About Us
A very good friend of mine used to say “Nothing breaks the ice like breaking bread with someone.”
My son Brad will be the sixth generation of the Holt family to serve southern Utah and especially the Enterprise area in providing a good place to BREAK BREAD, eat good food and make rich memories with friends and family.
It all started with my great great grandfather, James Holt, when he settled near a small stream of water at the mouth of Holt Canyon. This became known as the Holt Town Site. Today the town site is only marked by a sign placed by the Forest Service. The Holt Family Cemetery sits on a small hill overlooking the area. It began when James buried his young granddaughter, Rosa, while her father was serving a mission for the LDS Church in the Southern States. The cemetery is still active today. My wife Anice, my son Ward and my grandson Ethan are buried there.
James and his sons along with their families created what we would now call a bed and breakfast. It served travelers moving by wagon or buggy along the old road from the railhead at Modena to St George. One well known guest was Wilford Woodruff, the fourth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While President Woodruff was staying at the ranch, my grandfather was a baby and had not yet been named. President Woodruff was asked to bless him and give him a name. He asked about a middle name and offered his own. My grandfather was blessed and given the name Joseph Woodruff Holt.
Grandpa grew up and married a Parowan girl named Mary Estella Adams and brought her to the ranch. Their first child Joseph was born there and passed away shortly after birth. Because of the sadness tied to that experience, they left the ranch. Afterward my grandparents opened a store and butcher shop across the street south of the old Stake Center in the middle of Enterprise. Later, Grandpa bought the furnishings from a small café in front of Snow’s Theater. He moved them into his butcher shop and opened a café called the Blue Bird Lunch Room.
My mother, Bess, was the School Lunch Supervisor for the Washington County School District while I was growing up. We lived in St George during the school year and in Enterprise during the summers. My father, Alma, farmed and ran cattle with his brothers Howard and Woodruff. During the summers Mom ran the Blue Bird after finishing her school duties. I peeled potatoes for french fries with my brothers Dean and Alma in the back while my sister Barbara helped Mom serve customers out front.
When I was seven years old I ran the cash register. I learned how to make change and became friends with many regular customers. Benny the Painter sipping coffee and Elbern Sagers enjoying soft serve ice cream at the counter are some of my favorite memories.
A Deluxe Burger always came with hand peeled french fries. A Bowler Special was a soft serve sundae served in a big sundae glass.
I invite you to bring your family and friends and BREAK BREAD with us. Enjoy a Deluxe Burger and a modern day Bowler Special. Make memories your children can share with their children.
We look forward to seeing you!
-Joe