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A Weekend of CelebrationsGrand openings don’t happen every day. Especially at the Northern Hotel. In honor of this long-awaited event,

we’re celebrating the entire weekend. Join us for one night or all three. It’s time to be part of making history.

Private Preview PartyThe evening of March 15 is dedicated to a pri-vate celebration allowing a small group of guests to preview and experience the Northern Hotel before it opens to the public. This is an exclu-sive event and rooms are being reserved on a fi rst-come, fi rst-serve basis.

Guests this evening will enjoy a personal rib-bon cutting of their newly renovated room, live entertainment in the ballroom, open bar, hors d’oeuvres prepared by our executive chef, a commemorative gift and chocolates, cham-pagne brunch the following morning and the ability to contribute to the new time capsule.

Registration begins at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 15 and the celebration kicks off at 7 p.m.

Room rates range from $500 to $900 for the evening.

If you wish to join us for this exceptional event, call early to reserve your space: 1.406.867.6766

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16 When the Northern Hotel fi rst opened, P.B. Moss swung the doors open wide and welcomed the city to experience the new hotel. In honor of P.B. Moss and his commitment to making the hotel a part of the city, we’re dedicating this day to him, opening our doors and inviting people to see inside.

At 6 p.m. on the evening of March 16, the own-ers, Chris and Mike Nelson, will be outside the hotel to cut the red ribbon and offi cially open the hotel for business. The community is invited to come inside and enjoy tours of the hotel, hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, open lounge and live entertainment in the ballroom.

Dinner seatings at TEN are available at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. (not included in room price).

Room prices for the grand opening event range from $229 to $399.

Check-in will open at 3 p.m. through the door on First Avenue North.

To reserve your room, go to www.northernhotel.com and click on ‘reservations’ in the top right-hand corner or call 406.867.6767.

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Grand Opening Night Reveal

All photos by Casey Page of The Billings Gazette unless otherwise noted.

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Continuing the Grand Opening RevealDine in our restaurants, have a drink in the lounge, spend the night or take a guided tour.

From 8 a.m. until noon, Lonnie Bell of KGHL AM 790 The Wolf will be broadcasting his noto-rious classic country show from inside Bernie’s Diner.

A special St. Paddy’s Day happy hour will start in the TEN lounge with Irish cocktails from 4 to 6 p.m. Dinner seatings at TEN are available at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. (not included in room price).

Room prices for the P.B. Moss night range from $159 to $350.

To reserve your room, go to www.northernhotel.com and click on ‘reservations’ in the top right-hand corner or call 406.867.6767.

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P.B. Moss and Henry W. Rowley formed the Billings Investment Com-pany in 1901 with the intent of building the most modern hotel in Montana. In 1902 construction of the Northern Hotel began and by February of 1904 the hotel was open for business. The building consisted of three stories, the fi rst being fi lled with different shops, business offi ces, and a tavern. The sec-ond and third fl oors were fi lled with 69 guest rooms, but had no lobby. By 1916 the hotel had been remodeled to in-clude a marble-lined lobby, a tearoom, an atrium, and an additional fourth fl oor, giving the hotel a total of 200 guest rooms.

The hotel’s business was booming until the night of September 11, 1940, when a fi re broke out, forcing every-one in the building to be evacuated. The Billings Fire Department put all of their effort into extinguishing the fi re, but was not successful until the next

evening, leaving the hotel completely destroyed.

The Northern Hotel reopened in July 1942 as a ten-story hotel, with 163 rooms and a beautiful lobby; once again it was the most modern hotel in Mon-tana. At this time it was the tallest build-ing in Montana at 129’ 3”.

Its popularity grew, and with it, the hotel’s history. During WWII it housed 100 soldiers for several months and opened a “service man’s club.” Also during that period, the Northern was the meeting place for many local orga-nizations and events. The hotel has also been visited by a number of political leaders including President Theodore Roosevelt in 1918, President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, Democratic presiden-tial contender Adlai Stevenson in 1952, and Vice President and Republican presidential nominee Richard Nixon in 1960.

