In 2000, two chefs, Jen Castle and Blake Spalding decided to open a restaurant in Boulder, Utah—not Boulder, Colorado, Boulder, Utah. The town had 250 residents, mostly Mormons, not a single traffic light, no internet—it was and is one of the most remote places in the US. But it’s within the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, a place so beautiful it attracts visitors from all over the world. The visitors had to eat, right?

In a business that has notoriously small profit margins, the two Buddhists wanted to create a restaurant that would pay employees living wages, treat them with respect, and serve only organic produce they’d raise or buy from nearby farmers (in a place with far from ideal growing conditions), all while keeping prices as low as possible so people didn’t have to be rich to eat there. People in the biz can tell you that’s a formula for total disaster.

Castle and Spaulding forged ahead and now, while teetering repeatedly on the brink of financial ruin, they employ 50 well-paid people, farm their own six-acres, serve indigenous dishes of the region, attract foodies as well as hikers from far and wide, and have won a stunning array of national awards for their great food.

When the Trump Administration removed federal protection from half the acreage in Grand Staircase Escalante, opening it to commercial mining, people began driving all-terrain vehicles through the ancient pinyon pines and junipers. And people attacked Castle and Spaulding, who loudly protested the desecration of this precious place. They were threatened. They got hate mail. Tires of cars at the restaurant were slashed. The restaurant was vandalized. The current Administration restored federal protections but feelings still run high among people who think public lands should be available for commercial development.

Moving into their 25th year of doing the restaurant business righteously, Castle and Spaulding were recently rescued from bankruptcy by an outpouring of financial support from people who love the Hell’s Backbone Bar & Grill. And the two chefs will keep speaking out against any despoilers of Grand Staircase Escalante.