A Ketchum native, local restauranteur and owner of the Covey restaurant Jesse Sheue spent years learning and honing his craft in other locales before settling back in to his hometown with his wife and son. The importance of family and community was a big draw and is apparent in his restaurant which he and his wife designed to have the feel of a big living room or kitchen where everyone can mingle, eat, and connect. Sheue got his start in the restaurant biz as a dishwasher—the worst dishwasher, he says—at Hailey’s CK’s restaurant when he was 23. “I was terrible but Chris [Kastner, owner of CK’s] took me under his wing and showed me how to act in a restaurant and what it takes.” From there, Sheue went to culinary school, a decision he regretted choosing instead of working in the industry. Sheue headed to the San Francisco area where he would stay for several years, opened up his own restaurant, working in La Jolla for Tony Di Salvo and Marco Ferraro at Jacks, then to Santa Barbara to work for John Pettitt. After marrying his wife Jane in Nepal and backpacking in Asia for a year, they came back …
What We’re Made Of: Art Connoisseur – Meredith Skillman
It’s no secret that the art and culture scene in Ketchum is akin to big cities like New York City. There are numerous concerts like the acclaimed Sun Valley Music Festival symphony performances and big names in indie, rock, jazz and more from the Sun Valley Center for the Arts. There are plays put on by the Company of Fools and the Spot and annual cultural events like the Wood River Studio Tour. But in terms of everyday art in Ketchum, nothing represents the scene better than Ketchum’s numerous art galleries. Displaying mediums from photography to sculpture and more, there’s a little something for everyone and it all caters to a sophisticated demographic. It was for this cultural scene that Meredith Skillman, the Gallery Registrar at Gail Severn Gallery, decided to call Ketchum, Idaho her home. “There aren’t many places in the U.S. where you can get the small-town experience and also work in art galleries,” said the North Carolina native who moved to the Valley seven years ago. Skillman had originally intended to be a musician like both her parents, even majoring in vocal performance at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill but switched to art history after …
Get Your Wellness On in Sun Valley, Idaho
While January has become “Wellness Month” in Sun Valley, the opportunities that abound to nourish the mind, body, and soul here are in full-swing year-round. After weeks of holidays full of eating, drinking, and socializing into the wee hours of the night, it’s time to hit “reset” and there’s no better spot to do it than Sun Valley. We’ve compiled a complete guide to planning your perfect wellness getaway month in Sun Valley. Where to Eat When looking to nourish from the inside out, there are several go-to spots in Ketchum that serve up tasty bites that are also healthy (most restaurants can also accommodate requests or have some healthy options on their menus). First up is Glow Live Food Café, an all-vegan, raw café serving up breakfast, lunch, smoothies, and juices. The café has sit-down seating available as well as a deli case of items to take to-go and a small store with vitamins, powders, and more for purchase. Try the Thai Noodle Bowl—made with zucchini noodles—or a yummy Power Smoothie. On Main Street, check out NourishMe, a café and store that features an assortment of organic seasonal produce, locally made and grown foods, bulk items, supplements and wellness …
What We’re Made Of: Higher Ground
In 1999 the Higher Ground organization began right here in Sun Valley, Idaho with a goal of using recreational therapy for people with cognitive, physical, and developmental disabilities, as well as active-duty military members and veterans. The extraordinary beauty, recreational possibilities and a community that believes that people of all abilities should be able to experience the healing powers of the mountains made Sun Valley an ideal incubator to bring this therapy to fruition. When they first started, it was just about teaching locals with disabilities how to use adaptive skis but their programming has since grown to include so much more. Today, locations for Higher Ground have expanded to the surf of Los Angeles—home to over 300,000 veterans—and the hiking trails of western New York, home to another one of the largest veteran populations in the country. Using top recreational therapists and mental health professionals, Higher Ground strives to give people of all abilities a better life, bridging the gap between disability and belonging. Programming Higher Ground offers two types of programming; one for recreation and one for military. Recreational therapy is defined by the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) and National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) as a systematic …
The Community Library’s “Hemingway in Idaho’s High Desert” Audio Walking Tour
The presence of author Ernest Hemingway can be felt all through the Sun Valley area. During his time here, he was a regular at many of Ketchum’s dining and drinking institutions, penned novels and short stories in its hotels, and enjoyed visiting many places that are still in existence today, albeit as new businesses. To emphasize just how much Hemingway was a part of so many places in this town, The Community Library is now offering a free 12-stop Hemingway audio walking tour through Ketchum and Sun Valley, Idaho
Mountain Humane: Not Your Average Animal Shelter
Mountain Humane in Sun Valley, Idaho is not your average animal shelter. This no kill shelter goes well above and beyond merely helping lost and abandoned animals. See what this leader in animal care brings to the community.