On September 12, 1959, the famous

Golden Belle restaurant opened in the Northern, which became the place to meet, eat, and celebrate any event. Many Billings natives have distinct memories of the Golden Belle.

A time capsule placed in the hotel during the rebuilding after the fi re was discovered when the Northern was be-ing remodeled in the early 1980s. The capsule is reported to have articles from the Gazette about World War II and information about P.B. Moss and H.R. Rowley. The capsule is still in the pos-session of the hotel. The current own-ers are planning to hide it back in the hotel walls to be discovered again far into the future. The Northern will add documents detailing the scope of the renovation, the overwhelming commu-nity support, and the story of Chris and Mike’s dream to return the Northern to its historic place as the cornerstone of downtown Billings.

From Fires to Presidents the Northern Hotel has Seen it All

By Leigh Enselman

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After Chris and Mike Nelson pur-chased the Northern Hotel in January of 2009, the brothers spent a lot of time planning the remodel. Their goal was to restore the historic downtown Billings landmark to its former glory while add-ing modern features and amenities that would serve the needs of Billings now and in the future.

The task became much more dif-fi cult and expensive when the Nelsons realized the true scope of the work nec-essary to meet their goal.

Since P.B. Moss rebuilt the hotel in 1942, at least three renovations had been done to the Northern Hotel—each adding its own quirks and com-plexities to the building. “We knew it was three remodels,” Chris Nelson said, “because when we tore out the ceiling we found three different HVAC systems layered on top of each other.”

This quirk not only explained the bizarrely low ceilings, but also the rea-son that Mike and Chris felt they had no choice but to tear everything back to the concrete (at great expense) and start fresh. “It was painful,” admits Mike Nelson “but it allowed us to start with an open fl oor plan. It allowed us to dream big.”

Four years later and 4,000 tons of debris lighter, those plans and those dreams have taken shape. The new Northern Hotel is a contemporary, high-tech evolution of its prior self. It has been designed to cater to business travelers and pleasure seekers alike.

The fi rst fl oor features a warm, mod-ern-looking lobby and two restaurants—a casual diner named Bernie’s and a fi ne dining restaurant named TEN. The state-of-the-art kitchen that supports the restaurants also supports a robust catering service that can deliver up to 1,000 high quality meals to the event spaces on the second fl oor. “We haven’t cut any corners,” said Chris. “We’ve put about $1 million of equipment in that kitchen.”

The second fl oor contains one of the most sophisticated and fl exible event spaces in Montana. It features a 7,500 square foot Grand Ballroom and a series of smaller meeting rooms ranging in size from 300 to 1,200 square feet. All of the event spaces are ‘plumbed’ with the latest wireless and A/V technologies, enabling anything from custom light-ing for a bride walking down the aisle to videoconferencing for an international business meeting. “I’m not a technology guy, I just know what I want,” said Mike. “What I wanted was the infrastructure to do really cool things, even things that haven’t been invented yet.”

This advanced infrastructure runs throughout the entire building, sup-porting every aspect of the hotel from heating and plumbing (enough hot water for simultaneous showers in all 160 guest rooms) to the electronic signs that can be individually confi gured by the hotel staff on an iPad.

The result of years of planning and dreaming and hard work is the new

Northern Hotel. “It’s not going to turn Mike and me into the Hiltons, but it is something that we can be proud of,” said Chris.

Planning Makes PerfectCreating the New Northern HotelBy Alex Johnson

Shadows of painters during the renovation.

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When you speak to Mike and Chris Nelson about the Northern Hotel, you can’t help but feel like you’ve come home. They have a deep-seated commit-ment to family, their hometown of Bill-ings, the people working at the hotel, and of course their guests. Their pas-sion for this massive restoration project comes alive when they talk about the inspiration behind their ambitious un-dertaking: their late parents, Tom and Bernie Nelson.

