Livingston, Montana, is a small town booming with great food and even better people. Visiting three businesses that bring their culinary expertise to the town gives a small taste of what the community is all about. The Livingston Community Bakery, The Fainting Goat Pub, and Campione’s have unforgettable atmospheres, hard-working and creative people, and food that brings people back. Each place has a unique presence in Livingston, where customers in the community enthusiastically donate their time to the bakery that funds the Livingston Food Pantry, an Irish Pub that brings various live music to mix with the already incomparable vibe from The Fainting Goat Pub, and the beautifully crafted food and hospitality that can not be missed from Campione’s.
Time and dedication have proven to be among the most essential aspects of the ethos in these restaurants. If these people did not put in the time and effort, none of them would be where they are today, and they would not be making as big of an impact on the culture of food and community in Livingston.
The Livingston Community Bakery, which officially opened in 2020, was built with productivity in mind, just like the Production Kitchen at the Food Resource Center, with high-quality equipment and ample space. Although this is a significant part of the operation, it is only a fraction of what makes the bakery unique.
The bakery came to fruition because of the Livingston Food Resource Center’s mission and vision, which is based on tackling food insecurity by addressing the root cause of poverty in the community. This is done in several ways, including breaking the conventional food pantry model by reducing the acquisition of overly processed foods.
There used to be a high stream of white bread going into the resource center, and Michael McCormick, a previous executive director, was not satisfied with that. White bread has very little nutritional value, and they wanted to improve the health of their clients.
“[He] wanted to create a bread that utilized local ingredients because of this, along with there being a lot of wheat being grown in Montana,” said Katie Going, the inventory and procurement manager. “So, we started in the production kitchen making a few loaves of bread a week to put in the pantry to see how it went with our clients, which they ended up really liking.”
Because the need for food had grown in the past few years, especially during the time of Covid, an influx of clients and the need for food grew, and the production kitchen matched this growth by making more bread, but the need for space is what led to the search of a new location to continue growing. So, that is how the Livingston Community Bakery came about.
One of the most significant impacts the bakery has made is being able to fund the Livingston Food Resource Center.
“This bakery not only helps us achieve our mission and vision through food, it’s also funding us – it’s acting as a daily fundraiser, which allows us to put more money back into the local economy,” Going said. “It brought in more jobs – we have eleven paid employees here, and we have numerous volunteers coming in and doing dishes, scooping cookies, and slicing bread.”
Despite the number of dedicated employees, the bakery relies heavily on its volunteer base, many of whom have come through the Food Resource Center. Something the bakery holds very high is ensuring the volunteers are educated on the mission. This has gotten people more excited to volunteer because they are witnessing the impact of what they are a part of.
With the help of all the volunteers and employees, the bakery has consistently produced high-quality, healthy foods from start to finish. They make their own butter, fold their dough, and prepare most of their goods 100 percent in-house, made fresh every day, which many bakeries do not. On top of this, they are as local as it gets. The bakery buys over 31,000 pounds of flour a year through Montana Companies, keeping the local economy’s cycle going.
“Our croissants are our top seller because the flour is all sourced from Montana,” said Gabby, the interim bakery manager and cake decorator. “So, we’re staying local – we’re staying organic.”
Along with the already extensive list of things the bakery and resource center have done for the community, they have also brought education sources to the Livingston community.
“One thing that I really love about this bakery and the job is that it has brought in a lot of training and education that we didn’t have beforehand,” Going said. “We have high schoolers who are apprenticing with Gabby and learning lifelong skills. Profits that we make here also go into summer food and backpack programs – all of these things that help.”
Something present in every aspect of The Livingston Community Bakery and the Food Resource Center is that everyone is working for the same mission and vision: to end hunger by addressing the root causes of poverty and the local economy.
The bakery’s expansion has produced opportunities for great-hearted people and shown only good intentions for the Livingston community. There will undoubtedly be more growth and opportunities in the future.
Open for just over a year now, The Fainting Goat Pub has exceeded expectations for the town of Livingston and its visitors, thanks to Sean McGovern and his two business partners, Azure Tarpy and Kyle Webling.
It takes a lot of work and dedication to see an opportunity like this through and watch it grow into a successful business – it also takes finding the right people to help make it happen.
Sean McGovern moved from San Diego, California, to Bozeman, Montana, in early 2020, right after COVID-19 began to emerge. Little did he know this move would mark the start of a life full of new friendships and experiences.
“I actually grew up in Maryland, then moved to San Diego, where I was stationed in the military, which I got out of in 2020,” McGovern said. “I decided it was time to try something new, and Montana seemed pretty appealing, especially during Covid because San Diego was pretty locked down. So, Montana seemed like a good option.”
Kyle Webling started his life in Virginia before moving to San Diego and then to Bozeman, where he worked with Sean as a bartender for Azure at the Bozeman Tap Room. This is where they all got to know each other over the years.
“[I] ended up bartending in Bozeman,” McGovern said. “Through that, I got a management job at a wedding venue working for [Azure Tarpy], and then we developed a relationship along with Kyle. The three of us were pretty like-minded, and we all were interested in starting an Irish Pub together if we could find something worthwhile to invest in.”
Not long after, a small bar in downtown Livingston went up for sale and the team made an offer on what would later become The Fainting Goat Pub.
