vol. 3 no. 4 • april 2017 • grow
Star of India p. 22
Utah’s School Garden Programs p. 14
Unlocking Your Inner Chef p. 33
It’s time to
Sensational Salads p. 10
Utah Restaurant Association
p. 58
Devour Utah • April 2017 1
2 Devour Utah • April 2017
Devour Utah • April 2017 3
Contents 10 14 22 24
Salads to Satisfy
Four anything-but-routine restaurant salads BY MAYA SILVER
From the Ground Up Utah’s school garden programs BY DARBY DOYLE
The Spread Star of India
BY AMANDA ROCK
A Growing Demand for Freshness Tracking fresh-grown foods from farm to table
BY MOLLIE MCCONAHAY-SINDER
4 Devour Utah • April 2017
30 33 38
The Deconstruct Oasis Café’s paprikacrusted chicken BY TED SCHEFFLER
Playing Chef
Getting creative at DIY eateries BY MAYA SILVER
Chef Arturo Flores
Chimayo’s chef cooks from the heart BY AIMEE L. COOK
44 58
Going Green
Fresh cocktails for springtime sipping BY DARBY DOYLE
Last Bite
Trusting your gut BY JOANNE MILLER
Devour Utah • April 2017 5
DEVOUR CONTRIBUTORS STAFF Publisher JOHN SALTAS Editorial Editor Copy Editor Proofreader Contributors
Photographers
TED SCHEFFLER SARAH ARNOFF LANCE GUDMUNDSEN AIMEE L. COOK, DARBY DOYLE, MOLLIE MCCONAHAY-SNIDER, JOANNE MILLER, AMANDA ROCK, MAYA SILVER
Writer and recovering archaeologist Darby Doyle highlights hip SLC as a cityhomeCollective contributor. She also blogs about boozy experiments at abourbongal.com.
NIKI CHAN, DARBY DOYLE, CAROLINE HARGRAVES, JOHN TAYLOR, JOSH SCHEUERMAN, MAYA SILVER
Production Art Director Assistant Art Director Graphic Artists
DEREK CARLISLE BRIAN PLUMMER SUMMER MONTGOMERY, JOSH SCHEUERMAN, CAIT LEE
Business/Office Accounting Manager Office Administrator Technical Director
PAULA SALTAS NICOLE ENRIGHT BRYAN MANNOS
Aimee L. Cook writes for several local publications. She enjoys reviewing all things art, entertainment and food related.
Marketing Marketing Manager
JACKIE BRIGGS
Circulation Circulation Manager
LARRY CARTER
Sales Magazine Advertising Director Newsprint Advertising Director Digital Operations Manager Senior Account Executives Retail Account Executives
JENNIFER VAN GREVENHOF PETE SALTAS ANNA PAPADAKIS DOUG KRUITHOF, KATHY MUELLER LISA DORELLI, NICK SASICH, JEREMIAH SMITH
Born and raised in Indianapolis, Ind., Mollie McConahay-Snider relocated to the Pacific Northwest following college. After a decade of working in the Oregon wine industry, she earned her Le Cordon Bleu culinary arts degree from Portland’s Western Culinary Institute. A former chef at Salt Lake Culinary Center, Mollie is now a freelance food and beverage writer, performs cooking demonstrations around Salt Lake City and is currently completing her first book.
Cover Photo: Grandma Flores’ Tortilla Soup by John Taylor Distribution is complimentary throughout the Wasatch Front. Additional copies of Devour are available for $4.95 at the Devour offices located at 248 S. Main, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 • 801-575-7003 • DevourUtah.com Email editor at Ted@DevourUtah.com Advertising contact: Sales@DevourUtah.com
Copperfield Publishing Copyright 2017. All rights reserved @DevourUtah
6 Devour Utah • April 2017
@DevourUtah
@DevourUtah
Amanda Rock is a freelance food writer with a passion for local vegetarian fare. She blogs at amanda-eats-slc.blogspot.com
Spring Fling for Foodies!
