OUR TEAM
Brian Menges
Brian was raised by beatniks in southern Utah in the glorious 1970’s. He started washing dishes at 16 years old and quickly found out that he excelled in this type of environment and soon moved up the ranks in a professional kitchen. After receiving a degree in Philosophy with Magna Cum Laude honors, he used the restaurant industry as a path to fulfill his goal of becoming a devout hedonist. This took him through some of the greatest restaurants in the American West.
Nearly 20 years ago, he stumbled into this sleepy little railroad town, fell in love with The Murray Bar and hatched an idea to create something special here. The idea was simply that having access to great food and wine make life more enjoyable and this access was quite limited here in Livingston at that time. The Second Street Bistro was created to give this town access to wonderful food and wine. Years later, Gil’s Goods came to life to give this town access to wonderful wood fired pizzas and fantastic burgers. The Murray Bar has been and still is the best bar in town.
Now after the decimation of the restaurant industry due to the pandemic and the subsequent rebuilding of all of our operations, Stella’s has come to life. It is abundantly clear that people are not going out to eat in restaurants like they used to, but they still want restaurant quality meals to eat at home. Brian created this concept to allow the community to enjoy what we do here in our restaurants in the comfort of their homes without the time and energy it takes to create this type of cuisine. Brian enjoys cooking this type of cuisine and knows how much time it takes to do it right.
Adam Boehler
Adam Boehler’s approach to food is guided by the simple yet profound dictum from author Jim Harrison: “The idea is to eat well and not die from it – for the simple reason that that would be the end of your eating.”
Adam’s earliest memories of food consist of walking the rows of his father’s expansive vegetable garden, eating his fill of peas, tomatoes, carrots and raspberries. These joyful early experiences established a love of, fascination with and connection to real food that continues to this day.
Born and raised in Livingston, Adam has been fortunate to travel widely and experience a wide range of cultures and their food. Whether it be the sweet and spicy (and later vengeful) roast pig on the side of a Cuban highway, or the savory döner kebab with lamb, onions and sumac in an Istanbul back alley, each new flavor deepens his appreciation of quality ingredients and the people that bring out the best in them.
Adam’s first job as a cook came in 2005. It wasn’t in a kitchen but in a galley where he cooked for a 5-man crew aboard a commercial Salmon seiner that plied the waters of southeast Alaska. He continued in that capacity for ten more summer and fall seasons before being hired onto, and eventually becoming the manager of, the sushi line at Neptune’s Taphouse in Livingston. Now, as a grateful part of the professional team at Stella’s Gourmet Kitchen, Adam is excited to develop new skills and recipes to share with the people of Livingston and beyond.
When not in the Stella’s kitchen Adam can often be found along the Yellowstone river, usually with his fiancé and their dog, a fishing rod, a book and some wine, wishing he wouldn’t have forgotten the smoked salmon.
Matt Ensing
Matt cultivated a love for food on his grandparents' cattle farm while growing up in Michigan. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of Michigan and has been a Livingston resident since 2003. Over the years, he has enjoyed the opportunity to work with many different types of cuisine, but classic French cooking has always been his favorite. He is the proud father of 4, and enjoys time with his family while snowboarding, fishing, hunting, and coaching youth sports.
Our Partners
We are proud to partner with the following suppliers: