Kickin' back, Kila-style
<p>BOOMER INSELMAN, Michael Hahn and Braelin Settle (from left) opened the Kila Pub on July 2.</p>
<p>A PEPPERONI MARGHERITA pizza is a special creation of head chef Boomer Inselman. “I took the menu and really made it mine,” Inselman said. The majority of the food at the Kila Pub is made from scratch.</p>
<p>THE PATIO at the Kila Pub on U.S. 2 boasts clear views of the Flathead Valley.</p>
Six months ago, the building was boarded up and silent.
Now sunlight streams through the windows, glinting off the sparkling bar and shining tables. Glasses and silverware clink as the cadence of conversation rises and falls. A medley of delightful scents wafts out of the kitchen.
An afternoon at the Kila Pub is in full swing.
When Michael Hahn and his girlfriend, Braelin Settle, thought about leasing the building where the Cottage Inn used to be housed, they simply wanted to fill a void in the community.
They didn’t realize they would start a local phenomenon.
“The only way to get to know people here was talking to someone at the post office,” Settle said. “We just wanted somewhere for people to feel comfortable.”
The couple realized that the Kila community, located six miles west of Kalispell on U.S. 2, needed a public meeting place where families and friends could gather to spend time together. Settle and Hahn teamed up, using Settle’s restaurant experience and Hahn’s business knowledge, to create the Kila Pub, a family-friendly eatery and bar, open seven days a week for dinner, desserts and drinks.
“There are hundreds of families living in these hills and all around the valley,” Hahn said. “Maybe thousands. There needed to be a place for them to go.”
The pub opened on July 2 and has since seen huge success.
“The community has given us a phenomenal response,” Hahn said. “It’s been nothing but positive.”
The couple originally lived in Florida and would vacation to the Flathead Valley each year. Eventually, they found their vacations lasting longer and longer and began wondering why they didn’t move.
“We would say, ‘Oh, let’s take a trip to Montana,’ and then seven months later, we’d still be here,” Settle laughed. “It made us wonder why we even had a house in Florida.”
Three years ago, the couple moved to Kila full time and have spent their time enjoying all the area has to offer. The couple spent a good portion of their time at the Cottage Inn, a bar and restaurant on U.S. 2 in Kila.
However, two years ago, the inn shut down and the couple saw a void in the community: It needed some sort of hub for activity. They found themselves lamenting each time they wanted to go out to dinner together, or take friends out, and had to make the drive to Kalispell or Whitefish.
“The term ‘pub’ is short for ‘public,’” Hahn said. “And that’s what wanted this to be — a ‘public house’ for locals.”
The couple leased the building just over six months ago, and set to work revamping the facility. Hahn and a friend completely renovated the interior, sanding tables, staining wood and building walls.
The couple brought on Boomer Inselman as their head chief, who helped create unique recipes for each item on the menu, including pizzas, burgers, chicken wings and a variety of desserts.
Inselman had 28 years of kitchen experience, working in Bigfork, Whitefish, Lakeside, as well as kitchens in Oregon. Inselman said he wanted to take premade bulk food out of the kitchen and create dishes from scratch as often as possible. The trio agrees this has contributed greatly to their success; they tried to be affordable without sacrificing quality.
Each night, the pub offers different dinner and dessert specials, as well as house-designed specialty drinks.
The trio also credits their professional staff with their instant success. The pub employs 13 employees, including the founding couple.
“It’s a tight-knit group,” Settle said. “That helps to give the place a family atmosphere.”
After 10 at night, the pub becomes a 21-plus bar, but Hahn said that rates a distant second to the importance they place on their customers’ dining experience. They have created a children’s menu, and children eat free on Tuesdays with the purchase of an adult meal. The pub boasts several big-screen televisions, and the owners plan to show Sunday football games when the season starts.
For more information or menu, go online to www.thekilapub.com or call 755-1919.
Reporter Brianna Loper may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at bloper@dailyinterlake.com