Nomadic Chefs and Bison
- Aubrey Johnson
- Jan 17, 2023
- 5 min read
In July 2019 I moved to Montana, my 7th state. When I think of my time there, I have memories of people that were like family, beautiful scenery, great food, and COVID-19. A covid story is for another time. First I want to share about one of those people who introduced me, and the rest of Livingston, MT, to some great food.
I came to Montana to serve a second term with FoodCorps under the nonprofit organization, Farm to School of Park County (F2SPC). FoodCorps is an AmeriCorps program that works to connect kids to healthy foods in classrooms, cafeterias, and communities. F2SPC was my host site, and I served one year under them with FoodCorps, then I was hired by the organization full-time. I’ll be sharing a lot about my time with Farm to School teaching kids about nutrition, cooking, and gardening.
One of the organization’s main goals is to work with schools to purchase and use fresh, healthy food in school meals. While Farm to School of Park County had been doing that for years since its inception in 2008, major headway toward this goal was made in 2020. The pandemic brought challenges and hardship for everyone, but a good thing was that more people prioritized giving to organizations that helped feed children. Our director, Rachael Jones, initiated a partnership between the school district and local restaurants. She knew
our cafeteria staff could not keep up with the demand to feed 500 Livingston students. In order to continue seamless meal service during school closure partnerships were developed with nine local restaurants. Rachael’s “secret sauce” that helped make these partnerships possible was hiring Chef Carole Sullivan to join the team.
When I was in culinary school, I learned quickly that there are two paths that people could take to gain the title “Chef.” People either earn the title by starting at the bottom in the restaurant business and working their way up, or they can get a culinary degree, but they still need to earn the title after that. Either way, “Chef” isn’t a name to be taken lightly. Chef Carole earned her title. She is another person with varied experience in both places lived, jobs worked, and people she’s encountered. While she grew up in North Dakota, she bonded with our F2S office manager, Steve, when I was there by both having known the
same people in the music business while living in Minneapolis. Their paths never crossed until later, but they both have great stories to share. Some of Carole’s notables include hanging out with Tina Turner, Bob Seger, Huey Lewis, and Pat Benatar. Working at a record store led her to partner with a friend for a coffee shop in a music store, pre-Barnes and Noble. She took on the challenge without a food background, and while the shop didn’t last, her new food service interest did. Carole went on to work for a catering company in the Twin Cities and learned cooking foundations - sauces and stocks, ratios and volumes, flavors, and management.
Life happened, and through a desire for more, Carole moved to Livingston, Montana, started a job working at a restaurant, found out it wasn’t for her, and got into catering instead. Catering out of Livingston’s small country club, she found her passion. Carole was able to experiment in their kitchen and grow her own catering business. Over the years Carole and her husband Dan grew their business, Mustang Fresh Food and Catering, to a downtown restaurant, and clients have included Jeff Bridges, Michael Keaton, President Obama, and Martha Stewart. When I remember Carole, though, I don’t think of the fact that she once cooked for the President. I remember working next to her in the high school kitchen, sometimes tense and focused, sometimes full of laughter and positive energy. I remember her little Sheltie Rue whom I dog-sat for on several occasions. I remember a passion for fresh, simple ingredients, and a tenacity to make things work be it working partnerships or a recipe and ingredient combination. Kids may not have recognized her since she was more “behind-the-scenes,” but they knew her food. Some favorites featured on Farm Fresh Fridays - cafeteria meals designed by Chef Carole to include farm to school produce - include a pork lentil curry bowl, butternut squash mac and cheese, chicken-black bean enchilada casserole, and bison rocks.
Bison rocks were a Mustang staple at Carole’s restaurant. To be honest, when I first heard the name my mind went to more of a “cow patty,” possibly chocolate, dessert than the filled bun that it is. I may have gone to culinary school, but that is one of many instances that show we weren’t able to cover all things food. I had never heard of bierocks, the yeast-stuffed bun that originated in Eastern Europe and is typically made with cabbage, onion, and ground beef. Once Carole became a F2SPC staff member and partnered with the school cafeteria staff, she was able to help pilot Farm Fresh Fridays. These are special Friday menus
crafted and prepared by Carole to feature scratched-cooked recipes with fresh, healthy ingredients grown in the school gardens and 1/8th acre downtown farm. Carole introduced her bison rocks to Livingston school children by making them with ground bison instead of ground beef as a way to showcase one of Montana’s Harvest of the Month items. F2SPC participates in the Montana Harvest of the Month program that provides resources to feature a different Montana-grown item in schools through lessons, cafeteria taste tests, and cafeteria menu items. (Check out the bison “Harvest at Home” handout with a recipe for Butternut Bison Lasagna.) Participation in the program serves as a way to educate students and communities about healthy food grown in their home state and how to use these ingredients in their own kitchens.
Bison are an important animal in Montana’s history. Indigenous people have relied on them for thousands of years for food, clothing, shelter, fuel, tools, and spiritual value. Unfortunately, bison were almost brought to extinction through westward expansion and the removal of native tribes. Thanks to conservation efforts over the last several years, bison numbers are growing. According to the Yellowstone National Park Service website, bison are neither “threatened” nor “endangered.” “Approximately 30,000 bison live in public and private herds in North America [and] … are managed for conservation goals, [while about] 400,000 bison are raised as livestock.” Since it is no secret that cattle outnumber people in Montana, and ranching is a way of life and crucial to the economy, the re-emergence of bison ranches has been and will continue to be an interesting road to watch. As a lean source of protein with fewer calories and less saturated fat than beef, bison is a practical, although on average more expensive, alternative. With meat not the only ingredient, bison rocks were a delicious and economical way to introduce the protein option into the schools.
The Harvest Baker has its own version of bierocks/ bison rocks. Neither version is heavy on meat, though, which makes them more cost-effective, especially for feeding a small school district. Ken’s version has smoked sausage with cabbage, onion, mustard, and cheese, while Carole’s version features bison with farm-to-school-grown kale and butternut squash. Both are delicious, and I encourage you to find a recipe combination to try at home! There are lots available through a quick search.
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