What does it take to go from washing dishes at 16 to becoming a James Beard Award finalist in the Montana mountains? In this episode of Side Tracks, Daily Inter Lake reporter Taylor Inman sits down with Chef Earl Reynolds inside his downtown Whitefish restaurant, Herb & Omni for a hands-on conversation over a churro dessert you'll have to watch them eat.

Earl is a Whitefish native, avid snowboarder, and proud dad. He opens up about the winding culinary road that took him from a scrappy Pescado Blanco prep kitchen to culinary school in Seattle, fishing vessels in Southeast Alaska, a mountain restaurant in Truckee, a San Francisco hotel kitchen, and finally back home to the Flathead Valley. Earl shares what it was like to compete on Beat Bobby Flay, the gut-punch of missing his first James Beard nomination, the life-changing moment he found out he made the list for a second time while on vacation in Mexico, and why being celebrated by a restaurant full of strangers in Puerto Vallarta finally made it feel real.

Along the way, Earl gets real about seasonality in a state with hard winters, why he sources from local mushroom growers and Idaho farms, what cooking for his daughter Matilda has done for his creativity, and the advice he'd give to anyone thinking about a life in the kitchen: the passion has to be there, you can't fake it.

Watch this full episode on our YouTube channel! Read Taylor's article on dailyinterlake.com

This episode is proudly sponsored by Heritage Knife Shop. A speakeasy-inspired knife boutique located in downtown Whitefish, built for people who appreciate true craftsmanship. From culinary knives to hunting and everyday carry blades, every piece is thoughtfully selected with purpose and style. They also teamed up with Chef Earl Reynolds and bladesmith Corey Dunlap to create “The Earl,” a limited-edition knife crafted with the same intention and artistry Earl brings to the kitchen. Learn more at heritageknifeshop.com

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