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Food

Stocking Up at Park Provisions

After selling popular pies out of their Coram bar, Stacey and Seth Schnebel decided to turn the restaurant next door into the “one-of-a-kind” Park Provisions

By Justin Franz
Stacey and Seth Schnebel in front of Park Provisions. Photo by Justin Franz

“What should we have for dinner?”

When two or more people get together, there is perhaps no more perplexing question. Some say that marriage is just two people asking what they want to make for dinner until one of them dies. There’s even a website dedicated to telling you what you should make for dinner (although don’t Google it around your kids). Of course, having kids complicates the age-old question even further. Not only is there less time to find the answer in between soccer practice and piano lessons but there are additional opinions about what makes a balanced and delicious dinner. 

Stacey and Seth Schnebel, long-time Coram residents and owners of the Stonefly Lounge, have been grappling with that question for years. But recently, they came up with an answer: A new establishment called “Park Provisions.”

“We wanted to create a place that solved our own problems,” Stacey said. 

“We wanted a place where we could stop on the way home and pick up a healthy dinner after skiing all day that you could pop into the oven while your boots dried,” Seth added. 

Located inside the old Glacier Grill just a few hundred feet west of the Stonefly, Park Provisions is part restaurant, part deli, and part grocery store. Although pinning down its precise purpose can be challenging even for its owners, Stacey said more than anything it’s a food outfitter — the type of place where you can stop in for a sandwich, pick up something for dinner, or grab a dish or bottle of wine on your way to a potluck. 

Stacey and Seth are no strangers to the food industry. For years, the Stonefly crew has been whipping up pizzas and bar snacks for hungry revelers late into the evening. A few years ago, they expanded to include pies, which quickly became the Stonefly’s signature menu item. Stacey said at the time she was inspired by the long tradition in the Canyon (the area between Columbia Falls and the West Entrance of Glacier National Park) of home cooks making pies for area restaurants. While the Stonefly’s pie menu includes a few sweet staples, most of them lean toward the savory, with flavors like chicken cordon bleu, Cubano, meatball, broccoli cheddar and beef pot pie. The pies sold at the Stonefly are about five inches across, perfect for one person. There’s also a “mini” version for people who want to try multiple flavors. 

When Park Provisions opened, it started selling grab-and-go snacks and sandwiches. Soon after, the owners expanded the menu to include hot items, including a larger version of the neighboring Stonefly Lounge’s popular pies. Photo by Justin Franz
Pies from the Stonefly Lounge in Coram. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

Not long after Stacey started making the pies in the small kitchen at the Stonefly, word got out about the buttery baked goods and suddenly people started traveling from as far away as Kalispell to try them out. Stacey and her crew would only make a dozen or two every day (always from scratch) and sometimes it wasn’t unusual for people to show up and buy half of that day’s production in one fell swoop. The pies always sold out and when they were gone, they were gone. 

While the Stonefly serves great food that is especially popular with the locals, Stacey and Seth knew that there was a demand for more in Coram. In fact, they could see it out the bar’s window when every afternoon during the summer a long line would form outside of Glacier Grill, one of the only other options in town to grab a bite. Last winter, when the owners of Glacier Grill decided they no longer wanted to run the restaurant, the couple saw an opportunity and decided to acquire it. But they didn’t just want to continue running it as a restaurant. 

“We want to provide that sit-down eating option if people want that, but we really don’t want to be a restaurant,” Stacey said. “We want you to be able to get something tasty and be on your way back home.” 

Over the summer, Park Provisions opened selling grab-and-go snacks and sandwiches. Soon after, they started selling hot items, including a much larger version of the Stonefly’s popular pies, perfect to bring home and feed an entire family. As time goes on, they’ve been adding items to the menu such as pizzas, calzones, pastas, soups, salads and warm sandwiches. They’re also expanding to sell gourmet picnic baskets, charcuterie trays and camp supplies (including everything from rope to sleeping bags). 

A selection of pies and to-go meals available at Park Provisions in Coram. Photo by Justin Franz

“We’re not a grocery store and we’re not a deli,” Stacey said. “We’re really just one-of-a-kind.” 

Park Provisions will be open seven days a week, even in winter. Seth said they thought it was important to be open daily so that locals (especially those in Coram) know that they can rely on them to get a good meal whenever they want. As of this writing in late 2024, the store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and those hours will likely expand come the warmer months. Next summer they hope to begin doing group and trip catering. Heading out onto the South Fork of the Flathead River for a multi-day float? Park Provisions can pack your cooler. Spending a few days at a rental on the edge of Glacier National Park and want to spend more time exploring and less time meal prepping? Call Park Provisions. Stacey and Seth said similar services exist in other places like near the Grand Canyon but there was nothing like it near Glacier — until now. 

“We think there’s a demand for quick and healthy food,” Stacey said. 

Park Provisions is located at 10126 U.S. Highway 2 East in Coram and is open year-round seven days a week (hours may vary). For more information visit parkprovisionsglacier.com or call (406) 871-0311.