The last thing I expected to be doing while camping in the forest of Northern Idaho was eating octopus, goat, seared tuna, and Piedmontese steak with craft cocktails at a tablecloth-covered table under string lights and the aurora lights.
Created and curated by acclaimed Chef Chad White from Spokane, Washington, Trail Feast is a culinary concept that, as far as I know, has never been done before. But leave it to Chad White to bring innovative new angles to the culinary experience. After years of honing his craft in different parts of the world as well as competing on the show Top Chef, Chad returned to his hometown of Spokane in 2016 to open a ceviche bar among other restaurants, earning him multiple awards along the way. Now, he has somehow found a way to fuse his passion for overlanding and the outdoors with his talent and love for preparing creative, delectable Michelin star-worthy dishes.
Prior to this experience, all I knew about Trail Feast is I would be outside in the forest where Chad White would cook for me, and frankly, that was enough for me. I also knew Trail Feast was more than just an ordinary dinner, but I had no idea how much of a special night it would be! Trail Feast is an encounter that blends rugged overlanding and camping with exquisite outdoor fine dining and international flavors cooked via open flame.
On a fortuitously warm spring afternoon, we drove over 2 hours from our home in Northeastern Washington to an area outside of Kellogg, Idaho along the Coeur d’Alene River and its tributary creeks. After heavy rains the previous week, the Idaho mountains were a vibrant neon green and everything was stunning.
After a couple turns off the highway, we continued another 30 minutes down a potholed dirt road along a stunning green creek where we saw two moose, a number of fly fishermen, and a handful of campers dispersed through the forest in meadows and along creek banks. This landscape was already far exceeding my expectations.
When we finally arrived to the coordinates Chad had sent me ahead of time, we found ourselves in a large meadow with overlanding vehicles spread out along the circumference with a huge rock fire ring in the center with camp chairs. Chad had a small team helping him cook, prepare cocktails, and set up and tear down for the weekend. We didn’t know anyone prior to arriving but were instantly greeted like friends.
We parked our van along the clearing, made introductions, and within minutes I had the most incredible smoky mezcal and torched pineapple cocktail of my life. Over the next couple hours we chatted over the fire as massive pieces of meat and veggies cooked over open flame, drinking our cocktails and getting to know one another. I even put my swimsuit on and took a short walk to the creek for a cold plunge! So refreshing.
Just before 7, as the light on the mountains around us was turning golden and filtering a magical glow onto our camp, the rest of the dinner guests arrived. We had a small group of around twelve. Everyone was so friendly, funny, and happy to be there.
We sat down at the gorgeous prepared dining table covered in a tablecloth with string lights strung above our table between two trees. The table was set with ceramic plates and humorously, a single spork on each plate. Perfectly fitting for the camp vibes. Chad brought out platters of octopus, lightly seared tuna with avocado and cilantro with marrow drippings, goat, and finally beef, which I learned is a luxury 100% Piedmontese beef line directly from Italy and based in the Inland Northwest. Accompaniments included fingerling potatoes, roast zucchini, a salad of starfruits, blueberries, and beets. I’m sure I’m neglecting to mention all kinds of wizardry that was performed that evening, because truly it was a work of art.
After some clean up and building a new fire, we toasted marshmallows, drank more cocktails, laughed, and stayed up until 1 am marveling at the brilliant aurora that serendipitously happened to occur that evening – the first one I’ve witnessed in my life. A few of us were even brave enough to take a cold plunge in the dark late at night.
In the morning, the team had a fire going and breakfast already cooking on open flames as I rolled out of my camper van bed and came out to sit in front of the fire in my pajamas. They served up a medley of scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon, steak, zucchini, and onions seasoned with dill.
We slowly packed up our chairs and belongings, an air of reluctance to leave this magical little utopia that had brought us so much joy for the past day. Goodbyes and embraces signaled an end to our Trail Feast adventure and we drove back on the bumpy dirt road, the creek glistening alongside us, the blue sky and warmth pronouncing summer just around the corner.
