I’m beyond thrilled to announce that I’ve co-written another cookbook with Blake Spalding (my sister) and Jen Castle (my soul sister), the amazing chef-owners of Hell’s Backbone Grill.
This Immeasurable Place: Food and Farming from the Edge of Wilderness came out in late November of 2017, and within weeks it was named one of the best books of 2017 on NPR’s On Point! We immediately sold out of our first print run, then printed more, and now the book is back in stock. It’s the true definition of a labor of love, this one. And I must say: it’s the most beautiful book I’ve ever been part of.
Here’s a fabulous review of it on Every Day with Rachael Ray...
And here’s more about it:
Eighteen years ago, Blake Spalding and her business partner Jen Castle had a vision: they wanted to start a women-owned, organic, farm-to-table, Buddhist-principled, restaurant in a town called Boulder. Today, this vision sounds like the culinary zeitgeist. Back then, everyone thought they were nuts—mostly because the Boulder they wanted to do it in was Boulder, Utah, a tiny (population 200), old-fashioned, conservative Mormon ranching community that also happened to be the most remote town in the lower 48 states.
But it turned out Spalding and Castle weren’t nuts. Hell’s Backbone Grill and Farm is now Boulder’s largest employer, with a 6.5-acre organic farm and a loyal, national following. The restaurant has received loads of national press, from Oprah to the New York Times to Bon Appetit and the Wall Street Journal, and has won numerous awards, including “Best Restaurant in Utah” and “Best Restaurant in the Rockies.” For the past two years, Spalding and Castle have been James Beard Award semifinalists.
This Immeasurable Place is much more than a cookbook. It’s 288 pages of delicious recipes, stunning images by world-renowned photographer Ave Kvale, and stories about the extraordinary people who make up the restaurant community, and the immeasurable place surrounding the restaurant—the now-threatened Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
Here’s what people are saying about it ...
“The wisdom found in the pages of this beautiful and surprising book is immeasurable. It’s wisdom from the edge, from one of the most glorious hidden kitchens there is…. Land, food, family, stewardship, and spirit all course through these tempting, gorgeous pages. A book that feeds us on so many levels.”—Davia Nelson, NPR’s Kitchen Sisters
”... Filled with remarkable recipes and essays, it breathed life back into my radical, sometimes flagging hope for humanity, and is as inspiring as it is mouthwatering. We need this book now more than ever.”—Elissa Altman, author of Poor Man’s Feast
“Blake Spalding and Jen Castle pioneered farm-to-table cooking, creating the Rocky Mountain West’s first women-chef-owned restaurant with full-scale farm. The authors lay out the seasons of the restaurant with humor, gentleness, and joy, but underpin it with their steely, unflinching resolve. Buy this as a cookbook and a keepsake of the truly immeasurable spirit of this community and the land.” —Cheryl Alters Jamison, four-time James Beard award winner
“Blake Spalding and Jen Castle are alchemists, truly changing the world through their hands, their hearts, their farm, their food. In community, everything is possible.Theirs is a leadership of love.” —Terry Tempest Williams
“As this book shows, horizon and history can’t be separated from the majesty of what we grow and prepare. Among hallowed lands, creators Jen Castle and Blake Spalding channel a culinary spirituality, and through these beautiful pages, the warmth and love abiding at Hell’s Backbone Grill.” —Jacki Lyden, former NPR host
Contact: hbg@hellsbackbonegrill.com
