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Holt is making the difficult transition from chef to businessman and learning the ins and outs of being an owner. For instance, in the past he has developed the restaurant’s menu, but now he admittedly has neither the time nor the stamina to run the kitchen and a business. Even though he knows how to do it all, Holt is learning that he does not have to.
“I’ll pitch hit anywhere in this restaurant. I’ll wash the dishes, I’ll mop the floors, I’ll cook and that kind of stuff,” he said. Holt’s wife Mirjam is an immigrant from Holland and his son and daughter are dual citizens of the U.S. and Holland. So, it is of no great surprise that Big Sky Cafe closed its’ doors on Thursday, February 16 also known as Day Without Immigrants and through a generous donation from Comevo, a local software company, was able to pay its employees a full days wage. Holt was also a supporter of the National Women’s March and his staff wore t-shirts with ‘a day without a woman’ emboldened across the front during National Women’s Day. Local food is not the only thing that Holt enjoys sharing. Big Sky also displays the work of local artists on its walls. Currently, the award winning artist Pat Cairns is on display. Previously, Charlie Crimes’ solitary and stirring depictions of trees were featured on the restaurant’s rustic walls and were met with resounding success. “I was so happy for him. It was his first real show by himself and he said, ‘I don’t have to be a starving artist?’” said Holt. Someone wondering what the origin of the restaurant’s name need look no further than one of the restaurant’s coffee mugs that says, “One big sky covers us all equally.”
spring | summer 2017
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