The new owners, who took over the establishment earlier this month, are turning it into a school for students to develop skills in culinary arts and hotel and tourism management. “The motel and restaurant will be living laboratories for our students,” said Lance Madsen, who will direct the program.

The “Horseshoe Mountain” name is staying for now and the menu at the restaurant, which is located on historical U.S. Highway 89, will have a heritage bend. We will be including Dutch-oven and other authentic cooking styles in our instruction, methods that were typical when that area of the state was colonized, Madsen said. “We will also offer a variety of heritage meals.”

Students will gain experience in cooking, catering and hosting banquets and weddings, as well as in motel management. “They will learn all of the different aspects of running a hospitality business,” Madsen says.

In addition to hands-on training and instruction, students will also take part in internship programs where they will gain additional work experience with local businesses.

A dormitory-type residence is planned nearby to house students who will enroll in the 18-month program. The first class of about 16 students is scheduled to start in June. “We hope to have about 84 students in the program eventually,” Madsen says. Students will be of high school age and older. “It is another option for students who are looking for an alternative to the traditional high school setting,” he says, adding the program will provide students with assistance with finishing high school credits and testing if necessary.

Madsen envisions the Horseshoe Mountain restaurant and motel school being part of a larger training and education effort — the Legacy Career Development Center.

He sees the center offering programs in timber craft, which will include constructing log cabins; cosmetology; tourism; and other training and trades programs. He and his partners plan to work with the state education system to make the programs accredited and transferable.

“The components will be developed in phases and facilitate the others,” Madsen says, adding they are still in the process of pursuing licenses and other necessary approvals.

“Our philosophy is that we help students get training and skills so that they can find successful, well-paying jobs,” Madsen says. For more information, call 1-800-462-9330.

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