ON THE TABLE
Hell’s Backbone founders Blake Spalding and Jen Castle and Chef Tamara Stanger
Post-COVID, the ‘little restaurant that could’ reveals its latest metamorphosis BY LYDIA MARTINE Z
112 SALTLAKEMAGAZINE.COM | JU LY/AU GUST 2 0 2 3
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T WAS BIG NEWS earlier this year when Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm announced that lauded Chef Tamara Stanger would be joining the culinary team as executive chef. Her award-winning journey as a chef, with a background in desert cuisine, Utah culinary tradition, hunting, growing and foraging, make her a natural collaborator in the “fanciful Four Corners food” served at the Boulder, Utah restaurant. While the news sparked questions about change coming to a beloved icon, the main difference is more room for sustainability, balance and creativity. Hell’s Backbone is a gastronomic powerhouse. Woman-owned and woman-led, the unique restaurant stands out in a world where the achievements of female restaurateurs are often overlooked. From Jen and Blake, the Founders and Chefs de Cuisine; Tamara, the Executive Chef; Jen Martinez, the new Sous-Chef; Morgan, General Manager, and Kate McCarty, the Farm Manager—the entire leadership team continues to preserve the culinary legacy at Hell’s Backbone Grill. Study indigenous foodways and the culinary history in the Southwestern United States, and you will find mention of the “Three Sisters” (always capitalized because they nourish life in the desert). Squash, Corn and Beans were planted together because they help each other grow in arid landscapes. The cornstalks serve poles for the beans to climb; the beans fix nitrogen in the soil and stabilize the
PHOTO LYDIA MARTINEZ
Pies, Preserves and a Pioneering Sisterhood at Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm
