Cider + Smoke: A Farm Dinner in Seven Courses

Join us for an evening farm-to-table experience at The Barn at Thunder Road Farm. Savor local, seasonal flavors through this collaboration between Thunder Road Farm, Western Cider, and Chef Jason Cook of My Neighbor's Farm.

The menu traces the line between forest, field, orchard, and ember—cider in its many expressions, and the quiet, steady heat of wood-coal cooking permeating each course. Late-summer Montana ingredients meet techniques that have carried cooks through changing seasons for generations, alongside a few new ideas of our own. Seven courses paired with a selection of Western Cider’s harvest lineup, looking toward the future through a lens of tradition.

ABOUT THE CHEF:

Chef Jason’s cooking journey has taken him from smoky barbecue pits in the Southeast to award-winning coastal kitchens in the Pacific Northwest, gathering stories, techniques, and a deep respect for the people behind the food. Those years, those miles, and the lessons tucked inside them now converge here in Montana. My Neighbor’s Farm is a community-rooted culinary project built on craft, connection, and the belief that good food is a shared language. At My Neighbor's Farm, Jason is known for his meticulous, three-day doughnut process: a slow, intentional fermentation that transforms simple ingredients into something layered, expressive, and unmistakably place-driven. That same care shapes everything he cooks, from farm dinners to market mornings, always honoring local growers and the rhythms of the season.

ABOUT THE BEVERAGE PAIRING:

Western Cider is a beloved Missoula institution that offers easy going and traditional ciders, sourced from apples grown in the Bitterroot Valley and other Northwest Orchards. Their ciders are made in-house, and their tap room along the banks of the Clark Fork River serves up a delicious menu of rotating one-off, seasonal ciders as well as flagship staples. The evening's menu was designed with Western Cider's flavorful offerings in mind; each course will be complimented by a unique cider that will provide depth and complexity to the meal.

ABOUT THE FARM:

Thunder Road farm is a working farm and cattle ranch in Arlee, MT. Bryce and Gillian, along with their two daughters, produce grass-fed and grass-finished beef, and operate a raspberry u-pick which boasts nearly 20 varieties of raspberries. The Barn at Thunder Road Farm is available to rent for events, weddings, social gatherings and workshops.