Chef-Owned Inns
Jen Castle and Blake Spalding are the dynamic kitchen duo behind the Beard-recognized Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm (hellsbackbonegrill.com) in Boulder, Utah. This year marks their 27th season in the remote high-desert wilderness, and they’ve just added a 22-room lodge to their hospitality menu. That means guests will be mere steps from their famous Black Powder Biscuits, Spicy Cowgal Chipotle Meatloaf, Dinner Jenchilada, and fruits and veggies grown on their six-acre organic farm. A “Little Bone” food truck serves hearty breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day, too.
For the ultimate culinary splurge, two-Michelin-starred chef Patrick O’Connell’s The Inn at Little Washington (theinnatlittlewashington.com), located just over an hour outside of D.C. in Washington, Virginia, is renowned for its refined French-American cuisine and service savoir-faire. Sprinkle in 24 opulent rooms, suites, and homes for rent, and it’s easy to understand why this venerated hotel and restaurant has been on gourmands’ radars since opening in 1978.
In the Lone Star State, Chef Tim Love two-stepped into the hotel game a few years ago with Hotel Otto (hotelottoftw.com) in Fort Worth’s River District. The mini-resort is home to eight bungalows built from repurposed shipping containers, each decked out with queen-size beds, Hermès bath amenities, and rooftop decks. Guests also have access to a pool, bocce court, and the onsite Gemelle Restaurant, where Love creates dishes that are inspired by Italy’s Amalfi Coast and served with Texas-sized hospitality at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Bucket List Love
Jeremy George spent 52 weeks crossing 52 items off a bucket list that included cliff jumping, a 10-day bike ride, and sending handwritten thank-you notes. He called the experience “life-changing” and then founded BucketMatch (bucketmatch.ai), an online platform, community, and soon-to-be smartphone app he hopes will connect users with guides, activity experts, and fellow dreamers. As the calendar turns to a new year, George has a few tips for creating and crushing your bucket list.
First steps: Writing down goals increases the likelihood of success. But the magic really happens when you meet others who are chasing the same dreams or have already done it and can show you how. There’s no perfect idea, timing, or circumstance. Start where you are and with what you have.
What to include: They can include big adventures or silly goals. Even if the experience turns out different than expected, you learn from it and make memories, and hopefully a few new friends too. Benefits of a community: The courage to start, the support to keep going, and the joy of finally turning “someday” into today.
This article is featured in the January/February 2026 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.
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