FISHTAIL — On a typical Tuesday night, MontAsia, a popular restaurant in Fishtail, population 400, is usually closed.
That wasn't the case Tuesday, as customers filed in anxiously for a viewing party of the Food Network show "Chopped" — which featured MontAsia chef Lee Johnson.
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"This is a life-changing event," Johnson said Tuesday evening. "I never expected to watch myself cook on TV before."
Johnson said it was a dream come true getting to be on the show, which started with a phone call from the network urging him to apply.
“My wife is going to freak out,” Johnson said of his initial reaction. “And then came logistical concerns: Could I leave the restaurant and travel to New York City?”
His wife, Yokie Johnson, was certainly excited by the opportunity. She is an avid fan of the show and has seen every episode at least once.
"I watch it so much that sometimes my family is like, 'Again, with this?'" Yokie said.
Yokie is such a big follower of the show that she wrote notes for her husband about each of the judges' tendencies.
“I write down every little detail in a book so he can take it with him,” she said.
"She sent me with a spreadsheet of things to do and things not to do," Lee said with a smile.
Though Lee came up just short of the final two in the show, he said the experience was very fulfilling.
He thanked his wife — who pushed him to open MontAsia in 2022 — and also helped him finish the grueling application for "Chopped".
"I don't think I'm the best Montana chef," Lee said. "I’m the first Montana chef on the show, but that's because I have a stubborn wife. Once again, she was right."
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On Tuesday, MontAsia hosted a special viewing party, which featured a multiple-course meal that mirrored the secret ingredients Lee was required to use on the show.
"What a weird full circle moment to see yourself cooking on TV?" Lee said.
For the Johnson family, the event held even deeper significance.
Yokie is currently battling terminal cancer, and Tuesdays are normally treatment days where she spends much of the day in Billings.
“I have a really good care team," Yokie said. "They help me with quality of life and managing pain."
And that's part of what makes the event so memorable — happening at a time when Yokie could still see it.
"She always thought I was a superstar, so it’s really cool that she had a dream and manifested it and hung on long enough to see it," Lee said. "It's powerful. She believed in my future as a successful executive chef when I was just a dishwasher."
Yokie said the moment was even better than she could've imagined.
“I could not sleep since one o'clock this morning," Yokie said. "Just so excited to see him."
