Sloan Storey
BY ISAIAH FRIZZELL
The first thing you notice about The Wylde Beet is the vibe. Gentle wood tones, plenty of space, and of course the comestibles. The chewy ginger snap is addictive so be careful!
Sloan Storey is the mind behind The Wylde Beet. We spoke on the 1 year anniversary of The Wylde Beet’s brick and mortar restaurant on Friday, February 14th.. Storey is the embodiment and expression of passion and commitment to the community. Her glow, gentle language, and striking beauty all come together to reveal how obvious the magic of The Wylde Beet came to be.
Storey started it all with a food truck, at weddings and festivals, almost as an experiment to see how her vision of vegetarian and vegan food would work in Idaho. Perhaps a tough crowd in the beginning it has become a destination for the health conscious, adventurous and fine minded folks who keep the community thriving. You’ll most likely see someone you know having dinner, getting some laptop work done and generally enjoying. It’s the coffee house vibe that Hailey has always needed.
With purely a community location, Storey is committed not only to serving perfectly prepared, only the best ingredients, vegan and vegetarian food but also educating and creating an exciting community. Talk to her! She’s affable, immediately graceful and keen to walk with you through the valley of plant based nutrition. Storey is an open mind and a firm believer in the natural splendor surrounding us. “I was a ski racer. Eventually moved on to Nordic skiing professionally for a while. I still do that with my dog and that’s what I’m doing in the winter mostly is Nordic and backcountry skiing or just walking around with my dog and then in the summer. I do mountain biking, running, hiking, and backpacking. Just enjoying the beauty. I’m obsessed with nature.”
Storey’s voice and diction are soft, beautiful and thoughtful. “Yeah I started in business school and then I thought that, honestly, it was like too selfish in a way? Haha.. And so then I went to health education and nonprofit work. I worked probably ten different nonprofits and I worked with the hunger coalition here for a couple years where I was mostly cooking in the kitchens. I studied nutrition which eventually led to plant-based nutrition. And I grew up mostly vegetarian here in town and so I know how limited it is for options.I honestly thought someone else was gonna do it!” But they didn’t and Storey built a mecca for artists and vibrant people.
“It’s a niche and a different kind of space. I really wanted to stay in Hailey and really create a community space. At the hunger coalition I learned how food is such a natural gathering point for people to create community and so I thought if I create a really Interesting community space it would also provide the opportunity for education around eating more plants and what it’s doing for our bodies and the planet and all the things.”
Every month The Wylde Beet hosts an open mic night which brings anywhere from 40-50 people ages ranging from teen to seniors. It is THE destination for surprising music, poetry, recitals and generally cool events. “We’re creating spaces for people to really come see different sides of their community, you know, jam sessions, there’s these strum alongs on Saturday where you can just show up and there’s a bunch of instruments and you can strum along with whatever instrument. We got a community potluck that’s being organized. So I’m down for it. That’s why I did this. I think it’s because our community is looking for people that show up for their community.”
Storey has created something crucial to the arts and community vibe of Hailey and Sun Valley. This is what Blaine is about. Check out their open mic night, the incredible range of dishes she serves all hand made from excellent ingredients and propose an idea! The arts scene is building again along with the LIberty Theater. We have so much to look forward to in our Valley and community beauty is thriving again.
Check out their website: wyldebeet.com
Listen, the ginger snap is an expression of beauty.
