Brioche French toast with strawberries and cream plated along a long table, guests eating at communal tables in a mountain meadow at sunset behind.

Bozeman, Montana

Chef-driven meals in the backcountry

Private catering for expeditions, hunt camps, weddings, and tables that happen to be a long way from a kitchen.

Plan your tripSee what we do

What this is

Wild Gourmet cooks real food where real food is hardest to get. Not freeze-dried, not reheated, not a cooler of sandwiches — courses planned to the trip and cooked on site, whether that site is a wall tent at nine thousand feet or a ranch outside Bozeman.

The work is equal parts kitchen and logistics. Getting a menu to a place with no power, no water, and no road is the job. The cooking is the part guests see.

Pork belly bites with pickled onion and crema on a wooden board, a snow-covered treeline blurred behind.
Made from scratch, wherever the kitchen happens to be

Services

Four ways to eat well
a long way out

A cast-iron dutch oven on a rock fire ring, flames burning on the lid, deadfall and forest floor behind.Backcountry

Full meals, cooked over fire, miles from a road.

Contact for custom quote

A catered spread on a black-draped table: a tray of golden pastries, a charcuterie board, and a chafing pan of hors d’oeuvres.In-Home

A chef in your kitchen for the evening.

Pricing by request

A grazing table set outdoors — cured meats, cheeses, grapes and crudités laid along a wooden board, pines behind.Weddings & Events

Mountain weddings and gatherings, catered on site.

Pricing by request

Gloved hands slicing a roasted cut of wild game on a wooden board at an outdoor prep station, a pan of jus alongside.Hunt Camp

Camp food that earns its place at the end of the day.

Contact for custom quote

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Pork belly bites with pickled onion and crema on a wooden board, a snow-covered treeline blurred behind.

The country decides the menu.
We plan around it.

The chef

Draft — awaiting the client's own words

[DRAFT COPY — REPLACE WITH NICK'S OWN WORDS FROM THE STORY INTERVIEW. Nick cooks the way he grew up eating: over fire, with what the country gives up that season. He has spent his life in the mountains of Montana and Colorado, and he started Wild Gourmet because the food on the trips he loved was always the weakest part of them.]

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What guests are saying

  • Chef Nick is truly exceptional. I recently had the opportunity to experience his cooking at two very different retreats—one at a lodge with a full commercial kitchen, and another at nearly 10,000 feet on a mountain where he had to bring everything in with him.What amazed me most was that I genuinely could not tell the difference in the quality of the experience. Somehow, Chef Nick created the same culinary magic on a mountainside that he did with a fully operational kitchen.His attention to detail, creativity, presentation, and ability to curate incredible meals in virtually any environment is remarkable. Beyond being an exceptionally talented chef, he brings a level of care and intention to the entire experience that you can feel.I would highly recommend Chef Nick for retreats, corporate events, private gatherings, or an unforgettable dinner party. Give him a kitchen—or apparently, just a mountain—and he'll create something extraordinary.

    Rudi Riekstins

  • I got to experience Wild Gourmet during a retreat. Chef Nick and his food were incredible! The food was intentional and top notch, and I was equally impressed with Nick himself; extremely knowledgeable and with a high EQ. No sense of ego and just an all around awesome guy/chef.

    Ryan Rickert

  • I had the privilege of going on a camping trip with Nick as our chef. My mouth is still watering from the meals he prepared at an altitude of 10,000ft with very little resources.

    Keny Daniele

  • If you want world-class culinary experiences at 11,000 feet, Nick is your guy! He was our chef on a 4-day Montana mountain camping adventure in July, and he absolutely blew us away.From incredible Tres Leches Corn Bread and perfectly grilled steak to exceptional, healthy snacks, every single meal was a masterpiece. Cooking in the backcountry is no small feat, but Nick planned for nothing and left zero details unplanned. He made gourmet dining look effortless in the wilderness.If you ever have the chance to travel or camp with Nick running the kitchen, consider yourself lucky. Absolute five-star experience!

    Nick Hemmert

  • Had the pleasure of being on a backcountry trip with Nick. Even in tough weather conditions, Nick made some incredible meals and kept us well fed. What was most notable was his passion for what he does. Thanks brother!

    Justin Currie

  • Nick pulled off something I've never seen done before! He skillfully and efficiently fed a group of 15 men 7 miles into the Bear Tooth mountains over 4 days. 3 delicious and perfectly prepared meals that included deserts. I watched him cook up everything from eggs and bacon to steak and Montana meatloaf on a camp fire. He kept everything so clean and organized! The food was delicious and Nick was such a great guy to be around. 10 out of 10 recommend!!! Thanks Chef!!!

    Jeremy Smith

  • Great food and lots of it. Great service

    Jordan Jonas

  • Amazing food and exceptional service. Created an amazing atmosphere for our backcountry dining experience. WILL BOOK AGAIN!

    Tyler Koch

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