Today we’d like to introduce you to Catesby Carman.
Hi Catesby, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Catesby Carman, I am the GM of Xetava and Rusted Cactus in the Kayenta Arts Village in Ivins, Utah. Located about 11 miles west of St. George, Xetava has been in business since 2006, starting as a coffee and sandwich shop and then slowly transitioning into a full-service restaurant. Rusted Cactus started as a tapas bar in 2023 offering a full bar and curated cocktail list. In October of 2024, Xetava and its sister restaurant Rusted Cactus, changed ownership and joined our group with The Cliff Dining Pub and Cultivate Craft Kitchen, both located in Draper. I had worked at The Cliff Dining Pub for about 6 years as a bartender and then an AGM over front of house and the bar program when I was asked to move down to the St. George Area to re-establish these amazing restaurants with our brand. For me, it was a no-brainer, I had been visiting St. George my whole life, my grandmother was a huge part of the St. George arts community and festivals, and my family has long loved Xetava, it feels like it was meant-to-be. So, I quickly made the move down south and got to work getting to know the team who had kept Xetava running all this time. I can’t say enough good things about the staff we inherited. They are all talented and welcoming people who put a lot of trust in me and our ownership group to take the reins, particularly Jorma and Dylan our front of house manager and chef, respectively. The owners Matt and Nikki MacKay and Jason and Wendy Lewis really have a passion for the experiences that they create with each of their concepts, for Xetava and Rusted Cactus, most of that magic was already there, but it could be in accessible at times. The first and most major changes we have made since taking ownership are that Xetava is now open 7 days a week for lunch, dinner, and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, and Rusted Cactus is open for dinner every day except Sunday, and both locations take reservations via OpenTable and over the phone! We have also made some tweaks to Xetava’s menu to offer some more dinner options on our all-day menu, and you have your eggs made to order for brunch. At Rusted Cactus we now offer entrees worthy of date night along with the small plates the locals have come to love, speaking of date night we have a variety of luxury spirits to pair with the beautiful landscape that can be seen out every window and door in Kayenta. We are so excited to grow and offer the very best to Southern Utah.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There are no smooth roads in the restaurant industry. From big personalities to power outages, every day has its own set of challenges, but if you can’t take the heat, get out of the desert and the kitchen.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In my free time I like to create. I have a hard time separating my artwork from my career and I believe that my artistic ability has only served to benefit my career, I am so glad to have had the opportunity to express my creative self at The Cliff Dining Pub, Xetava, and Rusted Cactus. I use all kinds of mediums, but I started working with chalk while I was working at The Cliff, there is a chalk board wall right as you enter the bar side and I would do all kinds of artwork and calligraphy to promote our cocktails and beers of the month. One of the owners in our group, Nikki Mackay, is the CEO of Utah Foster Care, every year they host a chalk art/street painting festival to fundraise for the non-profit organization, and she encouraged me to participate. My husband and created a piece for the festival, raised some money, and were awarded best of theme for the piece in 2023. This spring we got to participate in the Kayenta Center for the Arts Street Painting Festival right outside of the doors of Rusted Cactus. It was such a rewarding feeling to be integrated into the Kayenta Art Village as both a professional in the restaurant industry and an artist in a community for artists!
Any big plans?
I am in the process of purchasing a home in Santa Clara, I plan to put together a studio space in my new home to keep creating artwork of all kinds. I am looking forward to having a big garden next year, this move has really gotten me spending much more time outdoors enjoying the red rock and fresh air. Other than that, I plan to keep working hard for this wonderful community, restaurant, and all of the great team members who have so gracefully accepted me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.xetava.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/xetava
- Other: https://www.therustedcactus.com
