My Eaters!!!! What is going on?  I hope all is well with each one of you.   Each week as I engage with you, my hope and motivation are to educate, excite, and empower you.  Usually, it is through a lens that is crafted locally.  However, it is also my heart to do this from a perspective that is also personal and real to me.  SOOO, this week we are going on an adventure.  We are going to Bozeman, Montana.  

A couple years ago, I began having two sets of dreams.  The first set of dreams was of mountains.  The dreams were extremely vivid and the mountains looked real.  They were massive and snowcapped like the Rocky Mountains.  In the second set of dreams, I repeatedly heard the word Bozeman.  I was having these dreams often.   They did not make sense to me.  After some time, I decided to google the word Bozeman.  I learned that it was a city in Montana.  Next, I clicked the Image link on Google.  What seemed like a million photos of large, picturesque mountains came up.  I saw the mountains from my dreams. They were the Rocky Mountains.  Bozeman is a small city that is nestled nicely in a valley between the Bridger and Gallatin mountains in southwest Montana.  Without hesitation, I knew I had to be there.  I purchased a plane ticket that week.  

The first time I went to Bozeman was in September of 2023.   Two weeks ago, I completed my 4^th trip since then.  Each trip has been totally different. One thing remains the same.  Montana stole a piece of my heart on that first trip and with each subsequent trip my adoration continues to grow.

I love everything about the place.  However, I have yet to experience one of their notorious winters.  I also long to experience some other Montana cities.  For now, though, I am fully content with Bozeman and its surrounding areas.  I want you all to go and experience it for yourselves.  When I think about Bozeman, the three things that come to mind first are the people, nature, and of course, the food.

The people are truly some of the sweetest and most approachable I have ever experienced.  On the return flight of my first trip, I shared a row with a young lady that was from the Bozeman area.  I expressed to her how blown away I had been by the people.  I shared with her how I was particularly in love with the fact I hadn’t experienced an iota of racial ignorance during my entire trip.  Montana is a primarily Caucasian state.  I could count on one hand the number of black or brown people I saw in the 3 or 4 days I was there.  In response she said very plainly but with conviction, 

“In this place, we are all just trying to live.  When it’s 20 degrees below zero and your car breaks down; you don’t care who stops! You just want somebody to stop and help.  When you live in a place that gets this cold for much of the year, we don’t have time for the dumb stuff.”  This sentiment has been consistent in the people with each trip.  This organic and intentional interaction between people is something I’ve never experienced elsewhere.  I long for it now and I am certain you will too.

I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the world’s dream destinations.  I have stood atop the Eiffel Tower as it sparkled and lit up the night sky, gazed upon the Sistine Chapel in utter amazement, and walked above the clouds at Machu Picchu.  The landscape, from Bozeman to Yellowstone specifically, is some of the most magnificently beautiful I have ever seen.  It ranks high amongst the experiences I just listed.  It is the only place I have ever been where the sky touches the ground everywhere.  Montana is known as the Big Sky State.  Every turn feels as though you are walking or driving into a Bob Ross painting.  Mountains, rivers, and “happy trees” galore.  Exposure to wildlife is also utterly magical.

Finally, I want to tell you about the FOOOOOD!  It is amazing.  There are so many fantastic foodie spots. Jam, Pickle Barrel, Shan, and Feed to name a few.  There are also a good number of great private chefs that are always available for hire as well.  Their food and personalities are next level.   One of their names is Chef Emily Hahn, of Mountain Provisions, in Bozeman.  Her food and service embody everything that Bozeman represents.  Her love for locally sourcing ingredients and her straightforward yet refined approach makes for dining experiences that quickly touch and stimulate your senses in an exciting way.  For those of you who are trying to make plans for this summer, have a very special occasion coming up, or just need a getaway,  consider treating yourself to one of chef Emily’s summer series dinners.  You will not be disappointed.  I made the trip last summer and it was amazing.  I am planning to do the same this summer too.  Feel free to reach out to me, if you are considering going.

I am going to be honest.  Bozeman is not a cheap date. However, it is worth the cost if you can do it without hurting yourself.  The people, the beautiful landscape and wildlife, and the absolutely exploding food scene continue to draw me back.  They will do the same for you.  Treat your special someone, treat yourself, and go to Bozeman my Eaters.  Whether for a moment or longer, it will change your life.  

Follow this link to a video I did on my first trip to Bozeman for a little more insight.  Also, come see me or my team at the Peachtree City Farmers’ market every Saturday.