The Rural Towns Project Podcast

Canyon Smokehouse was so good I ate there twice when I was in Bluff (UT). I talk to the owner (and town manager), Erin Nelson, about how and why she started the restaurant and what it’s like to be a small business owner who is also the town manager

Dax Jacobson Episode 41

In this episode, I talk to Erin Nelson, owner of Canyon Smokehouse in Bluff (UT) and Bluff Town Manager. Erin shares how she came to live in Bluff and own Canyon Smokehouse (it involves dark skies, small town life, marrying a chef and chasing their joint dreams). We talk about how hard it is to get financing in a rural, remote, small town, and how creative you have to be. Erin talks about how often they have to DIY solutions and the importance of community. With her town manager hat on, Erin shares the importance of pursuing mindful growth, a deliberate focus on small and medium sized businesses, and how she hopes for a diversification of economic opportunity (not relying on one industry) for all rural communities. Before we get to the Road Trip Music Question, Erin recommends the Smokehouse tacos with brisket and the Sand Island Recreation Area just outside Bluff.

Podcast music: “A Happy Day” by codemusic, http://www.jamendo.com, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/