About Epi’s

Epi’s Story

Maria Epifania (Epi) Lamiquis-Inchausti was born in the Spanish province of Viscaya (Biscay in English) on the 4th of February 1903. She was the oldest of eight children, seven siblings and an adopted brother, raised in a middle-class family in Busturia. While working as a seamstress in Ybarranguela, Epi met her future husband, David Inchausti, who had travelled to America in 1914 at the age of 12-14 to work on ships and help cook. They married in 1925 and had their first of seven children in 1926. 

Due to the severe economic depression in Spain in 1929, David traveled back to the Americas to make money to support his family and send travel instructions for Epi and their first born to come join him in America. After traveling by ship and train, they eventually reunited in Pocatello, Idaho. Despite not speaking English and only knowing one word - ‘coffee’ - Epi accepted a job cooking for the sheepherders coming in from the hills. With nothing but a couple of cookbooks, she was challenged to create culinary masterpieces from the desolate area of Idaho compared to the lush and beautiful terrain of Euskadi (The Basque Country).

The couple eventually settled in Hailey, Idaho, where they opened the Gem Bar in 1936. Epi had become very confident in her cooking skills, leading her and a few other Basque ladies to start cooking and serving Basque dinners for the public, which became an annual fundraiser for St. Charles of Boromeo Catholic Church. By 1946, they had a family of seven; six daughters and one son. 

The Gem Bar closed in 1954 and Epi's reputation for being a great cook and a hospitable hostess spread far and wide. She served many celebrities, including Janet Leigh, Tennessee Earnie Ford, Ernest Hemingway and even Colonel Sanders. . Epi served Sanders her chicken and he had to admit, “well don’t tell anyone, but it’s almost as good as mine!” Epi continued to cook in her home twice a week and also continued to do the Basque fundraisers yearly into the 1970s. 

Epi passed away in 1983 at the age of 80. Her legacy of hospitality and cooking continued to live on through her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In 1999, two of her granddaughters, Christi Ansotegui and Gina Ansotegui Urquidi, opened Epi's A Basque Restaurant in her honor. 

In July 2019, Epi's great-grandson, Erik McFarland and his family, took over the restaurant to honor the tradition and keep the legacy alive. Erik has worked in the restaurant for over 20 years, starting as a busser, dishwasher, waiter and, later, a cook. He attended Boise State University's Culinary Arts Program and now wants to create an environment where all are welcome and open to the Basque culture and its delicious food, love and family-like atmosphere.