Basecamp Cafe has something for everyone

Classic cross-country skis, a panorama of the Swiss Alps and antique wooden ice axes help set the theme at Columbia Falls’ newest restaurant — the Basecamp Cafe on Nucleus Avenue. Thick wood-slab tables and overhead beams add to the decor.

Pierre and Camilla Emond opened the cafe for breakfast on Monday, Aug. 20. Pierre, who hails from Quebec, graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1998 and has 15 years experience in the restaurant business. Camilla, who moved to the U.S. from Norway 25 years ago, is a fiber artist who dyes raw wool and sells it around the world.

The idea of setting up their own restaurant solidified in the past four years, Pierre explained.

“The recession came and I lost contractor work in Whitefish,” he said. “I went to work for KRMC, but I was putting in long hours and not getting ahead.”

That’s when the two took a second look at life and decided to implement their dream.

“We sunk everything we had in this place,” Pierre said. “It was now or never. The time was right.”

The building on Nucleus was a residence that was zoned commercial and had once housed an antique store, Pierre said. He threw in all his contractor experience and rounded up help from some friends, but there were a few stumbling blocks along the way. Upgrading the city water service line to one-inch, for example, set them back $14,000.

“We went ahead and persevered,” he said.

The couple and their four children, Gabriel, 7, Auguste, 12, Sophia, 14, and Julian, 16 — moved from Whitefish about four years ago and settled on some land on Middle Road.

“It was getting a little crowded in Whitefish,” Pierre said.

The Emonds are very outdoor-oriented. They’ve hiked in places all around Europe and head off to Glacier National Park as much as possible, teaching their children about hiking, camping and cross-country skiing.

Their goal is to slowly build up menu selections as time goes by. The Basecamp Cafe will be open Mondays through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., serving breakfast until 11 a.m.

They offer a full breakfast menu — eggs, granola, omelets, scones, pastries, brownies, quick breads and Colter Coffee, from Kalispell. Specialty breakfast items include Belgian-style waffles, breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches. The barista behind the counter will offer a variety of espresso-type drinks.

The lunch menu includes a full range of sandwiches, including barbecue chicken, pulled pork and meat loaf, along with cold pizza and salads using local produce that’s in season.

“We want to keep food simple, real and recognizable,” Camilla said. “Our tag line is: ‘Remember, we only serve the good stuff.’”

The Basecamp Cafe also offers brown bag lunches for commuters heading off to work or locals and tourists heading off to Glacier Park or up the North Fork.

“We live in Columbia Falls now and wanted to do something for the community,” Camilla explained. “This is something for the local community. People here work hard, and we wanted to do something for them. This isn’t a restaurant just for tourists.”