Photos, from left to right, by: Pepper Nix, Lindsey Shaun, Melissa Kelsey
Join us
At the beautiful McCune Mansion for a perfectly selected 5-course dining experience curated by Mary Crafts-Homer. Butler-passed hor d’oeuvres, and a signature event cocktail provided by Sugarhouse Vodka will start the evening. This exclusive pop-up has limited seating! Reserve your space by visiting Devourutah.com
Friday, May 12th at McCune Mansion $125 includes 5-course meal and signature event cocktail
Full menu and tickets available online at devourutah.com
Devour Utah • April 2017 7
Growing Up Wisely
Celebrating growth, gardening, good foods and the promise of spring
H
ere at Devour Utah, we’re all about growth. With your help and support this magazine has, in a short time, expanded from a quarterly publication, to bi-monthly and then a monthly one. That is testament to our readers’ appreciation of great food and drink, as well as to our writers and photographers, who fill these pages with delectable content. With spring knocking on our door, it’s appropriate that we should dedicate this issue of Devour to growth. We’ve already begun weeding, tilling and planting our gardens and eagerly anticipate the bounty they will bring. This issue celebrates growing in many forms. Aimee Cook profiles Chimayo chef and Mexican immigrant Arturo Flores on his maturation in an American restaurant kitchen. Maya Silver offers strategies for cultivating your own inner chef, and tasty places to explore your creative culinary side. She also explores four sensational salads for your springtime noshing. Teaching our children about the richness of the Earth and of nature is the cornerstone of garden programs in Utah schools, and Darby Doyle recounts, season by season, the ways that education can engage our kids in growing and eating produce, getting their hands into the soil and creating a healthy, wholesome lifestyle. Without the third-generation Nicolas and Co., a lot of Utah restaurateurs and chefs would probably have to settle for frozen produce. Mollie McConahaySnider sits down with folks from Nicholas and Co., BUG Farms and Tupelo restaurant in Park City to dig into where they find local growers and purveyors with the freshest flavors. As we all live, love, learn and grow together, we hope you’ll enjoy this Grow edition of Devour Utah. ❖
8 Devour Utah • April 2017
AMY HUNT
—Ted Scheffler Editor
Devour Utah • April 2017 9
salads to
Satisfy Venturing beyond the simple house salad BY MAYA SILVER
10 Devour Utah • April 2017
A
JOSH SCHEUERMAN
s the days grow longer, we’re weaning ourselves off heavy winter foods and starting to eat a little lighter. But there’s nothing worse than making the healthy choice only to find yourself still hungry and dreaming of cheeseburgers. Friends don’t let friends fall victim to sad salad situations, so we’ve rounded up four delicious salads that will fill you up without breaking the bank.
Beet & Goat Cheese Salad - $8.29
Glass Noodle Salad - $12.95
A restaurant with “Chicago beef” in its name doesn’t exactly sound like the place to scout out sensational salads. But while there’s plenty of beef on the menu, a large selection of salads also presides at this family-friendly spot. So, if your dining companion insists on a burger and fries but you’re dead set on a salad, you won’t have to settle for the only subpar Caesar on the menu. The beet & goat cheese stands out for its creative take on what is approaching a salad stereotype. Cubby’s goes oh-so beyond the standard beet rounds and goat cheese by adding juicy orange segments, toasted pistachios and avocado to the mix, all tossed in an orange balsamic vinaigrette. Make it more filling by adding chicken or tri-tip steak—or spring for a housemade shake on the side.
Sala Thai Kitchen 677 S. 200 West, SLC 801-328-2499 salathaikitchen.com
JOSH SCHEUERMAN
If the idea of foregoing pad thai or another noodle dish at a Thai restaurant is too much to bear, then the glass noodle salad at Sala Thai offers the perfect compromise. Chef and owner Jitrada Dreier serves cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, onions and fresh cilantro over a mound of thin, translucent glass noodles in a light citrusy sauce with umami undertones. Choose pork or shrimp for a protein kick, and also pick your own heat level, from mild to Thai spicy for the daring. This huge salad will leave you satisfied and likely with some leftovers, too.
Cubby’s Chicago Beef Multiple locations cubbys.co Devour Utah • April 2017 11
Smoked Salmon Salad $14.04 This salad more than makes up for its price tag with its crown jewel: salmon lovingly smoked in-house. Ruth’s cures the salmon overnight in garlic, salt and sugar. Then the fish is smoked for four hours, finished in the oven and tossed in garlic butter. Served with red onions and capers, you’ll almost feel like you’re eating a bagel with lox and the works. Toasted almonds add crunch, while a housemade salsa vinaigrette— made with minced veggies, oil, red vinegar, spices and a dash of Tabasco—keep things zesty.
