Conquering Expectations One Crepe at a Time

Text by Colter Pedersen | Photography by Jacqui Smith

“I never wanted to open a restaurant,” begins Kayt Bonahoom. Which is funny, since she just opened her second location. “I am not a cook by any means,” she continues, “But I’m a researcher. Cooking is following instructions, if you can follow instructions you’re fine.” Kayt comes across as a problem solver, her tone casual and confident. When she speaks, the twinkle in her eye belies her lack of any formal culinary training.

Three years ago she was a seamstress, selling clothing alongside her husband Josh’s artwork at the farmer’s market. Today she’s running a mini empire with two mobile food operations, two permanent locations and a catering enterprise on the side.

Text by Colter Pedersen  |  Photography by Jacqui Smith

Taking on Tapas in a Steak and Potato Town

Black and white pictures, neon signs, a King Kong poster just past a wooden horse, walking through the front door of Bert & Ernie’s presents a kitschy, eclectic combination of keepsakes and Helena history, 40 years in the making.

Then a quick look to the left delivers a different take entirely, upscale, refined, ringed in glassware and borderline bougie. That’s the original wine bar, opened 11 years ago, and the gateway to the restaurant’s deeper dichotomy, two fully functioning operations offering distinctly different, yet completely complementary experiences, all under one roof.

Both recently renovated, each creates its own ambiance, with familiar family fare (pizza, burgers, beer) on one side and a decidedly more experimental menu on the other.

Burgers, Bombers and Breakfast

“I was always going to open a diner,” begins Jason Beam of the Roadhouse. “I’ve been building menu ideas for 10 years.” He and his wife Tara recently quit their day jobs, (he in advertising, she in nursing) to follow their food dreams. Now they’re cranking out quirky twists on American classics five days a week.

It can be tough to get a spot in the modest lot, but there’s most always a seat open inside where you’ll find an old school diner with rockabilly roots.