Opening Weekend 2013!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's official--Summer 2013 is under way
(albeit with a fair amount of snow still burying the Signal Mountain Summit Trail).

Signal Mountain Lodge opened for business this past Friday, May 10th. The Trapper Grill, Deadman's Bar, and Peaks Dining Room are all serving up local favorites and new delights, and the Timbers and Needles gift stores are chock full of unique items to suit even the choosiest souvenir hound. All guest lodging  options including the Signal Mountain Campground are also open.

Two major events have marked opening weekend for many years: the Opening of the Bar party, and Mother's Day Dinner. On the evening of May 10th, locals, Park employees and guests, and current and former SML employees got to rub elbows and share plate after plate of nachos, burgers, and sweet potato fries. There were warm reunions between long separated friends and many a toast to a long anticipated summer. A lucky few even scored a free commemorative hat, provided by an enthusiastic Deadman's Bar patron.

The Mother's Day dinner is one of the busiest days of the season for the restaurant. It's also the one and only day all year when you can actually make a reservation to dine at SML. It's an opportunity for the Peaks Dining Room cooks to show off their skills, and for guests to celebrate the special women in their families. (It's also a good reminder for staff to call their moms!) It was a gorgeous, warm, sunny Sunday, perfect for sharing fellowship with family and friends, and reflecting with gratitude on where we came from and where we are.

In between those two blessed events, 2013 Ice Off was officially declared on Saturday, May 11th. There is no more ice on Jackson Lake in the SML Marina.
This brings us to a reminder for the next big thing:

Signal Mountain and Leeks Marinas open this coming Saturday, May 18th!!!!!

Happy Earth Day 2013

Happy Earth Day!

I thought we would take some time today to talk about some of the cool environmental programs we have in our restaurants. We are a Green Restaurant Association 3-Star Rated restaurant group, and we do lots of great things to minimize our environmental impacts. Here are a few highlights!

We buy Local
Signal Mountain Lodge is committed to purchasing from local and regional sources whenever possible. Here is a quick snapshot of some of our local items. We get all our burgers in the restaurants from HD Dunn & Son Beef in nearby Tetonia, Idaho. We purchase whole cows, three farm shares of veggies and the occasional pig from Robinson Family Farm and Ranch in Bedford, Wyoming. We purchase locals beers from Snake River Brewing and other great local breweries. When we can't get something from the immediate area, we get it from the surrounding region- such as Utah, Idaho, Colorado and Montana.

We are Committed to Sustainable Seafood
Our oceans are one of our planet's most important resources, and as a restaurant group, we can help preserve our oceans for the future by purchasing from sustainable sources. Signal Mountain Lodge is a proud partner with Seafood Watch, and is committed to only serving food off the 'Green List' in all of our establishments. We also pass out Seafood Watch Cards for guests to keep so that they can easily make responsible seafood choices after they leave Signal.

We Buy Organic and Natural Products
Many of the products we purchase are USDA certified organic, have no added hormones, are naturally fed a vegetarian/grass-fed diet and/or are otherwise grown & raised in a sustainable manner. Both the local beef companies we work with raise grass-fed cows free of antibiotics or hormones. Many vegetables we purchase are USDA Organic. All the milk we serve is free of rBGH. Our coffee is quite the mouthful- it is Organic, Bird Friendly, Shade Grown, Fair Trade certified and locally roasted by Great Northern Coffee Company in Jackson, WY!

Fun Fact: The homemade pizza dough at Leek's Pizzeria is made from Organic Flours and Cage Free Eggs! (And it's the best darn pizza in Jackson Hole)

We Recycle, UpCycle and Reduce Packaging Whenever Possible
Here at Signal we are always trying to cut out our waste. We recycle everything possible through Teton County Reycling and are a Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Business Leader in Teton County. Here is an example of how we eliminate waste before it even exists- we do not serve bottled beer, saving thousands of bottles every summer!

Thanks for reading about some of our programs. To learn more, check out our menus online at  www.signalmtnlodge.com, or go to our Environmental Commitment page. Best yet, stop by the main restaurant building and check out our Wall of Sustainability! While you are there enjoy some delicious, sustainable fare.

Nacho Night!!!!

True fans know, SML's annual Nacho Night is one of the highlights of the Winter season for JH locals, especially Park dwellers. It's a great time for this small and close-knit community to get together, eat regrettable portions of cheesy chips, and support a great cause.The 2013 event was no exception. An army of volunteers from Signal Mountain Lodge and the Moose Corner Daycare were busy as beavers, stacking chips, topping chips, busing tables, selling raffle tickets, and slinging margaritas. All in all, we managed to raise over $2,800.00 for Moose Corner Daycare, which provides affordable childcare services to Park parents.

Doc keeps the dishes moving and turns over those tables!

This is where the melting happens.

Now, now, Ladies--Those toppings are for the nachos!

Bartender Lisa keeps everyone smiling while Food and Beverage Manager Erik oversees the whole operation.

Did you win anything in the raffle???

Danny knows it's all about nacho cohesion... or should we say co-cheese-sion..?

So much guac.