Crème de la crème in Missoula

515 Chef Paul Myers a Finalist for National Honor

Paul Myers, executive chef at 515 on the Hip Strip in Missoula, is a semifinalist for a James Beard Foundation Award, one of the nation’s most prestigious honors for culinary professionals.

Thousands of entries were received but Myers made it into the top 20 for Best Chef Northwest. The top five finalists will be announced March 24 and flown to New York City to be honored at the Lincoln Center.

“I’m really honored to be in the listing,” says Myers, 37, a native of Billings. “I feel like what we’re doing is on point with those guys [in bigger cities], but I didn’t expect to get the nod out here because there’s just not as much exposure in an area like this versus a Portland or Seattle market.”

Western Biofuels Research

Camelina Biofuel Development Center Slated for Bozeman

Sustainable Oils, a new joint venture between Seattle-based Targeted Growth and Houston-based Green Earth Fuels, will be expanding in Bozeman soon. The research and development center will provide genetically refined seeds to Montana camelina producers and will also purchase camelina crops produced from those seeds through contractual agreements. The harvest will then be refined to produce biodiesel – 100 million gallons worth by 2010, according to the company.

The European Camelina sativa plant is particularly suited for Montana’s cool, arid climate. Recent support for biofuel production of camelina from Governor Brian Schweitzer and Montana Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester is creating a friendlier environment for camelina producers in Montana; first-time camelina growers in the 32 counties covered by Montana's Agro Energy Plan can now recoup some of their seed costs.

“I believe Montana is going to be the poster child for developing a crop like this because of the great support from Helena and the industry at large,” Sustainable Oils President Donald Panter posits.

Everything in moderation...including moderation

Resolutions For A New Year

There’s no time like New Year’s to take one’s self confidence and bash it to the ground. It’s that time of year where we can all reflect upon what horrible, gluttonous, self-absorbed jerks we have been over the past year and make unrealistic resolutions to find salvation, health, love and spirituality.

At a recent trip to a Chinese lunch buffet, I sat in a savory MSG-induced food coma; somewhat pleased that I had literally overcome the challenge to, “eat all that I could eat,” I realized that 2008 was nearly upon us.

My fortune cookie read, “To achieve happiness, one must achieve moderation.” As the fat cells multiplied in my body and the cellulite rolls began to take form, I reflected upon a year of overindulgence and self-gratification, with little to no motivation to achieve moderation.

Now that that we are ready to ring in a New Year marked with the purchase of clean, unmarked calendars, it is time yet again to turn over a new leaf and strive for optimal physical and emotional health, putting behind my days of overeating, overdrinking and chasing dirt-bags.

Counting Blessings

Bozeman Gets a Homeless Shelter

For over seven years, Rev. Paul Thomas has tirelessly provided Bozeman’s homeless and down-and-out with a meal, a cup of coffee, clothing, company and any other kind of help he can through his mobile soup kitchen named HIS Soup. Thomas’ white Econoline van and those who flock to it are fixtures on the east and north parts of a town that has never had an official homeless shelter or mission. This month Thomas received a permit to create a historic rescue mission in the very same place he serves his complimentary home-cooked Thanksgiving meals.

Not so long ago, Bozeman police used to “float” homeless residents and transients by buying them a ticket on the next Greyhound out of town. City officials say they haven’t floated anyone for many years, but when a homeless man froze to death in a U-haul truck here last winter, the homeless issue became hard to ignore and elicited a strong community response.

Bozeman, “the most livable place,” is the only major city in Montana to not have a homeless shelter or rescue mission, but thanks to Thomas and his supporters, this is about to change.

Is the Pint Glass Half Empty or Half Full?

Worldwide Hop and Barley Shortages Put the Pinch on Brewers

Since humans began making beer nearly 6,000 years ago, few things have stood between them and the beloved beverage. Here in the U.S., Virginia Colonists first brewed ale from corn in 1587, and any given beer commercial today is proof beer still hasn't gone out of style. Even though taps went dry by decree during Prohibition, it did not last long (easy for us to say).