The Nelson brothers describe their parents as civic-minded, hardworking, salt-of-the-earth people. Tom Nelson was on the Billings Planning Commis-sion and served in the Montana State Legislature for fi ve terms. Bernie Nel-son was his work force, campaigning tirelessly and taking care of every detail from addressing envelopes to helping other legislators get the job done. At home she was up at 5 a.m. making their breakfast, packing lunches and get-

ting dinner in the crock pot before she headed off for a 10-hour work day at the radio station, all the while with a smile on her face that lit up a room.

When Tom and Bernie “retired” they went to work for Chris managing his Hart-Albin and Montana Bank build-ings in Billings. Tom quickly became an advocate for Downtown Billings. He was passionate about fi xing up the city and rallied for a tax increment that would have a positive impact on the revitalization and urban renewal of the downtown area. This meant Chris, as a landowner, needed to vote in favor of a tax increase. He saw his father’s vision and even though it cost him, jumped on board.

Bernie was a volunteer and the president of the non-profi t organiza-tion for the Moss Mansion. She was an active board member, winning numer-ous awards for her work to facilitate historic and cultural preservation in the

community. Tom and Bernie were both heavily involved in the Downtown Bill-ings Association and “talked Billings” to anyone who would listen. They knew everyone in town. This was the magic of Tom and Bernie—they made an impact.

The boys’ parents’ deep love of downtown Billings is in part what en-couraged the brothers to invest in the area and the people here. Everywhere they go they are approached by some-one who has a “Tom and Bernie” story. They acknowledge this street credibility is what has given them such a warm welcome in bringing the Northern back. Otherwise Mike and Chris say they would have been considered “some Las Vegas hotel guy and a Bozeman inves-tor.” Instead the brothers are proud that the headlines read “Northern Hotel Comes Back to Billings Hands.”

It wasn’t enough just to continue the family legacy of historical renovation. Chris and Mike wanted to honor their

The Northern Hotel: A Legacy of Love

By Karen Gordon

Continuing the Tradition of Historic Preservation in Billings

7

parents by naming the hotel’s two res-taurants after them. TEN (for Thomas Edgar Nelson) felt clever and perfect for their dad. “It could stand for 10 on a scale of 1-10 or the temperature of all of our food,” Mike jokes. Bernie’s Diner was a branded image of their down-to-earth mom. They describe her as a diner kind of person who every morning would take time to sit with her coffee, cigarette and toast and enjoy the only moment she had to herself. The diner is meant to provide a place to relax and enjoy the time.

“The Northern is a legacy of love for us. It’s a project to honor the commu-nity and our parents. The hotel keeps their memory alive in the community they cared so much about. It seems fi t-ting to continue this tradition of his-toric preservation for them,” said Chris Nelson.

By naming the two restaurants after them, Mike and Chris Nelson are proud to honor their late parents Bernie and Tom.

8

A Place to Come TogetherBusiness, Birthdays, and Bachelor PartiesBy Alex Johnson

The Northern Hotel has always played an important role in the Billings community.

Since it opened in 1904, the North-ern Hotel has been a comfortable place where people came to conduct business—cattlemen coming into Bill-ings to trade livestock, local businesses

conducting meetings, petroleum execu-tives networking over drinks. In fact, the petroleum industry felt so at home in the Northern that in 1959, the Billings Petroleum Club signed an agreement with the Northern to build a two-story addition to the hotel in exchange for a 15-year lease to use the basement and

ground fl oor as their headquarters.“The Petroleum Club wanted to be

at the Northern even if it meant build-ing a whole new space,” said Chris Nel-son, co-owner of the hotel. “That’s how much they wanted to be here and that’s the spirit that we wanted to bring back to the hotel and to downtown Billings.”

9

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The remodeled Northern Hotel will be able to support business meetings of any size or type in its 12,000 square feet of high-tech event space. “If you need a room for a keynote ad-dress to 500 people, we can do that,” said Mike Nelson, Chris’s brother and the co-owner and manager of the hotel. “If you want a board room with a fireplace for eight people or a small business suite to conduct job interviews in, we can do those things too.”

