carpet business.

Read the full story of St. Joe's "Hostess with the Mostest" here.