Are you always hungry, Missoula? Foodies and close friends Celine Saucier and Jayde Wilmes feel the same way. Their Instagram page @AlwaysHungryMontana documents their travels across the state as they feed their hunger for Montana’s eclectic food scene.
How did you two meet?
Jayde: We met six years ago through a mutual friend. We really connected and realized that we both like great cocktails and good food.
What made you start @alwayshungrymontana?
Celine: It kind of started as a joke, actually. We were following foodies in New York and we thought, "We take pictures of food so why can’t we highlight the food that we eat and bring attention to Montana’s food scene?" We’re both from Michigan and a lot of our friends ask us if all we eat are meat and potatoes, so we wanted to showcase how much good stuff there is in Montana.
How would you define the concept of @alwayshungrymontana?
Jayde: We’re really just trying to highlight what Montana has to offer so anytime we’re traveling around the state we try to eat everywhere we can and experience all the different kinds of food and then put that up on our Instagram page. Even in Bozeman people will be like, I didn’t know that this even existed, which is always interesting because you think if you live somewhere long enough you'll find all these little spots. We’ve just noticed a lot of restaurants be under the radar in Montana so we really just try to emphasize the places that are here and how great they are.
Celine: In addition to that, when COVID happened it was important to us to feature restaurants because that was one of the hardest hit industries, so we felt we should go out and support our local community that way.
What types of establishments do you like to feature?
Celine: Everywhere there’s food or drinks!
Jayde: We really try to reach everything from people that do pop-up dinners, different caterers, and definitely food markets.
Celine: We did a little collaboration with the town of Anaconda where we highlighted some of what they have to offer. They have a Smelterman’s Day festival so we went there and featured the town. They have a younger city council and they were trying to bring attention to their city. We try to help out people who have interest in growing and showing off what they have to offer.
Jayde: I was really surprised the first time I went to Anaconda and now it’s somewhere I try to go as often as I can. You don’t realize what’s there and once you get there you [realize] there’s some really great restaurants there.
Do each of you have a favorite food?
Jayde: I definitely think it’s Asian for both of us. I would say for me it’s sushi. I would eat sushi all day, everyday.
Celine: I would agree with that but I also love small bites. On most occasions we go out and get a bunch of things and share rather than one giant entrée. So I would say shareable bites. We both also like spicy foods and lots of sauces.
Jayde: It really comes down to the options!
What do you find unique about the Montana food scene?
Jayde: It’s so different. We both moved to Montana around the same time about ten years ago. We really didn’t expect a lot from Montana, especially a decade ago. You think there’s burgers and steaks. Then we traveled to places like PREROGATIvE Kitchen in Red Lodge and SakeTome in Missoula or these more obscure places that you wouldn’t expect to find.
Celine: We have a restaurant here in Bozeman called The Sashimi Bar. I had gone to Japan and had a similar style yet the one in Bozeman is something even more special. The food is beautiful and good and well done so it rivals something where people have perfected it across the world. I think there’s a lot of passionate people who want to bring culture to Montana.
What are some of your favorite places in Missoula?
Celine: I love Tagliare Delicatessen.
Jayde: Number one is Notorious P.I.G. I go there and get all their sauces. Again, it’s all about the options!