JOSH SCHEUERMAN
Ruth’s Diner 4160 Emigration Canyon Road, SLC 801-582-5807 ruthsdiner.com
Salad with Egg Salad – $9.24 In the back of Park City’s Fairweather Natural Foods, you’ll find a warm, colorful deli with some of the best lunch deals in town. And if you go for a salad, you’ll meet your daily veggie dose stat. Organic mixed greens come piled high with shredded purple cabbage, carrots and beets; diced tomatoes, cucumbers and red peppers; slivers of avocado; and crumbled feta. Choose from one of the housemade dressings—like creamy tahini—then top it off with a scoop of protein such as egg salad— creamy without drowning in mayo, and flecked with celery. Complete the meal with a selection from the organic juice bar. ❖
12 Devour Utah • April 2017
MAYA SILVER
Fairweather Natural Foods 1270 Ironhorse Drive, Park City 435-649-4561 fairweathernaturalfoods.com
ONE WORLD FESTIVAL
Fundraiser & Global Intention
SPRING YOGA FESTIVAL Saturday, May 6th, 10am-5pm Prominent Instructors (Classes for all levels) Tickets: $12 (all day pass) Awaken inner joy, new life, and vitality. Yoga, music, mind, body & spirit workshops, ecstatic dance, authentic Indian food. Raffle goes to One World Humanity environmental & Indigenous fund.
Location: Salt Lake Krishna Temple, 965 E 3370 S, Salt Lake City, Utah
MAYDAY FESTIVAL Sunday, May 7th 4pm-11pm Traditional Beltane May Pole Ceremony, dancing, Fairy Garden and Pot luck BBQ. All are welcome, children love the May Pole celebration – love offering goes to One World Humanity for Indigenous and Environmental causes. Free Admission, donations appreciated.
Location: Big Blue Fae house 557 Driggs Ave 2370 south
ONEWORLDSTUDIO.COM Devour Utah • April 2017 13
Growing garden programs in Utah schools
By Darby Doyle Photos Courtesy of WCG
“G
ardening is an incredibly powerful experience, especially for kids,” says Liz Pedersen, Wasatch Community Garden’s school garden coordinator. As administrator of WCG programs at schools throughout the Salt Lake Valley, Pedersen has seen first-hand how integrating gardening and education, especially in the K-6 setting, has both immediate and long-lasting results. “Getting kids in the garden and having them grow, harvest and eat the fruits and vegetables they’ve taken care of is really empowering,” she says. “It makes a big difference in many areas—from understanding where food comes from to encouraging students to try eating more and different kinds of veggies. It’s a win-win.”
14 Devour Utah • April 2017
Students, teachers, parents and community volunteers have come together to establish and nurture school and community garden sites integrated into science, math and arts curriculum for every age and ability. Many public, private and charter schools have constructed school gardens ranging in size from a few classroom window boxes in preschool playrooms to full-scale greenhouses, dedicated indoor grow rooms and year-round farming at K-12 schools. No matter the level of effort or involvement, each school environment has its own challenges and triumphs. Just like digging in the home garden, there’s always something new to learn in every season.
Spring
“By using school gardens as an educational tool,” Pedersen says, “the School Garden Program is dedicated to encouraging kids to get outdoors, get their hands in the dirt and broaden their food choices” when they cultivate and eat garden bounty. Overwhelmingly, national and international studies have shown that garden-to-plate education also makes for healthier kids who over time will independently make nourishing food choices and develop a more adventurous palate than students who are not exposed to planting, harvesting and eating the food they’ve grown. According to Pedersen, “Some teachers start planting boxes in classrooms over the winter to have seedlings ready for the garden, but most of our garden curriculum focuses on having students plant seeds directly in the ground” in early spring. Through grants, local business support and parent volunteers, WCG has developed a three-tier grant-distribution and staffsupport program, she says. “Anyone who applies can get help from WCG. For some schools with a lot of PTA involvement, their needs are mostly on the supply and training side, but are pretty self-sufficient otherwise with community volunteers,” who oversee planting, maintenance and harvesting along with faculty interaction to incorporate school gardens into math and science curriculum. For example, when Bonneville Elementary’s school garden was established in 2012, WCG provided an irrigation expert to install a drip watering system in cooperation with school district maintenance supervisors and trained parent volunteers to maintain the system. Once established, WCG annually provides seeds, transplants and educational resources, including a monthly school garden e-newsletter, Seedlings, with planting tips and kid-friendly recipes straight from the garden. Pedersen’s work at a handful of Salt Lake City Title I schools is more involved. “We have lots of discussions with teachers,” she says. “The education component of the garden curriculum is really driven by their needs. They know what they’re doing; it’s my job as garden