Today Americans are just as in love with suds as ever, and their pallets are becoming more and more discerning too. Craft brewers are cranking out many different flavorful beers, and Americans are thirsty for them. According to the Brewer’s Association, the craft beer industry’s sales have grown 31.5 percent over the last three years.

The bad news is, craft beers take a lot of hops to make, and a worldwide shortage of the ingredient is killing the buzz of craft beer brewers and drinkers everywhere.

Avoiding the College Scene

Bozeman Bar Dilemma: Where to Go?

It’s Friday night in Bozeman, and I find myself conflicted about whether I should brave the downtown nightlife. You see, fall marks a significant change in my life: college is back in session, bringing with it an influx of students and I find myself pushed out of my favorite watering holes by scantily clad underage glammazons flashing their fake ids and the gangs of loud testosterone driven boys that follow them.

The high heels and egos infiltrate every space of local bars completely transforming them from chill hangouts into blackout, puking bing-like atmospheres.

The non-college crowd backs away into winter hibernation, and unless we compete for bar space, our social lives are altered. We have to ask ourselves: Is the obnoxious Friday night college drinking scene worth braving in the name of a cold beer or some live music?

Here are some suggestions on where to avoid and where to find sanctuary.

Three Beer Awards on the Wall, Three Beer Awards…

Montana Brewing Company Wins Big at Great American Beer Festival

Montanans are not afraid of beer, nor are they afraid to brew the stuff. There are 18 breweries in Montana, and though it may not seem like a huge number, it is significant for a state with less than one million citizens. Per capita, only Nevada, North Dakota and New Hampshire consume more beer per capita than Montana.

One brewery in particular is celebrating one of the top brewing honors in the United States: the Montana Brewing Company in Billings recently won the “Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year” award at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. The Billings brewery also took home a gold medal for its Whitetail Wheat and two silvers for its Custer’s Last Stout and its Sandbagger Gold Ale.

For head brewer Travis Zeilstra, brewing doesn’t get any better. “This is the ultimate goal, to be one of the brewers of the year,” Zeilstra says. “Not many people can say they’ve done that.”

Spite & Spoon

Lament of a Montana Gardener

Ahh, autumn, my favorite season; the tourists (God bless ’em) are gone, the subtle but beautiful colors are changing, snow is in the mountains, and the subsequent cold is callously slaughtering my garden leaving nary a ripe tomato, squash or cucumber to consume.

This summer’s was my very first garden, and for a brief moment it held much promise; big, bright sunflowers towered above; deep green squash, pumpkin and cucumber vines crawled across the yard; jalapeno and habanero peppers glistened in the sun; and basil and rosemary smelled so sweet they would make your olfactory weep.

I took damn good care of my garden, but I did so with the naïve notion that come autumn I would sink my teeth into the natural little miracles that grew therein. The bounty would fill my belly and nourish my body through the long, hard winter. Nein! In the end, my once-vibrant garden plot became but a sad cemetery for shriveled, stillborn vegetables. Please forgive the callous pun. I am grieving.

YES, YOU CAN TRY THIS AT HOME

Shore Lunch, The Angler’s Gourmet

Many people haven't even heard of shore lunch, but if somebody started a restaurant and served it, I suspect he or she might be quite successful.

In early September, I spent a week at an angler's paradise called Oliver Lake Wilderness Lodge. During my stay, I not only had great fishing but I was reminded how really great shore lunch can be.

And I am not talking about the little boxes of breading for fish you buy at the supermarket. I'm talking about the real deal. Most Canadian and Alaskan fishing lodges include a daily shore lunch in the package, and I suspect most first-timers have no clue what it is. Fortunately, for us, our guide at Oliver Lake, Mike Pundyk, was as skilled at cooking shore lunch as he was at finding fish.