“We were officially in business together,” McGovern said.
Azure Tarpy, with her previous business experiences – owning Copper Rose Ranch, a wedding venue in Paradise Valley, and being part owner of the Bozeman Tap Room – was a great addition to making the Pub come to life. Along with already being a local business owner, Azure is an interior designer – a woman of many talents.
“So, we made it happen. [Azure] comes in and puts her touch on it – turns it into this beautiful space,” McGovern said. “I mean, the place was already nice, but she put all her ideas into it.”
The Fainting Goat Pub officially opened its doors in late January 2023. Between the food being served and the staff at the Pub, it is the perfect environment for anyone who appreciates an excellent bite to eat and a Guinness.
“We’ve got some top-selling burgers, which are all local beef from a ranch in Belgrade,” McGovern said. “We have our Irish items as well. Even though Ireland is not necessarily known for its food, one thing we wanted to do was make sure we made it an Irish menu either way. So we’ve got things like shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash – those kinds of things.”
However, what stands out the most and sets the pub apart from other restaurants in Livingston is the unwavering atmosphere and live music that is hosted three to four nights a week. It creates a new and exciting environment for the community to sit down and have an excellent time while out for dinner.
While live music is played primarily by local artists, many people travel from different parts of the country during the summers on music tours, where they may get a gig at The Fainting Goat Pub. This is one of the many delightful surprises for anyone who walks into the pub’s doors, especially for those not from the area.
For Sean, one of the best parts about owning and operating The Fainting Goat Pub is being involved with the Livingston Community. Small towns like this are where many find precisely what they need.
“It’s such a unique town that within the first few weeks, you feel like you know everyone around,” McGovern said. “It’s a great town to live in. I lived in Bozeman for a year and a half, and Livingston is completely different – much more my speed. Other than the Yellowstone tourism in the summers, it stays a pretty local, friendly town.”
Campione is another restaurant that has built a name for itself in Livingston, thanks to Jeff Galli and his co-owners, Josh Adams and Anthony Safera. All three come from different backgrounds and have unique experiences and styles they brought when building Campione, and this is part of what kept them going.
“We opened in August 2020, which was in the midst of the global situation in an uncertain time. We didn’t know what was going to happen,” Galli said. “So, Josh, Anthony, and I decided that we would open, but it would just be us running the whole restaurant, which is ambitious for three people to run a whole restaurant.”
Even though the circumstances were not ideal, it was an excellent opportunity for them to open more organically. It gave them the room and opportunity to be completely hands-on with every aspect, from the preparation of the food to the execution, the service, the music and everything else. Doing it this way allowed them to work things out in a way they would not have if they had a more extensive staff in the early days of Campione.
“So, obviously, I wouldn’t wish to go through that experience again, but I will say that everything that happens has an opportunity with it, and if you look for these opportunities in situations, you can sometimes find that advantage you need,” Galli said. “That helped us become what we are today.”
Jeff grew up on the East Coast, where his family still resides, which differs significantly from Livingston. Growing up in a family that did a lot of camping vacations and outdoor activities, Jeff found that Montana had always been a state that had much romantic appeal to him in terms of all the opportunities — the beauty of the outdoor space and openness pulled him in.
“So, it’s great. I love being here,” Galli said. “I’m happy to call [Livingston] my home.”
Galli is highly grateful to be where he is. The area has allowed him to do all of this, which he had always hoped for.
“Anthony Safera runs the baking program, the music, and the Instagram profile. We have been rooted through our spouses’ families, which really is a great way to be introduced into Montana—it gives you a little street credit,” Galli said. “Josh has been here for ten years at least. He came for his own adventures and to check out the area and has been here ever since.”
Josh Adams, the chef at Campione, also grew up on the East Coast, but his parents were missionaries, so he spent some time in Taiwan as a child. These experiences have helped him develop a more worldly approach to his cooking.
Even though the food being cooked at Campione is very Italian, it is evident that the style is influenced by Josh’s experiences and knowledge.
This is one of the great things about their cooking – they do not hold themselves to any specific recipes or family traditions. They approach Italian cooking from an ingredient-driven point of view. The flavors are influenced by all of their experiences, especially Josh’s.
Campione’s philosophy of cooking is centered around not being completely rigid about how the food is cooked but being open to other cooking styles as well, then applying them in a very Italian way. Another part of this is bringing other aspects of the community into the mix.
“A lot of what we do is done in-house – we are a very much made-from-scratch restaurant. Most of what we produce is from start to finish,” Galli said. “We do use a lot of community resources when we need them, so the [Livingston] Community Bakery provides us with sourdough bread that we serve at Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.”
All the experiences have come together to make this restaurant what it is. Jeff, Anthony and Adam’s personalities have made for a unique adventure in building a foundation for Campione to continue growing.
Customers come back for more, and they bring their friends and family to Campione to showcase one of the things that brings people Livingston – the food, the community that has been created around it, and the people who make it happen.
“We all live here, this is our community, and this is what we know how to do,” Galli said. “So, I would have to say the best part of this experience has been that it benefits our community. People really do light up when they come here, and they look forward to it – they have great experiences and come back to have those experiences again. That’s the best feeling you can have – seeing that your hard work is appreciated and that people identify with it.”
Story by Ashley Beguin
Photography by Hope Schumacker & Ashley Beguin