Liz Pedersen
Devour Utah • April 2017 15
Fairpark Garden Real Food Rising
coordinator to make sure they have a healthy, safe, fun and interactive garden space to teach” at Escalante, Mountain View and Lincoln Elementary and other participating schools. Under current Salt Lake City School District guidelines, public school gardens have very specific soil preparation and maintenance requirements to ensure student and teacher safety (such as using traceable commercial compost, no exposure to petroleum and other contaminants, etc.) and basic food-safety procedures for washing and minimally processing garden produce. The WCG garden K-6 curriculum also integrates in-garden tasting menus with science and math education. But the SLC district school garden harvests have some limitations. Pedersen says that “current rules do not allow us to take food from the garden to the cafeteria,” or to do any 16 Devour Utah • April 2017
cooking. “We can consume foods from the garden raw in either the garden or the classroom,” after thorough washing. Pedersen doesn’t see this as much of a drawback to either the program or the students’ enthusiasm: “We have a series of four workshops and lots of resources to get schools to grow and eat food produced right in their gardens.” Dancing Moose Montessori School’s Master Gardener Nichole Mathews agrees. “Spring is an exciting time of year to be in the garden,” she says. “A lot of planning goes in to getting the spring planting jump-started” at the 2012 Best of State Award-winning school garden, which serves their pre-K through second-grade community. As a private school, Dancing Moose Montessori’s garden program adheres to health and safety requirements, but their garden and school nutrition programs can be more flexibly
incorporated. “We have a school chef on site who prepares all of the meals from scratch, with no pre-processed foods,” school chairman Michael Sibbett says. “Nichole plans ahead with Chef Pepe to figure out what he needs in the school kitchen.” Mathews designs each year’s garden season with that menu consultation in mind. In addition to grape vines, berry bushes, a giant teepee covered in bean vines and 50 row boxes for planting, the school garden features a variety of fruit trees. “We intentionally planted varieties that stay low to the ground so that young children can harvest the fruit without getting on ladders,” Sibbett says. “There’s one apple tree—probably the most expensive one we have— that’s been grafted to produce five different types of apples on the same tree. The kids are absolutely fascinated by the science going into that tree.”
wahoo......
St. John the Baptist Elementary
Summer
Considering in advance the available support and coordination of a school garden during the summer months is crucial, Pedersen says. “Schools with a robust volunteer network can maintain summer gardens when school isn’t in session, but that’s not the case for all school gardens,” while WCG summer programs focus on kids camps and youth outreach programs June-August. Skaggs Catholic Center Master Gardener Monica Bathurst has extensive experience with this challenge, overseeing the school’s bountiful crop yields at the campus serving K-12 students at St. John the Baptist elementary and middle schools and Juan Diego High School. “We have an awesome crew of volunteers who tend, weed and harvest in the garden when school is out for the summer,” she says. “It takes a lot of work, but people come and volunteer for a day in the garden and then they’re hooked. It’s very rewarding.” Like Dancing Moose Montessori, the Skaggs community garden falls under private jurisdiction for food production, processing and integration with the cafeteria program. Fresh corn on the cob, tomatoes, soybeans, sweet peppers and greens of all varieties sourced from the school garden are frequently (and popular) on the cafeteria menu. Come summer, those bumper crops are divvied up among volunteer families and are donated to the Feeding the Hungry Catholic Charities program. Bathurst says that summer volunteers— many of whom are students—also take the entrepreneurial initiative to fundraise for the garden in a pinch. “Last August after we had a huge hail storm that absolutely pummeled our tomatoes followed by crazy heat, garden volunteers brought loads of the bruised and cracked—but still delicious!—produce for sale after Sunday Mass, like a mini farmer’s market,” she says. Showing that they take their gardening seriously but not themselves, photos of Pope Francis accompanied the produce for sale with printed phrases like “Don’t judge,” and “Our tomatoes crack us up!” “We sell out after every Mass,” Bathurst continues, “and it all goes back to the garden or to Feeding the Hungry” charity.
