Originally aired on YPR’s Flavors Under the Big Sky
Jesse Pepper’s Smoke Shack is a family restaurant that embodies love and sentiment. Located in White Sulfur Springs once known as Brewer Springs—named after James Scott Brewer, who claimed the springs in 1866—the eatery was started by Melody Redding and her children, Lilli and Oliver Redding, along with her eldest son, Travis Kathan, in memory of their son and brother.
On October 24, 2020, Jesse Redding tragically lost his life in an automobile accident in South Dakota. When the accident occurred, he and his girlfriend, Steph Reece had just returned from Vermont to spend time with family – his mother Melody, and sisters Bailey and Lilli. He was en route to Bozeman to visit his brothers…