Make Your Memorial Day Plans Now

We’ve stoked the flames of anticipation for this year’s Montana Master Grillers event (May 25–28) with an all-new lineup of grilling greats. This year’s weekend-long event features maestros of the grill who have worked their fiery magic from deep in the heart of Texas to Boston’s Fenway Park. Each has a unique take on BBQ delights.

Join us as we fire up the grills with MMG veteran Chef Tim Byres, newcomers Chef Nicole Pederson and Chef Steve “Nookie” Postal as well as local Chef Burke Holmes from Missoula’s Notorious P.I.G. BBQ and Chef Pat Martin from Hugh-Baby’s BBQ & Burger Shop and Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint in Nashville, Tennessee. Besides their flame-kissed wonders, we’ll add a bevy of beverages from KettleHouse Brewing Company, Glacier Distilling Company and Wagner Family of Wine and nightly music by Dan Dubuque, Andrea Harsell & Luna Roja and the Lil Smokies making this one unforgettable Memorial Day weekend.

In true Paws Up style, our BBQ mastery will be served with healthy doses of stunning scenery, luxurious accommodations and wilderness adventures. May we recommend a few hours riding the range with the Garnet Mountains as your sidekick or rustling up some trout from the beautiful Blackfoot River?

In true Paws Up style, our BBQ mastery will be served with healthy doses of stunning scenery, luxurious accommodations and wilderness adventures. May we recommend a few hours riding the range with the Garnet Mountains as your sidekick or rustling up some trout from the beautiful Blackfoot River?

Chef Tim Byres, named the Southwest 2012 Food & Wine magazine’s People’s Best New Chef, is the co-owner and chef of SMOKE, Chicken Scratch, The Foundry, Bar Belmont, Spork and SMOKE Plano. Originally from California but a longtime Texan, Byres is best known for his “live fire cookery,” worldly and approachable flavors and fun, family-style service.

Named Best Al Fresco Restaurant by Boston Magazine as well as Best Neighborhood Takeout Restaurant, Commonwealth is owned by Chef Steve “Nookie” Postal, a veteran chef of Cambridge’s Oleana and Casablanca restaurants. Commonwealth sits proudly in Boston’s vibrant Kendall Square. Fresh ingredients shine and take center stage via simple executions.

After learning secrets, techniques and recipes from world-famous pit masters in his native St. Louis, Missouri, Chef Burke Holmes brought the soul of true barbecue to Missoula, Montana. With such an authentic background, it’s no wonder Holmes’ Notorious P.I.G. BBQ was voted both Best BBQ and Best New Restaurant in Missoula. Always smoking meats over local cherrywood and applewood, Holmes typically applies his favorite rubs and sauces to everything from ribs and beef brisket to smoked cranberry-cayenne chicken wings.

Chef Nicole Pederson has an impressive pedigree in food. After culinary school in her hometown of Minneapolis, she gained valuable experience cooking in the south of France. Pederson also worked at Gramercy Tavern in New York and then headed to the Lula Cafe in Chicago, where she honed her passion for all things local. Pederson also held the post of Executive Chef at C-House.

Before becoming The Resort at Paws Up’s executive chef, Sunny Jin’s culinary journey took him around the world, cooking for some of the planet’s finest restaurants—Napa Valley’s French Laundry, Catalonia’s El Bulli and Australia’s Tetsuya’s. While his culinary skills have impressed discriminating palates globally, it’s the American Northwest where he feels most at home. His formative cooking skills developed in Portland, Oregon, at the Western Culinary Institute, where he won the coveted Grand Toque Award as the top culinary student.

The Coolest Culinary Event in 2018

Montana winters are dreamy and full of adventure.  Paws Up’s annual WinterFest culinary weekend is January 25-28th, 2018 featuring James Beard Award nominee Bruce Kalman and Bravo Top Chef winner Brooke Williamson. The event is three and a half days of intimate cooking demonstrations, gourmet winter-themed feasts, tastings and more. Guests will enjoy cocktails by Glacier Distilling Company served at a festive ice bar,  fantastic wines by winemaker Ehren Jordan,  live musical performances (see below) and even lessons and matches with the Missoula Curling Club.

 

All of this will be served against a backdrop of incredible snow-covered mountains. Between meals, you’ll get to enjoy horse-drawn sleigh rides, snowshoeing and more, plus trunk shows for retail therapy, a host of spa services and, of course, sitting in your own private hot tub under a starlit sky.

 

 
 
Musical Guests:

 

On Thursday night, January 25, hear guitarist and singer-songwriter Andrea Harsell artfully blend bluegrass, country, folk and rock. Her voice has been known to channel the likes of Janis Joplin, Alison Krauss and Alanis Morissette.

 

On Saturday night, January 27, listen during dinner as guitarist and singer-songwriter John Floridis fills the air with his bluesy, folk-rock melodies. He’s played with Bruce Cockburn, Shawn Colvin, Patty Griffin and Emmylou Harris, among others.

All-Inclusive Package Rates

Rates for a three-night stay start at $745 per person, per night (based on two adults staying in a Meadow Home).

Rates include the following: four days/three nights in a luxurious Montana vacation home, three meals per day including nightly fivecourse dinners prepared by featured chefs with wine pairings, two workshops and two wilderness activities and complimentary airport transfers to/from Missoula International Airport, as well as complimentary on-property transportation.