In 1959, the Golden Belle restaurant and bar opened in the Northern Hotel. For many years the Golden Belle was the scene for Montanans’ special occasions—birthdays, anniversaries, reunions. “If you

lived in Montana and wanted to celebrate something over a good meal, you did it at the Northern,” said Mike. “We are hoping to restore that tradition with TEN, our fine dining res-taurant, and Bernie’s, our more casual diner.”

“Billings is a special place,” said Chris, “the people here are incredibly friendly and down-to-earth. We want the Northern to reflect that and to continue its legacy as a place where people can come together. Twenty years from now we want people to say ‘that’s where I had my wedding,’ ‘that’s where I fin-ished my first business deal,’ ‘that’s where I interviewed for my first job’.”

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Have you ever attended a wedding where you couldn’t hear the softly spoken wedding vows, then during the reception had to yell over the band simply to have a conversation with the person seated right next to you? Those days are gone as the Northern Hotel introduces guests to the most modern technological amenities available in a fi ve-state region. The goal of the owners of the newly remodeled hotel was for things to appear to be magic, but if the technology was harder to operate than an ATM they didn’t want it. Step inside the Northern and let us show you how it’s done.

It’s the most important day of a cou-ple’s life. The Northern’s Grand Ball-room awaits the wedding ceremony of the century. With the swipe of a fi nger the room comes alive with the bride’s fa-vorite color. With color-selectable theat-rical lighting available through a touch screen interface, the entire ballroom can be washed in the guests’ choice of colors. Spotlights highlight the bride and groom during the ceremony, not to mention the toast makers, fi rst dance and band during the reception. The state-of-the-art sound system with 52 self-powered ceiling speakers provides a conversational sound level through-out the room so all wedding guests

from Grandma Betty to Uncle Bob hear every tear-jerking moment. During the reception, the ceiling speakers supple-ment the dance-fl oor speakers. While the bridesmaids are doing the chicken dance, the mother of the bride can get to know her new in-laws without shout-ing over the band.

Business meetings and conferences shine here too. Two 13-foot wide, high-defi nition video screens are located in the main ballrooms to display video and business presentations. Additional monitors are available for the visually impaired. Two boardrooms are outfi tted with 60-inch Polycom HD videoconfer-encing capabilities and HD 6.1 channel surround sound. With a wet bar or a fi replace, boardroom meetings are high tech and breaks are phenomenal.

When was the last time you stayed in a hotel that offered 50 channels of cus-tom content, in addition to 130 chan-nels of satellite HD programming, on the newest model LCD/LED fl atscreen TVs? How about a suite with two televi-sions? Yeah, we didn’t think so. Hello March Madness!

The technology advancements at the Northern span from the event spaces, to the guest rooms, right down to the door locks. Yes, door locks. Guest room doors use a combination of radio frequency

identifi cation (RFID) and near-fi eld communication (NFC) to eliminate the mag stripe cards used by many hotels. This technology provides the highest level of security and convenience for guests. Imagine getting up at 4 a.m. to catch an early morning fl ight, traveling cross country through airports, experi-encing fl ight delays and arriving at your destination much later than planned only to be faced with an early morning meeting. Frequent business travelers know this drill all too well. Now imagine checking into your hotel via your Smart-phone on the cab ride from the airport, bypassing the front desk and using your mobile phone to unlock your room. Welcome, weary travelers, to the North-ern. (Editor’s Note: While the NFC software has not yet been released, the Northern has the infrastructure in place for this capability and will be imple-menting it in the near future.)

The technology is here to make any event memorable, if not magical. With 12,000 square feet of meeting space for group events from 10 to 700 partici-pants, there isn’t a business meeting, fundraising benefi t, reunion or wedding the Northern can’t accommodate with ease.

Now the Last Best Place Has the Best Technology

By Karen Gordon

Here Comes the Bride, the Business Traveler and the Class of 1987

11

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The luxury hotel you have been wait-ing for has fi nally come back to Billings. Every detail of the new Northern Hotel, from the bed sheets to the height of the shower head, was picked with the guest in mind and to ensure you have the best night’s sleep of your life.