fish tacos
Devour Utah • April 2017 17
Autumn
“Kohlrabi. Seriously, who knew it’d be a huge hit?” Bathurst says about the surprise enthusiasm for both growing and eating from the garden. From colorful twisty carrots to exotic greens, she says that while there have been some hits and misses, most of the school garden’s selections have paid off. She credits Draper City administrators for giving the Skaggs community garden a big boost in 2011, with the city’s proposal to finance the school’s extensive greenhouse and equipment expansion in return for the garden selling produce at the Draper Days Market for five years. As part of the Utah fourth grade science curriculum, students study plant propagation and cellular biology, and St. John the Baptist teachers and students have met that challenge with vigor. “The students do research on all the produce they’ll be selling at the spring plant sale, market and the Fall Fest. They need to know what the plants are, how they were grown and how to cook them,” Bathurst says. 18 Devour Utah • April 2017
The fall harvest is also a crucial fundraising endeavor at Dancing Moose Montessori School, where their Scarecrow Festival draws more than 600 attendees to support the school’s gardening initiatives. Going on seven years, the festival includes live and silent auction items, with a highlight being the school-grown pumpkins and squash. The school garden—which is adjacent to a municipal golf course—is also brimming with opportunities to teach students about fauna, in addition to flora. “We know that birds and insects will eat some of the plants,” Mathews says. “And there’s a fox that lives on the fringes of the course.” Insect education can be more of a challenge: Kids love butterflies but are more wary about potentially stinging bees and wasps. Sibbett says that gardening also teaches patience, and Montessori philosophy underscores the notion that “everything has a time and place.” “Sometimes we need to be patient and wait to harvest the apples when they’re ripe, as tempting as it may be to pick
them early,” he says. Liz Pedersen of WCG grins with the irony of the school calendar not meshing particularly well with the garden cycle. “When school starts, we’re looking either at what was planted already over the summer, or what we can grow as fall crops,” like greens, carrots, herbs or fast-growing peas. And those fall harvests are a great introduction to gardening at any level. When I volunteered in the early years of the Bonneville Elementary program, we used garden surplus for the annual Teacher Appreciation dinner during SEP week, from tomatillo salsa to pasta sauce and squash stew. Full disclosure: From the perspective of this garden volunteer, it’s an even greater incentive that Skaggs Master Gardener Bathurst uses garden tomatoes, herbs and peppers to make killer bloody marys for the private school’s volunteer appreciation party each fall. Jill Bell, a full-time gardening teacher at Wasatch Waldorf Charter School, believes that gardening is a year-round endeavor, especially when integrated
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into the arts and sciences. She says the music teachers “have requested that we grow particular herbs in the garden,” with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme echoing the lyrics of the Simon & Garfunkel tune ‘Scarborough Fair’ during music lessons. The garden program includes both lyrical ingredients and the instrumental platform; “We’re planning to grow gourds for use as musical instruments this season,” Bell says. Sounds like an opportunity to shake things up in the classroom and beyond.
Winter
With the exception of some indoor plants in classrooms, most school garden programs go into hibernation until the snow melts. This is definitely not the case at the Skaggs Catholic Center garden, where a dedicated plant grow room complete with water supply and lighting was planned during school construction. On a
20 Devour Utah • April 2017
blustery February afternoon, Master Gardener Bathurst greeted me with a huge smile and cheerful dirt-smudged wave of her hand at the school’s grow room. Expansive south-facing windows show that it’s dumping snow outside, but in the high-ceilinged classroom is verdant and bright, smelling of fresh soil and the slightly citrusy scent of the basil Bathurst has been moving from tablesized grow trays to small individual pots. Bathurst says most of these plants are destined for the annual school plant sale fundraiser, which is held in Draper around Mother’s Day weekend. With more than 5,000 plants available for sale, the spring fundraiser and harvest Fall Festival almost entirely support the school garden program, which utilizes the grow room, cold frames, a 50-by-200-foot greenhouse and extensive garden beds on the school campus. “Everyone’s life here is affected by the garden,” says Bathurst, who as full-time paid staff oversees the garden operations year round with
Sister Celine Dounies of the Holy Cross Order. Dancing Moose Montessori Chairman Michael Sibbett concurs that gardening is crucial to whole childhood education. “Start ’em young, so they appreciate where their food comes from and it will become a lifestyle,” he says. And he has a lot of community testimony to back up this claim. “Every year we invest in more features for the garden experience for our students,” he continues. “I knew it was all worth it when I had a dad in tears telling me he could not get his children to eat vegetables until they started planting by seed, watching it grow, and then harvesting the vegetables for our chef to prepare and serve. He ended by saying he can’t keep enough broccoli in his home for the kids to eat.” For more information about school gardening curricula, joining a community garden or volunteering, visit wasatchgardens.org ❖
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Star of India An Indian culinary classic in a new location.
