fbpx

The 2019 Food Issue

Showcasing the region's marquee meals, premier chefs and far-flung culinary corners

By Beacon Staff
A lemon meringue tartlet from Fleur Bake Shop, pictured on Feb. 7, 2019. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

Every February, when days are cold and the nights are still long, the Flathead Beacon turns its attention to the warming communal culinary tradition of breaking bread with our neighbors. Over the past few weeks, we have learned from the premier chefs of the Flathead Valley about what works and what doesn’t in the foodie world while crowdsourcing our readers’ favorite meals and profiling new arrivals to the region’s culinary scene.

This week, we celebrate the finer things in life and learn that perhaps the best thing about a great meal isn’t the food on the table but the people around it.

Bon appetite, from our family to yours.

___________________________________

Spotted Bear Spirits coffee liqueur macarons from Fleur Bake Shop, pictured on Feb. 7, 2019. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

A Blooming Sweetness

Fleur Bakery continues to whip up the sweet treats and wow customers, with plans to move to downtown Whitefish

By Molly Priddy

With a name like Fleur Bake Shop, it’s apropos that this bakery started small and with the same untold potential of a seed. It’s also fitting that through nurturing, growth, and a helpful season of sunshine each year, the bakery has truly begun to blossom.

READ MORE

___________________________________

Jamie Minster and Jason Selby, co-owners of the Wich Haus in Whitefish on Feb. 6, 2019. Justin Franz | Flathead Beacon

The Valley’s New Flavors

A guide to some of the area’s newest restaurants

By Justin Franz

Last year, Jamie Minster and Jason Selby decided to move from Charleston, South Carolina to the Flathead Valley to be closer to family. Like any big move, there was plenty of uncertainty, but couple did know for sure that they wanted to open a restaurant.

READ MORE

___________________________________

Jerky from M&S Meats, pictured on Feb. 8, 2019. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

Feast of the Wild

Hunters share their favorite winter recipes for when the freezer’s full and there’s a lull between hunting seasons

By Tristan Scott

Cooking with wild game is a highly rewarding experience for hunters who engage in the difficult practice of removing an animal from its habitat and harvesting it for food, a complicated dance with the natural world that elicits a mix of emotions ranging from excitement and melancholy to physical exertion and mouth-watering eats.

READ MORE

___________________________________

Carnitas tacos from Red’s Taco House on Feb. 7, 2019. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

Your Favorite Meals

Reader-submitted dining recommendations covering a broad range of tastes and geography

By Myers Reece

For the second year in a row, the Beacon asked readers to send us your favorite meal in the valley. Once again, it wasn’t a competition but rather an opportunity to celebrate the region’s wide-ranging culinary offerings and showcase the community’s equally diverse tastes. If you come across a new favorite restaurant, all the better.

READ MORE

___________________________________

Robin Kelson, owner of The Good Seed Company, holds Strawberry Popcorn seeds. Beacon File Photo

Building Resiliency from the Ground Up

Initiative seeks to strengthen local community-based food systems, will be a focus of upcoming Free the Seeds! event

By Myers Reece

As local food movements have taken hold across Montana, an effort is underway to identify both detriments and efficiencies within these burgeoning community-based food systems.

READ MORE

___________________________________

Beargrass Bistro executive chef CeCe Andersson, pictured on Feb. 8, 2019. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

Living Her Dream

Beargrass Bistro’s CeCe Andersson has spent her life traveling the world with her food, a career spurred by her late mother’s push into the business more than 30 years ago

By Andy Viano

Aase Andersson’s dream was to run her own professional kitchen.

The Danish mother of two could do the cooking, no question, having earned jobs at prestigious eateries in Europe before her husband accepted an offer to move his family from Denmark to Florida in the early 1980s. As a chef, her daughter said, Andersson was “really, really good” and eschewed traditional meals, a tendency that put her well ahead of her time.

READ MORE