“What do you do in a hotel room?” Hotel Manager Alexandra Reichert asks. “You work at the desk or sit on the bed and you sleep—you need to be able to get a good night’s sleep in your hotel room. How a bed looks and feels is one of the most important things in a hotel room.”

To provide the best night’s sleep in

Billings, the Northern Hotel has fi lled all rooms with the most comfortable beds around. The Serta Elite 2100 Plush mattress is the “perfect sleeper,” accord-ing to Alexandra. “The beds are fi rm enough that you won’t sink into them but soft enough to feel comfortable,” Alexandra explains, having tested them out herself, “and the pillows are fl uffy and give you enough support so that your head doesn’t sink directly to the mattress.” All of the beds are also fi tted with “cool and crisp” sheets—you’ll be able to feel how clean they are.

Attached bathrooms continue this feel of luxury where you will fi nd beauti-

ful tile showers with large glass doors, which include a polished chrome rain-type shower head placed at least 7’6” high. All bathrooms are connected to a water system which keeps 4,500 gal-lons of hot water on hand at all times. Additionally, they have the capacity to make another 300 gallons of hot water every minute, meaning you will have hot water at all hours, including peak usage. Hair dryers, soft towels, and the perfectly lit mirrors for any face, as well as exquisite shampoo and conditioners, are available in every room. Feel free to lounge around your room in a comfy and cozy robe and watch one of the 130

Welcome to Your Dream Room, the Room You Wish You Had at Home

By Leigh Enselman

13

Congratulations Northern Hotel.We are proud to be a part of the renovation.

Our Goldilocks sleep system is “just right” and a luxurious robe is just the beginning.

channels of satellite HD programming on the latest model LCD/LED TVs or listen to one of the 80 different music channels provided for your listening pleasure.

The Northern prides itself on luxury amenities in addition to those listed above, they include USB ports in the desk and nightstand lamps, modern VOIP telephones with HD sound, black-out draperies in the rooms (for those who may want to catnap during the day), dry clean-ing and laundry service, 24-hour room service and whisper-quiet air conditioning and heater systems that make your stay a delight.

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The (re)opening of the historic Northern Hotel means so much to us in downtown Billings. It has been dark and quiet on that very important corner for a very long time which obviously has had signifi cant impacts on the businesses surrounding it. So, from a business standpoint – this is a tremendous shot in the arm in that immediate area. From a hotel inventory and amenities standpoint, the Northern Hotel offers a state -of-the-art experience from hotel stay to dining experi-ence to conference facilities. It complements the offer-ings we already have nearby and allows us to accommo-date more numbers in our

city, and deliver an overall better experience. Here’s the kicker…from a personal standpoint, we as a commu-nity couldn’t be more proud to have our beloved North-ern back, and she’s beauti-ful. To have it owned and cared for by locals Chris and Mike Nelson, honoring their parents, Tom and Bernie Nelson, with the spaces built the way they have, is just a real source of pride for our community. We are feeling like things are exactly the way they are supposed to be now that the Northern Ho-tel is back. Congratulations to Mike and Chris Nelson, to the new staff, and to the Northern Hotel!

Lisa K. HarmonExecutive DirectorDowntown Billings Business Improvement DistrictDowntown Billings Association

Welcome Back!

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TENFine Dining Restaurant and Lounge at the Northern HotelBy Karen Gordon

TENFine Dining Restaurant and Lounge at the Northern HotelBy Karen Gordon

The Northern Hotel is steeped in tradition and history that now includes the Nelson family. TEN, the Northern’s fi ne dining restau-rant and lounge, is named after the owners’ late father Thomas Edgar Nelson. Locals who remem-ber the Golden Belle, the historic hotel’s fi ne dining restaurant for decades, will recall this as the place to meet, greet and enjoy great food and drinks. TEN’s softly lit, spa-cious red lounge promises to be the new hot spot to unwind after work or a long day of travel.

