29 years ago, Michael was working as a long haul trucker, primarily cruising Interstate I-70, best known as "The Midwest Connection" to the trucking cognoscenti. Kicking off in Cove Fort, Utah, his multi-state trek would wind him through the heart of the U.S., eventually ending his journey in Baltimore. His halfway point found him in the small town of Paxico, Kansas, where he would regularly stop into the Flint Hills Cafe. This short detour was made worth it thanks to the best sandwich baskets the midwest had to offer, alongside the smile of a young waitress who was saving up to afford tuition money for astronaut school. After months of making this stop week after week, Michael discovered he'd been reassigned -- he was moving up to "The Heavyweight Champion", or I-80 as it's more familiarly known. He finally worked up the courage to ask the phone number of the lovely girl who made his Mushroom Swiss Bonus Burger Bundle trips worthwhile, and Lindsey gladly wrote her digits down on the back of a menu. Just as she went to hand him her number, a Super Tornado landed in the direct middle of the cafe, throwing everything and everyone inside into neighboring towns. Dazed but alive, Michael spent the following weeks searching for the waitress, to no avail. Hearthbroken, he gave up his trucking job and resigned himself to a life spent reviewing midwest diners, hoping he'd find Lindsey again. Many years later, not long after his successful "Mikey's Midwest Munch-Around-'Merica" debuted on The Food Network, he saw a news report on CNN that a young astronaut/short order cook would be making her way up to the international space station. Michael called her on her space phone, and the rest is history. Just kidding — we met on Bumble.