The Adventure of the Blue Canyon

A wondrous journey of creation. That is the best way to describe the road traveled by the founders of the Blue Canyon Kitchen & Tavern

Robert Voelker, a seasoned hotel veteran and developer, had the desire to create a project that complimented his core business, but would be a bold move in a new direction. Alone with his brother and partner Val Voelker, another hospitality specialist, they set out to create their very own destination restaurant.

Enter celebrated chef Brandt Evans. A friend of the Voelkers, Evans had received quite a popular reputation for his self-described "Ozark-Asian-funk" cuisine made famous at Kosta's, a Tremont hot spot. In search of his own fresh challenge, Evans was a natural partner for this exciting new adventure.

And an adventure it was.

Over the next 18 months, the partners visited over 300 restaurants throughout the country. Their travels also took them to some of the nation's finest lodges, from the Ahwahnee at Yosemite to El Tovar at the Grand Canyon. Notes scurried on napkins and menus. Plans drawn up, revised and tossed aside for bigger, better versions. The culmination of years of individual vision, technique and wisdom.

The result of their travels is now this opportunity - to present to you the Blue Canyon Kitchen & Tavern.

Now you can give yourself over to their dream of a dining vacation destination. Dining that is both an adventure and an escape. Above all, dining that is creative American cooking at its finest.

A Culinary Family Tree

Chef Brandt Evans has grown a culinary family tree with deep roots in his Blue Canyon Restaurants.

Driven by his passion for food, Chef Evans is committed to the development of his kitchen team. He strives to offer leadership opportunities to young cooks, who like himself, took an interest in cooking at an early age. Today, this allows Blue Canyon to tout a chef team with nearly 30+ years of kitchen experience under Evan’s tutelage and four U.S. restaurants with more on the horizon.

With a combined total of more than 15 years in the kitchen together, Chef Evans fostered the careers of brothers Lawrence “Larry” Coffman and Scott Coffman from dishwashers to executive chefs after noticing their passion for cooking at the Missoula, Montana. and Rockwall, Texas, restaurants respectively. Evans fondly explains that the two chefs worked their way up the ranks of a restaurant kitchen, investing long working hours, showing their dedication to great food and believing in his vision to create dishes that ‘make love to diner’s taste buds.’

Joined by executive chefs Matt Israel (Kalispell, Montana), the group has logged an impressive 30+ years working with Chef Evans. But Evan’s mission extends beyond his executive chefs. His guidance enables sous chefs like Danny Jenks and Heidi Hutcheson, to have hopes of joining the elite Blue Canyon executive chef group. Pastry chefs Gretchen Edwards and Rachel Chiavari taught by Evans, have many of the same opportunities as they make fresh desserts in-house daily.

“Each chef brings diversity and style to our restaurants,” says Evans. “But our teamwork goes beyond creating unique dishes with depth. These chefs are not just my employees – they are my family. At the end of the day we share a huge respect for each other; we work long hours together, often spending more time with each other than we do our own families. Together we create a strong creative force at Blue Canyon.”