The TEN dining experience will incorporate local Montana fl avors in a modern American style. Try the mouthwatering bison short ribs, pasta with rosemary meatballs or fried asparagus and pickled egg salad—served old school. Feel like having a steak? While TEN isn’t your typical steakhouse, the menu will feature a succulent cowboy

cut ribeye (served bone-in with a bottle of red). Menu items will be prepared using local products when available and in season. For exceptional service and masterfully prepared food, continue the tradi-tion at TEN!

Quick restaurant statsFare:

Restaurant Hours:Lounge Hours:

Seating Capacity:

Modern American StyleDaily, 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.Daily, 4 p.m. - 10 p.m.100 (restaurant), 90 (lounge), private dining room with seating for 25-30

TEN Supervisor Jason Appleby and his experienced team continue the Northern tradition of exceptional meals and impeccable service.TEN Supervisor Jason Appleby and his experienced team continue the Northern tradition of exceptional meals and impeccable service.

18

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Bernie’s DinerComfort Food at its FinestBy Karen Gordon

Lighthearted and fun—just like the restaurant’s namesake Bernice Nelson—Bernie’s Diner offers the ultimate in comfort food as well as unique dishes and a soda fountain. Comfortable couches and roomy chairs for reading or chatting give a warm and cozy Montana welcome for breakfast or lunch. It’s the perfect gathering place for hotel guests, local patrons and visitors who have come to town to shop or attend a MetraPark Arena event.

An old-fashioned lunch counter boasts the freshest ingre-dients for home-style cooking with modern diner infl uences. Start your day with a traditional omelet or hearty biscuits and gravy or step outside the box and try a break-fast burrito stuffed with braised bison, Captain Crunch challah French toast or sweet potato hash. Yum! Lunchtime fare includes; homemade pastrami, Monte Cristo

sandwiches, pork belly salad and burgers served on locally made bread. How about a classic hand-dipped milkshake, fl avored soda or old-fashioned sundae? Bernie’s will treat your taste buds to both the familiar (like Bernie used to make) and the contemporary.

Quick restaurant statsFare:

Hours:Seating Capacity:

Extras:

Traditional diner & soda fountain with modern infl u-ences, including coffee barDaily, 6 a.m. - 3 p.m.85-90Vegetarian and gluten free menu items, Spiderman comic books, USA Today

Jessica Oe, Bernie’s Supervisor will welcome you to a fun, unequal dining experience beginning with a cup of coffee.

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Eric Stenberg, executive chef and food & beverage director for the Northern Hotel restaurants (Bernie’s and TEN), has a passion and vision for his food born out of family, tradi-tion and community. This couldn’t be a better match for Mike and Chris Nelson whose historic hotel renova-tion project was driven by these very qualities. Eric recalls that he felt this connection as the Nelson brothers expressed how proud their parents would be to see what they have ac-complished with the hotel and how much fun their mom, Bernie, would have playing in the kitchen of a res-taurant named after her. Foodies get your taste buds ready! Here’s a look at the man behind your food who couldn’t be more excited about bring-ing the tradition of the Northern back to the community with some creative new twists.

What made you decide to become a chef?

Eric Stenberg: I used to spend a lot of time on my mother’s hip while she cooked for our family, so food was pretty close to me most of the time. I

also feel that food is fundamental to our existence. I wanted to learn how our food system supports our daily lives and transfer that knowledge to people in a great dining experience.

Who have been your major infl uences?

ES: First and foremost are my par-ents who supported my dreams to be a chef. Of course my mentor in Port-land, Greg Higgins, who educated me on how to simply prepare good, sound food using local food and sup-porting those who produce it.

What is your background and training?

ES: I started working for a Greek family in Portland when I was 12 at their bar and eventually in their Steakhouse. I cooked off and on throughout high school, went to col-lege and then decided I wanted to go to Culinary School in San Francisco. While in school I worked everywhere possible to learn more about food. I moved back to Portland and worked for my mentor, Mr. Higgins, where I was fortunate to be a part of the initial

sustainable food movement in the restaurant scene there. I also spent time in the French region of Alsace learning about sausage making and le charcuterie.