S
erving authentic Indian food since 1990, Star of India is one of Salt Lake’s most beloved Indian restaurants. In early 2017, they moved from their original downtown location into the Ramada on North Temple. You’ll find the decor basic, yet comfortable and appealing. Gone are the colorful murals and Bollywood films playing, but you’re there for the delicious Indian food, right? One of the best things about the move is the ample free parking. It makes picking up to-go orders a cinch. Order from their website, which is quick and easy, and your food will come packaged neatly in plastic containers—there’s no risk of a curry spill in your car and leftover smells won’t infiltrate your fridge. The menu hasn’t changed at the new location. It still features Star of India favorites like chicken tikka masala, rogan josh and chana masala. Other staples include samosas—fried turnovers filled with ground meat or veggies—a quintessential Indian appetizer. Naan, bread baked in the Tandoori oven, comes filled with meat or cheese or plain— perfect for sopping up any extra curry on your plate. The lunch buffet ($10.95) is a fantastic deal that’s available weekdays 11 a.m.2 p.m. Choose from a wide selection of curries and sides. The options vary, but you’ll usually discover four meat entrées including chicken and lamb (or sometimes goat) and plenty of vegetarian items like coconut curry and dal makhni. Heaps of basmati rice, noodles, breads and appetizers make overeating way too easy. Try to leave room for dessert: The gulab jaman—deep-fried balls of pastry drenched in sweet syrup—are luscious. ❖
Paramjit Kaur
Avtar Singh
—By Amanda Rock Photos by Niki Chan
Star of India 1659 W. North Temple, SLC 801-363-7555 starofindiaonline.com
Devour Utah • April 2017 23
GROWING DEMAND FOR
W
hen restaurant chefs have steady access to high-quality fresh ingredients, a doorway to innovation is opened. However, finding access to top-notch produce is often a chef’s greatest challenge. Let’s face it, folks: Fruits, herbs and vegetables are sensitive, have a short shelf life and, particularly when buying organic products, can be quite expensive. In fact, weather, soil issues, proper pollination and insect threat are all realities that challenge farmers which, in turn, makes produce a tricky business for distributors, chefs and consumers. When tasked with writing this article, I took a considerate amount of time trying to define what growing and supplying fresh, wholesome foods meant for myself. What I identify as fresh, someone else might not. What is the meaning of “fresh?” Does the fact that the pears or beans or broccoli didn’t come out of can or freezer bag make them fresh? There must be more to it than that. Realizing I was in need of expert advice concerning what home-grown freshness really meant, I enlisted the help of a small farmer, a food distributor and a chef. Carly Gillespie is familiar name in the Salt Lake gardening and farming community. She, along with Coleman Riedesel, is a co-owner of Backyard Urban Gardens, aka BUG Farms, a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) based in the Glendale neighborhood of Salt Lake City. Since 2010, Gillespie and Riedesel 24 Devour Utah • April 2017
Carly Gillespie
Restauranteurs and chefs depend on local growers and purveyors By Mollie McConahay-Snider
Photos Courtesy of Backyard Urban Gardens
have been using organic methods to produce a wide variety of vegetables. With under two acres of planted plots, BUG Farms plants over 60 varieties of vegetables annually, which supports about 100 CSA memberships and weekly appearances at local farmers markets. I asked Gillespie about her and Riedesel’s Salt Lake green spot, and what types of practices they’ve adopted to ensure freshness. “Our practices, when it is time to harvest a crop— whether it be leeks, tomatoes or greens—is to pick as early in the morning as possible before the vegetables become weary with field heat,” she says. “If we absolutely have to pick during the heat of the day, once picked the vegetables are immediately dunked into ice cold water to shake off the heat, and then we move them immediately into our walk-in cooler.” With a short harvest season (for BUG Farms it’s just May through October), and because it is a CSA-based business where customers pre-commit to weekly or bi-weekly deliveries, growing with an eye to freshness is key. Gillespie’s explanation of how she defines freshness was like opening a window into her vision for BUG and what she feels is important for her customers. “The advantage BUG Farms has over large producers is we can get our vegetables to people so much faster,” she says. “Produce loses its nutritional value very quickly. The nutrient value of a vegetable consumed the day it is picked versus five days after it’s picked is huge. The quicker you can eat the vegetable, the more nutrients you get. Fresh isn’t just about how a vegetable looks, it’s about Coleman Riedesel
