Curiosity for cuisine: Whitefish Chef Earl Reynolds lets twists on classics drive the menu

During a recent trip south of the border, Chef Earl Reynolds made his way to Rubra, a restaurant north of Puerto Vallarta, after learning he was nominated for a James Beard Award.  

He didn’t tell anyone there about his good news, so he was surprised to hear applause as he exited the restroom. 

“The whole staff just started cheering for me. I was just staring at my feet and then I just hear this roar. It was an awesome moment. I cried a little bit. It was really special to be recognized by such a talented crew, and in that moment, it finally felt real,” he said. 

There are many hallmarks of success in Reynolds’ career, but earning a second James Beard Award nomination for the Mountain Region is something he’s wanted for years. As the executive chef of Herb & Omni in downtown Whitefish, he’s been able to get creative with locally grown ingredients and pull inspiration from all corners of life.  

The James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards recognize excellence in the culinary arts, food and beverage and hospitality industries. The awards are broken down into several different categories and 12 geographic regions across the U.S.  

Being himself in the kitchen is what led to items like a rainbow trout corndog and zucchini dinosaur-shaped nuggets landing on the menu — food that felt fun and familiar, elevated by his years of experience cooking in kitchens across the West. 

“I was doing me 100%. No holding back and having fun with the food. And everything felt really natural when we flipped the menu. My cooks were executing it and taking it steps further than I could have ever imagined,” Reynolds said. 

Alongside those playful appetizers are dishes like tempura golden enoki mushroom, Hansen Farm merguez meatballs, pan-seared duck breast and butter-basted Alaska halibut.  One of the desserts on the winter menu was inspired by his recent trip to Mexico: delicious churros made by a street vendor.  

Carefully placing the churros in a neat stack atop a mezcal chocolate ganache, he set caramelized bananas on the side and accented the dish with homemade wild rice puffs before finishing off the dessert with a scoop of horchata ice cream.  

“It stays crunchy even though it’s swimming in ice cream. I wish I was swimming in ice cream,” Reynolds said with a laugh. 

He wasn’t able to see his first James Beard Award nomination through in 2023, due to Stone Hill Kitchen + Bar closing before the competition culminated that summer.  

Nowadays, Reynolds is following his intuition when it comes to creating dishes for Herb & Omni, which has always had an emphasis on cooking with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. A place where a vegetable dish is created with the same care as a special cut of meat, he said.  

But there was a time when he was intently focused on the James Beard Awards, leaning into what he thought would get the restaurant the most attention.  

“I didn’t want to look at the list [when it was announced this [year]. I didn’t want to hone in on it. Partially because, last year, I was really wrapped up in chasing that nomination again and I kind of lost part of me along the way,” he said. 

Focused on showing off various cooking techniques and running a tasting menu, Reynolds said it ended up feeling like they were “trying a little too hard.” When he didn’t make the cut in 2025, it felt like a punch in the gut.  

“For me, it was a really big learning opportunity — to just kind of step back into what I do, why I do it and really be me through that process,” he said.  

HE BEGAN his journey with cooking 22 years ago as a dishwasher at the Whitefish Lake Restaurant. As a 16-year-old, he’d watch the chefs cook — playing with fire, sharpening their knives and drinking. Reynolds said the entire scene looked like a pirate ship, and he wanted to climb on board.  

He started taking baby steps toward cooking, eventually applying for a prep cook job at Pescado Blanco. At the time, he was planning on pursuing art, inspired by his uncle, who is an oil painter.  

“Then there was this day where I was plating a bison enchilada with ancho mola, with crema, toasted sesame seeds and cilantro,” he said. “I put it all on the plate and I was like, ‘Dang, this is art.’ And I realized in that moment that cuisine is just an art form that has no limits.”  

David Lewis, who was the chef and owner of Pescado Blanco, encouraged him to apply to culinary school. In 2007, Reynolds moved to Seattle, kicking off a period of his life that was filled with constant learning and taking in what the city had to offer. He was learning technique during the day, working in restaurants and then taking in the nightlife with friends. Even though it was “go, go, go,” Reynolds said he never felt tired.  

He lived in Seattle for six years, also cooking and working on a fishing vessel in southeast Alaska for two summers. After, he flipped a coin: either move to Maui or go to North Lake Tahoe. He had friends in both places, but Truckee, California won out in the end. After working there, he moved to San Francisco and worked in Villon at the Proper Hotel, with celebrated chef Jason Franey.  

“That was really cool because I got to be there for the ground level of everything, like what went into opening the restaurant ... being involved in that whole process as we watched the kitchen being built was really cool. But eventually I got burnt out from working too much,” he said.  

The city was harsh, and he knew he wanted to return home. Serendipitously, the Belton Chalet was looking to hire an executive chef.  

He got the job and began making some of the connections that would follow him throughout his career in Northwest Montana. He was introduced to local farmers, like Scott Hansen, who he still buys lamb from today.  

It was around that time he also met his wife Lauren Oscilowski, owner of Spotted Bear Spirits.  

Following his time at the Belton Chalet, Reynolds started working as the executive chef at Stone Hill Kitchen + Bar in Bigfork. The experience was great, getting to cook food that was “so cool and dialed in.” But, following the restaurant’s closure, he knew he had to keep looking forward. 

“I just had to trust the universe and trust what was happening and just, you know, continue to move forward,” he said.  

Soon, Herb & Omni entered the picture. The building was purchased by local philanthropist and venture capitalist Mike Goguen in 2011, and was later to be renovated and renamed 101 Central in 2023. 

Herb & Omni, located on the first floor of 101 Central, would offer an elevated dining experience. Reynolds was selected as the executive chef.  

“As a chef, to be able to have that unbridled creative freedom is the dream, right? And then I get to be in the heart of the town I grew up in,” he said.  

Reynolds is an avid snowboarder. When he’s not spending time with his family, folks can still catch him carving up the mountain with friends. 

Living and working in the mountain town where he grew up is special. These days, his favorite thing to cook is whatever he makes for his wife and daughter. Two-and-a-half years have flown by since Matilda, who has “fully re-enchanted” his world, was born.  

“It also offered some really beautiful space between me and cooking. To take a half step back and breathe, to re-approach my cuisine with a different energy has been really cool and offered a lot of space for creativity and being playful,” he said.  

Reynolds is set to head to Chicago in June to attend the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award ceremony. To learn more about Herb & Omni, visit herbandomni.com. 

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4440 or tinman@dailyinterlake.com. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.

    Chef Earl James Reynolds plates a Miner's Lettuce Salad dish at Herb & Omni in Whitefish on Thursday, May 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Chef Earl James Reynolds chops up spruce tips for a dish at Herb & Omni in Whitefish on Thursday, May 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Chef Earl James Reynolds slices a locally-foraged morel mushroom for a Miner's Lettuce Salad dish at Herb & Omni in Whitefish on Thursday, May 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Miner's Lettuce Salad with locally grown lettuce, and foraged spruce tips and morel mushrooms with tofu cream, crispy freekeh and leek ash at Herb & Omni in Whitefish on Thursday, May 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Tempura Golden Enoki Mushroom with green curry, sticky rice waffle, baby bok choy and black garlic XO at Herb & Omni in Whitefish on Thursday, May 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Buñuelo (With a Twist) featuring goat cheese mousse, kraut powder and jalapeño relish at Herb & Omni in Whitefish on Thursday, May 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider