Robert Neilson, also known as Bob the Butcher, owns the local game processing and butcher shop in Wolf Creek. Now he has opened his second business in the canyon: Ono Grinds Hawaiian Grill.
“They call me Bob the Butcher, and we started a game processing business that did really well, and now we have this food truck. I wanted to bring a little Hawaiian flavor to everyone and help my community,” Neilson explained.
After moving to Wolf Creek from Hawaii a year ago, Neilson has already carved out a space for himself in the canyon and wants to give back to the community for their hospitality.
“Everyone is his friend. (He just) came into the store and we started talking and he’s just a great conversationalist. He has a million stories, he’s done a lot, so he’s quite an asset to the community,” said Shawn Otheim, owner of the Canyon Store in Wolf Creek, where Ono Grinds Hawaiian Grill has set up shop.
Neilson said there was already a good variety of food options in Wolf Creek, but he decided he wanted to share his Hawaiian culture and love of Hawaiian food with his community.
“We’re bringing Hawaiian cuisine, so basically the cooking of the island, right? ‘Ono’ means ‘to eat well’ in Hawaiian and we basically try to cover all the bases. Growing up in Hawaii, that was our favorite food,” Neilson said. “Then the Hawaiian barbecue part tries to reflect the diversity of Hawaii, so there’s everything. Every ethnicity you can think of and that all falls under that. For example, we’re doing a kalua pork special today, which is traditionally the underground roasted pig in Hawaii, cooked with just fresh Hawaiian sea salt.”
He plans to operate Ono Grinds Hawaiian Grill every summer after the winter game processing season ends.
Neilson also explained that the community has already shown a lot of support, even though this is her first summer with the food truck.
“A lot of people from Hawaii live in Montana and a lot of them have missed this food for a long time, so they’re really happy about it,” Neilson added.
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They are open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in front of the Canyon Store in Wolf Creek through mid-September. For more information, call 406-202-8252 or email [email protected].
If you can’t make it to Wolf Creek this summer, don’t worry. He plans to offer Ono Grinds again next year starting in April.
