Creativity encouraged on Sacred Eats' menu

Despite being scammed out of almost all of their savings, Chris and Kallai Boyce decided to take a leap of faith two years ago and open Sacred Eats, the on-site restaurant at Sacred Waters Brewing Company in Evergreen.

The couple had always dreamed of starting their own restaurant, and with nothing to lose, the timing seemed strangely opportune.

“I was working at Fork in the River, which was the previous restaurant here, and Chris was working at Anderson Masonry. We had a whole bunch of stuff going on, but we didn't really know what direction to go,” said Kallai.

When the owner at Fork in the River decided to close the restaurant, the opportunity for Chris and Kallai to move in was fully realized. Now, patrons can enjoy a wide variety of street food inspired dishes, and unique twists on traditional pub fare.

“We're street food inspired. That's the title that we go for, food wise. It took us two years to figure that out,” said Chris. “I think that the biggest thing is bringing different ideas, cultures and dishes to encourage people to come here. That's highly important to us.”

Being connected to the culture of Sacred Waters Brewing Company has also inspired the couple to create dishes that reflect the spirit of the Montana wilderness.

“The whole idea of our menu is what you would eat outdoors or what you would eat around a campfire,” said Chris. “Our horsey French dip was created when we went camping and we actually made it around the campfire.”

With the expansion of Sacred Water’s new event space, the Wild Side, Sacred Eats now offers catering for private parties and events. The catering menu is separate from the restaurant menu and currently offers boards, appetizers, a taco bar and a “campfire” bar that includes items such as smoked meat, baked potatoes and grilled street corn.

“The whole purpose of our event space is to bring family and friends together where everybody’s socializing, eating and talking,” said Kallai. “We're trying to create it to be fun and interesting. Then we have options for our boards where everybody can grab what they want and it makes people be creative.”

Every dish is made from scratch and uses fresh ingredients because, as Chris stated, “freshness is key.” Almost everything on the menu is attached to a personal story, such as the pineapple curry or their kimchi reuben.

“When we went to Hawaii, I met a young gal and she owned a little shack. I was buying a mango there and she said, ‘You should try my pineapple curry.’ It was like 90 degrees and I thought ‘Oh my gosh. I’m eating curry right now.’ But it was the most amazing pineapple curry I've ever had. I told her it was amazing and asked if I could bring this idea to Montana and she was so stoked.”

Though Sacred Eats rotate their offerings every three to six months, the kimchi reuben is one dish that will always have a place on the menu. Maxx Schmidt, the Boyces’ late friend and employee, crafted the sandwich and it remains a Sacred Eats staple as a tribute to Schmidt’s love for the culinary arts.

“He was one of our top chefs,” said Kallai. “He loved fermenting things and one day I told him I wanted to make a kimchi reuben, but I didn’t know how to make kimchi. He was all about it and totally took it on.”

In memory of their friend, Sacred Eats has recently started selling Maxx’s hot sauce, which was Schmidt’s business endeavor. All proceeds from the mango habanero hot sauce go toward the Flathead Audubon Society, an organization Schmidt was actively engaged with.

Chris said, “We had the chance to start our dreams. So we took the chance, and in everything we do here, we take chances.”

As a result, experimentation and creativity are encouraged at Sacred Eats, as can be seen from dishes such as poutine or the loco moco, a Hawaiian comfort food that includes rice, hamburger, a fried egg and gravy.

“We're living our dream, man. It's hard work but it's also totally worth it,” said Chris. “When we opened Sacred Eats, we quit our jobs and for two weeks, we didn't have any income. We couldn’t let this fail. You have to be stubborn about your business and what you care about. But you also have to listen to what people have to say. You can listen to whatever anybody says, whether it's negative or positive, but you take what you think is going to help you and not let people knock down your dreams.”

Sacred Eats is located at 3250 U.S. 2 and is open Tuesday through Sunday. Call 406-257-1992 or email sacredeatsllc@gmail.com.

Business and food reporter Summer Zalesky can be reached at szalesky@dailyinterlake.com.

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