LITT MAGAZINE

Rudolph's Barbeque Restaurant has been on the corner of Lyndale and Franklin for as long as anybody can remember, and serving delicious food at a descent price before that. Rudolph's liberal drink specials and happy hours keep the spirits high and the atmosphere fun. For years it has been a huge part of soul of South Minneapolis, in more ways than obvious.

The jovial owner behind one of Minneapolis' most enduring restaurants is James (Jimmy) Theros. Rudolph's the restaurant is only as important to the fiber of the community as the man behind it. The generosity and kindness of Theros has been witnessed on levels, individual and contextual, throughout the years. And because of those generous acts and over six decades of graciously performing true hospitality and serving our community, Theros was inducted into the Minnesota Restaurant Association's Hospitality Hall of Fame.

One nearly forgotten act of kindness and generosity took place nearly twenty years ago-the time was the early 1990's-Sharaon Sayles Belton was candidate in the most contentious *mayoral contest that Minneapolis had ever seen. Not only was Sayles Belton to be the only female mayor.....
 
  *In case we've forgotten our history Sharon Sayles-Belton was the first Black female elected to mayor of a major city with a minority population of less than 9%-a phenomenal accomplishment-then and now, as well as a historical footnote.

On one of the bleaker days of the Sayles-Belton campaign Theros came by the campaign headquarters to drop a check. Seeing the dedicated volunteers, stressed and working beyond capacity, Theros left; only to reappear less than an hour later with enough food to feed the entire staff of volunteers and their children.