Business
Three new dining options just around the corner in Town Center
Published
5 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersBy Doug Hare EBS STAFF
BIG SKY – With the opening of The Wilson Hotel, the beginning of farmers markets around Fire Pit Park, the resort opening for mountain biking season, and weekly Music in the Meadows concerts, Town Center is sure to see increased foot-traffic during the summer months. While the buildout process always always takes longer than expected in Big Sky due to the limited supply of contractors like plumbers and electricians, three experienced restaurateurs are getting closer to opening new eateries in the heart of Town Center.
Toast, a new cafe concept in the location where Compass Cafe was located on Town Center Avenue, is slated to open quietly on June 15, according to Oregon-native Kristin Voisin. Previously, Voisin owned a popular full-service restaurant called Truby’s in Whitefish, Montana, for 23 years before deciding she was ready for a change of pace from running a 6,000-square-foot restaurant with 40 employees.
After taking a little time off, yet still enamored with the service industry, she decided to open a cafe called Toast in a 300-square-foot-shop to focus on breakfast and lunch fare. Last year, Voisin was approached by Lone Mountain Land Company and offered an opportunity to bring Toast to Big Sky and decided she was ready to make the move.
“I kind of think Big Sky is where Whitefish was back in, well, around 1996. I’ve only been here a month but from what I can gather that this town is still very seasonal whereas Whitefish doesn’t have the seasonality to that extent these days,” Voisin, a mother of four children and U.S. Navy veteran, said.
The menu at Toast will feature a variety of open-faced sandwiches built atop artisan breads. For example, “The Empire Builder” will sport an over-medium egg, stone-ground mustard, green scallions, tomato and white cheddar on a grilled brioche Pullman. In addition, Toast will serve Belgian waffles, locally made pastries, house-made desserts, stone-baked pizzas and coffee from Bozeman-based Ghost Town Coffee Roasters.
Longtime local Josh Kone will be opening Blend, a new wine bar featuring small plates and wines produced by co-owner Michael Ruhland’s Valo Cellars in the space previously occupied by Enoteca next to The Rocks. Last year, Ruhland opened a tasting room called Blend on South Willson Avenue in downtown Bozeman, and the pair of old friends hope to have their new spot, which has a full liquor license, open for business no later than June 17.
Kone has worked in food and beverage in Big Sky for 15 years, and most recently was part-owner of Ousel and Spur Pizza Co.
“Blend is going to be wine and cocktail driven, and we’re going to be reasonably priced,” Kone said. “We don’t even know how to unlock the doors yet, but eventually we want to be a small operation that offers something different to the scene.”
To begin, Blend will be open Tuesday through Sunday nights and have four employees.
Blue Buddha Sushi is slated to open in early July in the Plaza Lofts Building as soon as Troy “Twist” Thompson finishes building out his rustic Japanese concept next to The Wilson Hotel. Thompson, who grew up as a snowboarder in Colorado, is trying to create what he likes to call “a Kung Fu dojo in the mountains.”
In 2006, Thompson trained under Chef Andy Matsuda for six months in Little Tokyo, a Japanese-American district in downtown Los Angeles. In 2007, Thompson opened his first Blue Buddha Sushi in Page, Arizona, on the southern shores of Lake Powell. Thompson plans to be on the front line during the first few months but eventually plans to hire and train up to six sushi chefs and about 10 more front-of-house and back-of-house employees, many coming up from his Arizona location.
“I hope that we’re a very comfortable and casual place. We want to bring some next-level sushi as well, but our main menu is very approachable. We’re here for the locals who live here year-round,” Thompson said. “We’re going to have smoking happy hour deals, late-night deals, $2 drafts, beer-and-a-hand-roll for $5. We really want to make this a place where people can eat here all the time and it’s still affordable.”
Thompson and his wife Jaime are living within walking distance of the restaurant and plan to enroll their daughter Echo in Ophir Elementary School, returning to Arizona during the summer months.
Town Center has been transforming at an increasingly quick rate during the last few years, and with three new eateries opening within two weeks of one another, it’s a safe bet that Big Sky will continue to be boomtown for the foreseeable future.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
Upcoming Events
march, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy
more
Event Details
My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy that tells the story of Toby and Melinda, two lonely people whose lives are forever changed the night they encounter a starving coyote at their apartment building. Over time they grow to expect him, leaving ritual offerings to entice the coyote every night. Toby and Melinda forge a connection over this visitor and share curiosity and concern about his presence in the city. The coyote expands their world–until, one night, their world is shattered. Their lives are pushed suddenly into uncharted territory, sending them on a surreal odyssey that changes their city–and the world–forever.
Directed by LX Miller. Starring Max Schneider and Denise Hergett
Verge Theater is continuing their mission to provide accessible theater to our community. Tickets for My Barking Dog are Pay What You Wish with a suggested price of $35. Audience members are offered the opportunity to select the price point that is comfortable for them when purchasing tickets.
My Barking Dog runs March 15-17, 22-24, 28-30
Performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays begin at 7:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees offered at 3:00 p.m.
Suitable for ages 16 . No animals are harmed in the staging of this production.
Tickets are available online at www.vergetheater.com
Time
15 (Friday) 7:00 pm - 30 (Saturday) 8:30 pm
Location
Verge Theater
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
29mar3:00 pm4:00 pmGood Friday Mass: St. Joseph Catholic Mission3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Event City:Big Sky
Event Details
Friday of the Passion of the Lord St. Joseph Catholic Mission
Event Details
Friday of the Passion of the Lord
St. Joseph Catholic Mission
Time
(Friday) 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm