Catholic Business Special Issue/Restaurateurs coach, volunteer and help feed St. Joseph Schools at fundraisers

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The Buttschardt family has been part of St. Joseph Catholic Schools since 2000; they are shown volunteering at one of the schools festivities.

OGDEN — Kymberly and Pete Buttschardt, the owners of Roosters and Union Grille restaurants in Ogden and Layton, have been supporting St. Joseph Schools for almost 18 years.

Their relationship with the schools started when their younger child, who now is a college sophomore, was 3 years old.

“The decision to enroll our kids at Saint Joseph came because one of my dearest and closest friends told me to try St. Joe, and so we did,” Kym said.

Before having children, the Buttschardts opened their first restaurant, The Union Grill in Ogden, in 1991. Roosters Brewing Company opened in 1995. They will be opening a third location of Roosters in Ogden, which will have canned beer, in mid-November.

 “The two small breweries in Ogden and Layton have been at capacity for the last couple of years,” Pete Buttschardt said. “In order to keep the shelves stocked and expand, we’ve been working to create a dedicated production facility and move to canning.”

Their story with the food industry began when the couple met at the University of Utah.

“I kind of grew up working at my parents’ restaurant,” said Kym, explaining that she never thought about continuing in that business when she first met Pete.

“Honestly, it is one of those ‘you can’t avoid your destiny’ stories,” she said, referring to the fact that after they got married they started their life in Ogden, which at that time was going through a process of revitalization, and they decided to start a restaurant.

 “We were very lucky to be at the grassroots level of it. We got this great opportunity when Ogden was starting with this revitalization, and it’s been a very big blessing to be part of the last 25 years of the renaissance of Ogden,” she said.

In 2000, when their oldest child started attending St. Joseph Elementary, their relationship with the schools began.

“They gladly support our elementary and high schools with their wonderful restaurant catering, time as volunteers at many of our school events, and with Pete coaching the high school mountain bike team,” said Sue Gogh, St. Joseph elementary schools admissions director.

For the Buttschardts, giving is a just natural thing to do.

“There are very generous people in the Ogden community, and for us it has been great to be able to share our resources and to see the other businesses do the same. There is a very generous spirit here in Ogden,” said Kym, adding that she thinks that giving spirit as well as “wanting to support our community has made the difference in our success.”

The St. Joseph Schools community has been a great blessing in their lives, she said.

“We have gotten so much more than what we have given and our boys feel the same. … They have said that now that they are in college they feel prepared and not just prepared in the academic part, but in all levels of how to be good human beings,” Kym said.

She always tells her children that attending or having attended St. Joseph Schools was a gift and a blessing, she said.

“For us to have invested in St. Joe, we expect them to go and do good in this world because they were given such a loving foundation and education,” she said.

Being humble in the way you give is also important, she said.

“My husband and I talk about this often, and because anything can change in a minute we feel that it’s a blessing for us,” she said. “We never want to take anyone or anything for granted. … We are blessed, and anything can change in a minute. Everything that we have, we feel it was given to us by God. We want to help to bless the lives of others. The school has been a blessing for our family.”