Cozy Up By the Fire: The Best Outdoor Fire Places in Town
No matter the time of year, there’s nothing better than cozying up to an outdoor fire. In a contained environment, there’s something magical about the mesmerizing, heat-providing flames dancing around. While campsites are often the best places to take-in this original caveman television, there are alternative ways to get your fix. There are plenty of Ketchum and Sun Valley establishments with their own outdoor fireplaces for patrons to gather around while enjoying a drink, waiting for a table, or after a long day on the mountain. We’ve compiled a list of the best outdoor fireplaces in town enjoy. The Warfield This restaurant, distillery, and brewery serves up elevated pub fare in its two-story establishment. The first floor is indoor dining (with its own cozy indoor fireplace section) but the second floor is dedicated to its rooftop dining, complete with its own bar and three outdoor fireplaces to gather around pre, during, or after-dinner. Outside Magazineeven described the rooftop bar as “the best spot in town to catch sunsets, especially while enjoying a Toothy Grin British Bitter.” The rooftop operates from roughly May through September, making it a go-to spot for long summer days! Rickshaw A funky neighborhood spot serving Asian fusion, Rickshaw …
Idaho BaseCamp: An Outdoor-Oriented Learning Oasis
Located halfway between Ketchum and Mackay up Trail Creek is Idaho BaseCamp, an oasis for both children and adults to explore the outdoors through education, workshops, and experiences, all while staying in one of the camp’s funky yurts or camped out in the maze that winds through the riverfront property. Founded in 1998 by Mathew Gershater, Idaho BaseCamp is an educational non-profit specializing in the building of one’s knowledge of environment, community and individual impact upon nature. In our modern world, connecting to nature has become even more of a priority, something that Gershater and Idaho BaseCamp recognize and seek to remedy through group and individual experiential and academic study. 5thGrade Outdoor Adventure Program While Idaho BaseCamp is a resource for people of all ages, the camp is particularly dedicated to educating our youth. Their 5th grade outdoor adventure program is free to every 5th grader in the Blaine & Cuter County School to make sure that youth in the area can have a chance to create a connection to Idaho’s wilderness and work on BaseCamp’s core values: personal responsibility, courage, and respect for all. Students spend three days and two nights at BaseCamp, starting the day with morning mindfulness in …
What We’re Made Of: Wood River Trails Coalition
Originally founded in 2011 under the name the Wood River Bike Coalition, the Wood River Trails Coalition (renamed so in 2019) is a non-profit trail stewardship organization working to create, maintain and sustain the Wood River Valley’s network for all users. With so many locals and visitors alike using the trails for walking, hiking, biking, and enjoying with dogs and horses, trails in the area take a pretty good beating every year. According to the Wood River Valley Trail Study from 2012, the Ketchum Ranger District of the Sawtooth National Forest alone sees over 90,000 user days annually, 35,000 of those being visitor user days. Harsh winters mean that trails need even more maintenance after the snow melts to ensure they are up to snuff for summer outdoor enthusiasts. It is with the help of the Wood River Trails Coalition that this is made possible. Partnerships With more than 500 miles of single-track trails for various uses, land management agencies are tasked with the job of maintaining this vast area. Without predictable annual funding to pay for a proper trail crew to maintain current trails and begin projects on new ones, the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have a difficult …
What We’re Made Of: Company of Fools
The Company of Fools (CoF) theater group has been putting on world-class stage productions in the Wood River Valley since the group relocated to Hailey in 1996. Founded in Rusty Wilson’s unheated garage in Richmond, Virginia in May 1992, Wilson and original CoF members Vicki Bodin, John Glenn, Denise Simone, Robert Throckmorton and Joel Vilinsky took inspiration for their name from an essay by visual artist Cecil Collins, “The Vision of the Fool”. Collins describes the fool as embodying truth, joy, creativity and a childlike wonder of all that is magical and mysterious. The CoF went on to launch three productions in their four years in the garage before Wilson and Simone relocated to Hailey to continue their work on the stage of Hailey’s Liberty Theatre, the Fools’ home. In November 2012, the CoF merged with the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, becoming part of what is now the largest arts institution in the state of Idaho. And now, over 20 years later, the CoF is recognized for its award-winning theatre and arts education programming it has brought to the community. The group and the individuals who make it up have been consistently recognized for their contributions to the arts; …