Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi! My name is Sarah Bunton. I’m 33 and I live in Clancy, Montana with my husband, Scott. We have quite the zoo: two Golden Retrievers and 3 cats, ranging from 6 months to 16 years old. I work as an Employee Benefit Account Coordinator by day and most enjoy playing in my kitchen in the evening and on the weekends. I grew up in Billings, where you’ll find most of my family. I love road trips with Scott and our dogs. We mostly travel to places in Montana, but occasionally venture further (Banff and Jackson Hole were on the list last year).

What about being in the kitchen so inspires you?

I really love good food, making it and eating it. I get so excited about a new recipe and prospect of something delicious coming out of my kitchen. I am so inspired by the creativity that comes from the world of food and being in the kitchen is that outlet for me. I’m doubly excited when something comes out beautifully and tastes amazing, too. Roasted Lavender chicken anyone?

What is your favorite home cooked meal?

Anything pasta! Pasta is my guilty pleasure and generally, it has to be pasta with sundried tomatoes and red chili flakes (I like a little spice). I think my mouth just watered.

What does your perfect day look like?

Sipping some freshly brewed French press coffee in my cozy kitchen, perusing various cookbooks (favorites have consistently been Date Night In, Bowl+Spoon and My Paris Kitchen), and plotting my next culinary adventure. I’m also known to geek out on Pinterest looking for recipes. There might be some good music in the background and then I’m off to the store. There’s something so satisfying about filling my cart with fresh produce, knowing I get to come home and create something tasty with it. These days at home are quiet and rare, so I try to soak them up. I finally decide on a recipe and get busy putting the ingredients together. Scott is usually around to supervise the process and let me know when something needs more salt. I love that he enjoys eating what I make almost as much as I enjoy making it. If I’m feeling extra-fancy, I light some candles and we sit in the dining room and open a bottle of wine (even though I’m pretty much allergic to alcohol). Finally, dessert of some sort (vanilla panna cotta or flourless almond chocolate cake for two), and a good movie to end a lovely day.

How would your friends describe you?

Happy, sweet, and sensitive.

What is one of your favorite quotes?

“I love the relationship that anyone has with music: because there’s something in us that is beyond the reach of words, something that eludes and defies our best attempts to spit it out. It’s the best part of us, probably, the richest and strangest part…”

—Nick Hornby, Songbook

What about music? Do you have a favorite song or musician?

Yes! I love music. New, old, you name it. At the moment, Comeback Story by Kings of Leon. My other guilty pleasure is the yacht rock playlist, chock full of 80s hits. Nothing better!

Where do you most want to travel, but have never been?

I would love to eat my way through Italy or explore Portugal (where my paternal great-grandparents are from).

What is your favorite book?        

I have several favorites. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (David Wroblewski), MFK Fisher’s The Gastronomical Me, and City of Thieves (David Benioff) are some standouts.

Who from your past has most influenced who you are today and how?

Probably my mom. She’s taught me so many things. She’s the one who taught me it’s not a good idea to be in the kitchen on a bad day, and she’s right. She taught me how to clean as I go, and more important things like not worrying so much about what others think and do (let it roll off like water on a duck’s back), and compassion for others.

Coffee or tea?

Coffee, hands down. There’s something so comforting about stirring a sprinkle of sugar and a splash of cream into a steaming cup of brewed goodness.

Chocolate or vanilla?

Vanilla bean paste and Vanilla salt! These are some of my favorite ingredients.

Introvert or extrovert?

Extrovert. Scott is my true opposite in this category.

Rural or urban?

Both. I love living in the mountains outside of town, but I absolutely love visiting and exploring big cities too. Paris and Chicago have become some absolute favorites.

Dress up or dress down?

While I love to dress up, I don’t often get the chance to. I’d say middle of the road for this one. It’s amazing how a little eyeliner and some lipstick can make a girl feel pretty.

Cats or dogs?

Both-have I told you about our zoo? Two Golden Retrievers (Hejduk and Kleine) and three cats (Sidney, Maa-oh and Saffron). Dogs are so loyal, but cats have such unique personalities. They make for quite the entertainment.

Sunrise or sunset?

Sunrise. I’m not a morning person at all, but on the rare occasion that I’m out and about to see that first light come over the mountains, I can’t help but be so appreciative of the beauty that surrounds us living in Montana.

Detailed or abstract?

Detailed. Thanks to Scott, I’m a sucker for a beautifully painted landscape.

Classic or modern?

Classic

Call or text?

Call me!

Fiction or non-fiction?

(Historical) Fiction. I really enjoy authors who draw from history and weave a story into it.

Salty or Sweet?

Salty

What do you love most about Montana?

The immense beauty of the landscape that surrounds us and how it can be so different from one corner of the state to the other. I feel so fortunate to call such a place my home. Pine trees for miles outside my living room window and a different sky on my drive to work everyday.   The potential for adventure is always there, whether it be a drive into the woods for a Christmas tree or a camping trip outside of Red Lodge in the middle of July where you wake up to more than a few inches of snow.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?

I moved after living in Billings my whole life, to Clancy to be with Scott nearly four years ago. My family is so close and it was very hard to leave them behind.

For what in your life do you feel most grateful?

A partner and a friend in my husband. We’re still figuring out the whole marriage thing (going on two years), but I wouldn’t want to go through it with anyone else. The closeness of family and the love that we share with each other is such a constant in my life. Through hard times and good times alike, we have each other to lean on and spend time with. And the cousins who grew up with my sister and I. Like siblings, they are so special.