A Warm Hearth, Radical Hospitality, and an Endless Advocacy of Wilderness | GC06

Blake Spalding is the co-founder of the award-winning Hell’s Backbone Grill and Farm. She is a staunch equal rights and environmental activist, and practicing Buddhist who has tirelessly worked in a conservative, largely Mormon community to create a restaurant of love and health on the edge of Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

On this episode, learn about Blake and co-founder Jen Castle building cross cultural bridges in a town with vast philosophical and political differences; what the Buddha might say to Republican and Democratic leaders over a gourmet meal; that a warm hearth and fierce determination are not mutually exclusive; how environmental protection gains were undone but quickly restored in the effort to save Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument; coming to one another with the intention of building something beautiful as a key to common ground; and love being the ultimate renewable energy source.

About the Guest: 

Blake Spalding is the award-winning co-chef and co-founder of Hell’s Backbone Grill and Farm, located on the edge of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments. Blake and her business partner Jen Castle chose to start and operate their liberal grill and organic farm in the heart of conservative Utah country, to be in the best position possible to protect local wilderness areas and build a loving community.

A practicing Buddhist, staunch environmentalist, political activist, and a vocal supporter of women’s rights, Blake opened her fine dining restaurant in a town of 300 ranchers and Mormon faithful and has gone on to garner support of her community and the world over in the successful pursuit of protecting pristine wilderness. Blake leads us by example by operating a cutting-edge, holistic, and healthy workplace and powerfully bringing attention to the many causes she believes in. Come metaphorically break bread with her as she welcomes us into the warm hearth of her heart.

https://hellsbackbonegrill.com/

About the Host: Ken Streater shares eye-opening and heartening global experiences that reflect our shared dreams and concerns. A former international river guide and adventure travel outfitter who worked and played in 50 countries, Alaskan bush teacher turned social good entrepreneur, Fortune 500 consultant, bestselling author, and keynote speaker, Ken has seen first-hand how common ground blooms greater good. From angry hippo showdowns to nuclear missile attacks, from billionaire shenanigans to Siberian soccer wars to quiet conversations with everyday heroes, these and other interactions inspire him to create good change.

Ken’s just released #1 Amazon bestselling book, Be the Good: Becoming a Force for a Better World, is receiving rave reviews from movement leaders and readers alike. His podcast, Good Change: Conversations About Making a World of Difference is “where movement makers, industry leaders, visionaries, voices of hope, and everyday heroes gather to share ideas, laugh, and inspire action for greater good.”

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