Our Story

Chef Star Ironside is a twenty year veteran of the culinary world. She holds both a Diplôme de Cuisine and the Diplôme de Pâtisserie from the world-renowned French culinary academy, Le Cordon Bleu. Chef Ironside is a certified culinarian and holds various certifications through the American Culinary Federation (ACF). Chef Ironside has trained under two ACF Certified master chefs and has participated in several culinary competitions within the ACF world. If asked, her favorite award is from the United States Special Forces for her contribution to morale while living on Fort Bragg. Training her palate has taken her all over the US and the world. She has used her travels to create an exquisite form of flavor fusion for every palate. 

Currently she resides in the beautiful Flathead Valley with her husband and youngest son. Six years ago, Star and her husband Marty decided to take a break from the corporate world and open a taco truck under their initials S&M Tacos. It quickly took on a life of its own, being an extremely popular fixture among the local festivals, markets, events, and breweries in the valley. The husband and wife team decided to open up a brick and mortar restaurant with a similar name as their taco truck. 

In March of 2019, The House of S&M was born in The Emporium building, located in beautiful downtown Kalispell. Star fell in love with a vision she had for the building and put together an investment group to purchase it. Through blood, sweat, tears, and a lot of paint, Star and Marty took what was once a dilapidated building and turned it into a jewel of the downtown area. The Avenue at The Emporium is now an active indoor mini-mall and small event venue. As part of the plan to transform The Avenue at The Emporium, Chef Ironside transitioned The House of S&M to exclusively offer catering and private dining. 

A firm believer in the spirit of giving, Chef Ironside has a strong footprint in the local community. She is an Ambassador for the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce and sits on committees for the Kalispell Daybreak Rotary, My Montana Wedding, and Leadership Flathead. Her recurring radio shows on KGEZ, “Behind the Chef’s Table” and “Food Trends with Chef Ironside”, give her a chance to share some of her culinary expertise with local residents.