Flathead Valley Arts & Entertainment: Kalispell, Montana News

According to local legend, the late Paul Harvey once called Whitefish one of the best places in the nation to be for Halloween. Apparently the throngs of people who travel great distances and the diehards who begin planning their costumes a year in advance agree with the famous radio broadcaster.

Nearly everybody in Whitefish considers Halloween one of the biggest days of the year for the town, and some stake claim to the holiday as the biggest of all celebrations. Wherever it ranks, it’s clear All Hallow’s Eve is a big deal up in these parts. This sentiment applies to both young kids and grown-up kids.

One of my chef idols, Alton Brown, talks frequently about the importance of “multi-tasking” when it comes to the things you buy for your kitchen. In other words, if you’re buying something for your kitchen that has but one use, it’s likely a waste of money. There are, of course, exceptions.

Parchment paper certainly qualifies as a multi-tasker, as it is used to line baking pans, make disposable pastry bags, and, of course, to wrap foods that are to be cooked en papillote. This will be the main focus of this column.

Most people aren’t afforded the luxury of eating at the dining room in the exclusive Iron Horse Montana. But, thanks to executive chef, Rob Waltz, you can enjoy one of his wonderful recipes at home. This fall dish was full of flavor and delicious. I was so impressed with the explosions of taste in the shrimp toast that I plan to make as an appetizer for my next party.

Sam Dauenhauer has always loved the creativity of painting. He has had an on-again-off-again relationship with brush and canvas throughout his life, but even with dalliances in different art forms, painting always seemed like the one.

That is, until Dauenhauer found out how fun computers can be.

Sinner’s Punch seemed like the perfect wine to try for Halloween. It's made by The Giant Wine Company, which is a collaboration between Mark Ryan Winery and Gorman Winery out of Woodinville, Wash. These two wineries are on everyone's who's who list of top Washington winemakers. They are known for sourcing fruit from only the best Washington vineyards (including Ciel du Cheval, Conner Lee, Klipsun).

BOZEMAN – A rug store owner whose building was significantly damaged by a deadly natural gas explosion in downtown Bozeman has sued NorthWestern Energy.

Jalal Neishabouri, owner of Rocky Mountain Rug Gallery, filed the lawsuit in Gallatin County District Court on Friday. He says the utility company's inability to shut off the flow of gas for several hours fed a March 5 fire that damaged thousands of his imported rugs.

MISSOULA – The University of Montana football team is refusing to answer questions from the school's student newspaper following a story about an alleged assault by two members of the team.

Last month, the Kaiman published a story about an assault on a Montana student outside a fraternity that went unreported to local authorities — although school officials were notified.

Since then, the newspaper's staff says football players have told reporters they're not allowed to speak to them. And in recent weeks, coach Bobby Hauck has dismissed questions from student reporters that he answered for others in the media.

With all due apologies to Richard Rogers, I’m just a chef who can’t say no.

I specialize in catering multi-course dinner parties for four to 12 people and I do buffets for up to 20. I’m also a personal chef, so I cook two weeks’ worth of meals for my clients and, of course, I cook on TV. I generally work solo.