Devour Utah • April 2017 25
From garden to table with freshness gauranteed
what your body is gaining from it.” On an overcast, wintery day, I drove past the airport to an area of Salt Lake I had never seen before: West Harold Gatty Drive. My destination? Nicholas and Co. to meet with Scott Albert, vice president of sales for Salt Lake City and a produce devotee. A Utah-transplant from New Hampshire, Albert began his food career in 1998 with a mere $5,000 investment to open Campagne, a small food distributor and storefront in Park City. “I wanted to be here for the Olympics; that’s’ what really brought me to Utah. I just knew I needed a plan,” he says. Campagne Specialty Foods was a fine-foods distributor specifically dedicated to supporting the ingredients utilized in local restaurants. “When we started, restauranteur Bill White only had Grappa, and the food scene in Park City was just forming,” 26 Devour Utah • April 2017
Albert recalls. Quickly, Campagne honed in to become “super produce focused.” “We were bringing in wild mushrooms, arugula, specialty greens and micro greens at a time when no one else was.” After several years, he and his business partner amicably parted ways for new adventures. “He wanted to become a private chef, I wanted to stay in produce,” Albert says. Nicholas and Co., a third-generation Salt Lake City-headquartered food and distribution company, soon came calling. Albert was hired in 2005 as their produce manager to help repair the (then) company’s poor produce reputation. “Produce is the No. 1 difficult thing to get restaurants to trust,” Albert points out. Over time, in addition to purchasing produce primarily from California, he began turning to local farms. Nicholas
and Co. currently works with five local farms to supply vegetables and fruits, mostly in Northern Utah. They also work with a secondary company to handle issues such as the aforementioned field heat concerns (albeit their system is a bit fancier than BUG Farms) and consolidation. “A big part of winning the fresh war is how quickly produce can get to its final destination.” Albert says. “Our strategy is to work closely with our supplier partners to consolidate in one location for order pick-up. Our trucks can drive to one spot to pick-up produce sourced from multiple farms rather than traveling to each farm individually. This allows our produce to arrive at the warehouse sooner, fresher, and then we can get it to the restaurants with the best possible flavor and condition.” Albert also says that Nicholas and
Devour Utah • April 2017 27
“There’s nothing else in it; the food is pure.” —Scott Albert
Co.’s produce offerings are now 100 percent GMO-free. It’s a source of pride that’s obvious while sitting across from him and observing his pleasure in this particular accomplishment. Elaborating on how a GMO-free vegetable or fruit is also an identifying factor in the definition of freshness, he says, simply, “There’s nothing else in it; the food is pure.” Chef and restauranteur Matthew Harris of Tupelo in Park City agrees. “I am always looking for each ingredient to stand on its own, without manipulation such as added salt and/or sugars,” he says. A native of Atlanta, Ga., Harris has worked and studied at destination restaurants in his home town and cities including New York and San Francisco. He’s traveled the country and around the world to meet with farmers, ranchers, 28 Devour Utah • April 2017
fishermen and cheesemongers. Each of these experiences was foundational in the formation of Tupelo. “I wanted decidedly American cuisine with heavy global influences and hints of my southern heritage,” Harris says. Perusing Tupelo’s menu, all the elements of Harris’ desired marriage of high-quality ingredients, preparation and execution are apparent. Just look at the starters with offerings ranging from buttermilk biscuits with honey butter to worldly dishes such as barbecued octopus with red bean stew, red pepper vinegar, kale and pickled lemons. When reading the entrées menu, it’s easy to see that Harris and his kitchen team are local food enthusiasts. “We want the seasonal foods we use in the restaurant to travel as short a distance as possible,” he says. “We have so much available to us: mushrooms from
Southern Utah, squash from Cache Valley, Green River melons.” And, one of his favorites, Bingham City peaches and apricots. Harris then walks through a dish he loves to make when these fruits are available. He seeds the peaches or apricots (he assures either would work). The fruit is then introduced to olive oil and a simple syrup seasoned with lavender, Champagne vinegar and salt. The fruit is Cryovaced to infuse the flavors and condense the cell structure. After, the fruit is sliced, tossed again in the simple syrup and served with fresh arugula, shaved red onion and smoked blue cheese. Heaven. Referring to produce, herbs and other ingredients grown nearby, Harris says, “I want close, local, and regional, so it doesn’t have to travel as far. It will be fresher.” ❖