Defi ne your style of cooking. ES: Keeping food simple. Using

too many ingredients can cloud the natural ability of the food to be itself. Cooking from scratch and utilizing lo-cal products when available is best.

What is your trademark/signature dish?

ES: One of my favorites to prepare is le cassoulet, a French dish with confi t duck leg, house-made kielbasa, smoky bacon with white beans and root vegetables.

What are your source(s) of inspiration for your menus?

ES: I like to develop recipes based upon the season. Matching food is fun because at the end of the process you are proud to be able to combine fl avors without one being the domi-nant component. A couple of sources of inspiration, my great grandmother

Meet the Chef: Eric StenbergThe Man Behind the Curtain at Bernie’s and TENBy Karen Gordon

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who loved to pickle everything she got her hands on and my mother who made sure that we ate healthy. Of course growing up in Portland with James Beard, who lived right over the hill from us, to this day is still very inspiring. (Editor’s note: James Beard was an American chef and food writ-er who was instrumental in the establish-ment of a gourmet American food identity. He brought French cooking to the tables of Americans in the 1950s.)

What is your idea of a great meal or dining experience?

ES: A great meal starts with service. They say many things leave lasting impres-sions, service is right there. What I mean by that is being able to sit, relax and enjoy the fl avors of the food someone has taken the time to prepare. A great dining experi-ence ensures you are well taken care of.

Tell me about some of your worst kitchen disasters.

ES: I have had many minor ones over the years but the one that stands out is more personal. I had slaughtered my own pig for my wedding day. To set the scene, we were getting married in a peach or-chard. I worked at one of the fi rst brew-

pubs in Portland, and we had an 11 ton wood burning oven we cooked everything in. I instructed staff to place the pig in at the end of the night without adding wood so it would slow cook. I received an early morning call on my wedding day that the pig did not survive due to someone throw-ing a few pieces of wood on the fi re and shutting the door! Thankfully, my mentor saved the day by providing us with a variety of grilled meats!

What kitchen successes are you most proud of?

ES: I feel very proud that I have been able to teach some folks that being a chef is personally rewarding. Seeing young men and women start in the dish pit and become sous chefs and chefs of their own

establishments is truly rewarding.

What is your favorite meal at home?ES: We eat Swedish meatballs at our

house a lot. It has been a family staple for years, and it is a fun family activity to get the kids involved. The fl avors are simple and good.

Why did you choose the Northern to continue the next phase of your career?

ES: When I started having conversa-tions with Mike Nelson it felt real. Mike and his brother Chris want to bring back to Billings a great piece of history. Their vision is honest, and I want to see them succeed and have the community enjoy the experience.

Executive Chef and Food and Beverage Director Eric Stemberg adds a new and exciting fl avor to Billings cuisine.

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CongratulationsMike and Chris

Thank you for choosingAir Controls and Skyline Stainless

HEATING • AIR CONDITIONING • REFRIGERATION • STAINLESS STEELwww.aircontrols.com • 2115 2nd Ave. N. • Billings, MT 59101 • 406-245-6416 • 1-800-689-6416

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GOOD DESIGNPRESERVES COMMUNIT I ES

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S Z O O T I S T S

THANK YOUNORTHERN HOTEL

For choosing us to be apart of your project.

1402 Central Ave • Billings, Montana 59101

Serving Bozeman & Montana CommunitiesOver 30 years of Experience

• Residential & Commercial• Interior & Exterior • Cabinets • Glazing • Staining• Fine Finish • Toners • Drywall

1627 West Main St. #246, Bozeman, MT 59715(Cell) 406-581-3155 | (Fax) 406-219-3522email: championII@bresnan.net

We’re proud to have been partof this historic renovation

CHAMPION PAINTING, INC.

Congratulations

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servicing all your construction needs in montana since 1982

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