Page 19 - Flathead Beacon // 2.10.16

Let the Good T imes Roll
Cuisine Machine’s Tim Good takes over at Haskill Station
enough room to prep,” Good said. “We were turning down parties left and right because we just didn’t have the space.”
Good and his wife, Ali, started eying the restaurant market last summer, but a choice venue never emerged. Then the couple heard that Pat Carloss, who also owns Tupelo Grille, was looking to sell Haskill Station, which he and his wife, Missy, grew into a casual and family friendly environment with traditional pub food o erings as well as creative entree dishes.
“We had just been exploring and when I heard that Haskill was for sale, I thought maybe it was a bit much for us. But then we just fell in love with it,” Good said. “The kitchen is big enough and the beer and wine license allows us to sell beer and wine at weddings as a catering extension.”
Good plans on incorporating Cuisine Machine favorites into the menu – the walleye sandwich, his popular Pad Thai, and chicken and wa es – while main- taining Haskill favorites like the steel- head trout and popular appetizers like the heaping basket of tater tots.
He’s also considering adopting an après-ski menu that caters to hungry cus- tomers descending from Big Mountain.
“It is going to be a work in progress as we decide what stays, what’s added and what gets replaced, but we are going to keep it a casual, family friendly dining experience and also o er some ne din- ing,” he said. “We will have the gamut of a ordable options alongside fairly priced entrees.”
The Cuisine Machine will no longer be a mainstay at the White sh Farmer’s Market, but Good hopes his loyal follow- ing will make the short trip north of town on Tuesday evenings in the summer and gather at his new digs, where they can nd their favorite classic dishes and sam- ple his new o erings.
tscott@ atheadbeacon.com
Tim Good.
TBY TRISTAN SCOTT OF THE BEACON
HE CUISINE MACHINE’S TIM
Good is accustomed to peddling
his delicacies from atop four wheels, but even though the celebrated food-trucker has graduated to brick-and- mortar status, he’s keeping his keys in the ignition.
Good’s new role at the helm of Haskill Station in White sh marks a merging of two favorite local staples rather than a departure from either popular eatery, which should please locals accustomed to the signature menus.
Customers won't notice any immediate changes at Haskill, situated on Wisconsin Avenue north of the viaduct in White sh, and while Good has plans to revamp the menu, refurbish the interior and rename the restaurant, he’s not overhauling Haskill’s classic meals or its friendly sta .
“It’s still business as usual the Haskill way, and it’s only going to get better,” Good said.
He plans to close the restaurant to redecorate at the end of April, and reopen under a new banner (he’s still undecided on a name) after Memorial Day.
In the meantime, he’s hit the ground running, learning the ropes from a ded- icated kitchen-and-wait sta that he hopes will stick around.
“All of the bones were in place. They know how to run a restaurant and every- one who works here is on their A-game,”
Good said. “I’m the guy who’s learn- ing because I’ve never had a restaurant before.”
Fortunately, Good is a quick study.
He’s been in the restaurant industry for 22 years, having entered the culi- nary world after graduating college in the Twin Cities, where he landed jobs at restaurants specializing in North Afri- can and French cuisine. He’s been cook- ing ever since, and while he’s long irted with the idea of starting his own restau- rant, it was always just out of reach while he conducted his creative cooking from the con nes of a food cart.
Actually, building his business – and his sterling reputation – around a food truck like The Cuisine Machine was lib- erating, allowing Good to rove the Flat- head Valley catering events, parties and weddings.
Good has been running The Cui- sine Machine for nine years, and in that time it’s become a xture at the White- sh Farmers Market every summer. His walleye sandwich, sweet potato fries and market fresh salads are always popular items on the menu. He also attends com- munity events, provides food at a rotating suite of beer dinners hosted at the Great Northern Brewing Company and caters weddings.
Still, even though Good and his crew cater upwards of 25 weddings in a sum- mer, they frequently turned down events and parties because they don’t have the
kitchen capacity to expand. Until now.
Not only does owning a restaurant pro- vide premium parking for The Cuisine Machine – it’s been occupying valuable space in the family’s driveway for nearly a decade – it also gives Good a capacious new kitchen in which to prepare his food- truck fare while keeping the wheels turn- ing in the restaurant.
“We’ve always struggled with ade- quate storage space and haven’t had
Tim Good prepares a shrimp dish at Haskill Station in White sh.
FEBRUARY 10, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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