Sarah Manuel is passionate about the flavors of Montana. Her culinary inspiration comes from beef raised on prairie pastures, crops grown under a wide-open sky and berries foraged from the slopes of the Rocky Mountains.  

“To taste the place where you are” is her guiding philosophy. 

As the chef and owner of the catering company Farmer Meets Foodie, Manuel sources her ingredients from Montana farms and ranches, and was named Best Farm-to-Table Company in Montana by the state in 2024.  

She relocated her business to the Flathead Valley last year and will open a cafe in Somers this summer.  

The move made sense for Manuel, who found herself traveling frequently to the Flathead Valley to cater weddings. It’s also a full circle moment in her career: After graduating high school, Manuel attended the Culinary Institute of Montana at Flathead Valley Community College and studied French culinary techniques under Chef Howard Karp. From there, she worked as a line cook at Split Rock Cafe before stints as a personal chef and at a farm in Hawaii.  

But Manuel’s heart was in Montana, and she returned to her family’s ranch in Havre, where her parents raised grass-fed cattle and organic grains. Her deep connection to the land proved an invaluable source of inspiration.  

“I have this memory from years ago when I was writing our first catering menus,” Manuel said. “I started writing down every local ingredient I could think of that I had access to. So, you know, it was things like lentils and garbanzo beans and the different ancient grains and sunflower oil and local dairy products. And I basically just stared at that list for a while and came up with menu concepts that I felt really featured those things.”  

Manuel felt her approach was unique in that she designed her menu around what was available to her locally. 

“I like to see what we have access to locally and then let the food tell me what we're making,” she said. “The other approach is maybe you write a menu and then you find a way to weave in some local things here and there, like, ‘Oh, like, we'll sprinkle some huckleberries on it.’ But it's not actually truly local.” 

Manuel’s vision resonated with the community. She started a food truck named Streatery eight years ago, and sold food sourced from nearby farms. The food truck quickly evolved into a catering business that took Manuel all over Montana. She now works with more than 50 different local food producers from around the state.  

Locally sourced food is a rare commodity today. On average, fresh produce in America travels 1,500 miles from farm to table. Manuel explained that investing in food grown closer to home carries a number of benefits. The food is more nutritious, as it’s harvested and consumed closer to peak ripeness, and doesn’t have to travel long distances. There are also fewer preservatives in locally grown food, and seasonal variety results in a naturally diverse diet. 

Local food also strengthens local economies through supporting farmers and ranchers, who in turn purchase supplies and services from other local businesses. As the child of farmers herself, Manuel knows how challenging the industry can be. It’s a large part of the reason she continues to build relationships with local producers who care for the land.  

Now, Manuel is connecting with the food producers of the Flathead Valley. She finally moved in June 2025 after a three-year search for the right kitchen space. Farmer Meets Foodie is temporarily operating out of a former formal dining room in Bigfork, but will open a permanent cafe storefront in Somers at the beginning of the summer.  

“We quit doing the food truck a few years ago, and I have missed having a direct connection to the community and an opportunity for local people to try our food too,” Manuel said. “I also feel like there’s a gap in the Flathead area in general. There’s a need for that local, organic piece that we offer.” 

The new cafe, which will bear the same Farmer Meets Foodie name, will serve coffee and grab-and-go items, with a casual seating area where customers can socialize and browse a selection of locally handcrafted goods. 

Manuel said the coffee will be sourced from pure, clean ingredients, with dairy products from local creameries and syrups made from real food ingredients as opposed to sugar and artificial flavoring.  

The cafe will also have a pizza oven, inspired by Manuel’s travels through Italy. She envisions European-style personal pizzas with hearth-baked crusts and fresh toppings.  

Manuel is particularly excited about her planned soup and salad bar, which she will use to reduce food waste from her catering business.  

In the U.S., as much as 40% of food is wasted annually over the course of its journey from farm to table. Consumers spend $161 billion on food that is thrown out, and enough water and energy to supply more than 50 million homes is used to grow food that will never be eaten. 

Often, Manuel has leftover vegetables, like brussels sprouts or beets, after preparing the menu items for a catering event. The soup and salad bar will allow her to use those leftover items and minimize her food waste. 

As a caterer, Manuel typically serves events with 80 to 100 people, but she is able to accommodate more than 250. Weddings occupy much of her time, but she also caters for fundraisers and business events. Manuel is conscious that locally sourced, organic food tends to be more expensive, so to make her catering more affordable for a variety of clients, she offers a drop-off catering service in addition to her full-service offerings.  

Manuel is also excited to bring back farm events that she’s hosted in the past and help consumers connect with local producers here in the Flathead Valley.  

In the past, Manuel has collaborated with farmers and ranchers to craft a menu centered on the products they grow. They then host a ticketed dinner which connects people to the farmers producing their food and teaches them about the products available to them locally.  

In an age when most food is purchased in a grocery store and shoppers are disconnected from the production side of agriculture, Manuel sees her business as a bridge between consumers, farmers and the land.  

“There's been a great reception to our concept so far,” she said. “The community is really strong here, so I'm excited about that, both in the wedding industry and also just the local community. There's so much talent and passion here, and I'm excited to live amongst that. 

To connect with Farmer Meets Foodie and learn more about locally sourced food, visit farmermeetsfoodiemt.com.

Reporter Elsa Ericksen can be reached at 406-758-4459 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.

    Farmer Meets Foodie is an award-winning farm-to-table catering company which relocated to the Flathead Valley in 2025. (Courtesy Sarah Manuel)
  

    Farmer Meets Foodie is an award-winning farm-to-table catering company which relocated to the Flathead Valley in 2025. (Courtesy Sarah Manuel)
  

    Sarah Manuel is the award-winning chef behind Farmer Meets Foodie, which relocated to the Flathead Valley in 2025. (Courtesy Sarah Manuel)
  

    Farmer Meets Foodie is an award-winning farm-to-table catering company which relocated to the Flathead Valley in 2025. (Courtesy Sarah Manuel)
  

    Farmer Meets Foodie is an award-winning farm-to-table catering company which relocated to the Flathead Valley in 2025. (Courtesy Sarah Manuel)