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Made-to-measure, custom designs and consulting
What do you want to create? 1779 S. 1100 E. (435) 896-7286 Devour Utah • April 2017 29
The
30 Devour Utah • April 2017
S
alt Lake City’s iconic Oasis Café serves as a serene sanctuary in the heart of the city, but also as a destination for wellcrafted and creative cuisine and drink. The friendly Oasis staff and overall restaurant vibe seems perfectly in sync with owner Joel LaSalle’s stated goal “to help people every day to have a little bit better life and simply be happier.” Complementing chef Efren Benitez’s eclectic menu—which ranges from eggs Benedict Florentine and a toasted brie sandwich, to dinner entrées like wild mushroom strozzapreti pasta and grilled salmon with honey-lavender polenta cake—is an appealing beverage selection of wines, craft beers, cocktails, coffees, lattes, chai and more. My favorite dish from the Benitez kitchen is his paprika-crusted chicken. Thin-pounded boneless chicken breasts are coated in slightly spicy paprika, sautéed to perfection, and served atop sweet corn risotto, with a drizzle of chili oil circling the plate. The chicken is topped with a colorful mélange of avocado, tomato, bell pepper and onion and is every bit as delectable as it looks. Sweet and spicy flavors, plus contrasting warm and cool sensations from the hot chicken and risotto and raw garnish, make this seemingly simple dish a complex and satisfying one. ❖
—Ted Scheffler Photos by Niki Chan
Oasis Café
Paprika-Crusted Chicken 151 S. 500 East, SLC • 801-322-0404 • oasiscafeslc.com
Devour Utah • April 2017 31
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32 Devour Utah • April 2017
S
omewhere between the land of dining out and the territory of home cooking lies a paradisiacal place that allows for the best of both worlds. Welcome to the domain of DIY dining, where you get to exercise creativity without the stress of cooking or the aftermath of dirty dishes. Best of all, the process of designing your own dish will expand your culinary horizons, helping you grow as a cook when you return to your own kitchen.
at these DIY eateries. By Maya Silver
Tomato jam, goat cheese and egg toast
Publik Kitchen Multiple locations publikcoffee.com DEREK CARLISLE
Grow your culinary creativity
Top Your Toast Toast is the name of Publik Kitchen’s game, from a BLT (on peasant toast), to banana toast, to a simple salad (with toasted croutons). If you want to step into the shoes of toast designer, take advantage of the café’s make your own toast option. Here are the steps to a toast de résistance: 1. Choose the locally baked foundation. Red Bicycle Breadworks organic peasant or olive rosemary? The Park City-based bakery also makes a special mocha bread just for Publik that serves as an excellent base for sweet additions. And if you’re gluten free, you’ll love the bread from City Cakes. 2. Pick your spreads and jams. Go savory with cream cheese and heirloom tomato jam, or sweeten the deal with cinnamon butter and orange-habanero jam. You might decide to stop here, or you can … 3. Raise the stakes with a side, like bacon, avocado or a classic egg. Chef’s two cents: This is your toast party, so you can experiment with peanut butter and sausage if you want to. But Publik’s got a couple of favorites you might want to try at the restaurant or at home. On the savory side go for tomato jam, goat cheese and an egg. For an uncanny Cinnamon Toast Crunch replica, try the cinnamon butter and honey on gluten-free bread.
Devour Utah • April 2017 33
DEREK CARLISLE
Stir-fried chow mein with orange chicken
Using Your Noodle CY Noodles House operates around the idea that the guest gets to choose. This makes perfect sense at a noodle joint, considering many Chinese restaurants have notoriously long menus that can be scoured in search of the perfect combination of noodle type, flavoring and toppings. This way, no one has to play the role of annoying customer who asks the server if they could do chicken instead of beef and hold the bean sprouts. Here’s your path to noodle nirvana: 1. Choose a noodle—anything from glassy vermicelli to sturdy udon or curly Japanese ramen. If you’re a noodle fiend, request extra. 2. Select a cooking method. Do you want soup? If so, will you be opting for hot and sour, Szechuan spicy or tomato? Or are you craving stir-fried chow mein capable of curing the most toxic hangover?
34 Devour Utah • April 2017
3. Pick a protein. This might be the most difficult decision you face, with delectable options like braised spareribs, orange chicken and fried shrimp. 4. All-you-can-eat veggie buffet. CY doesn’t tack on surcharges for extra vegetables, so go to town on the broccoli, Napa cabbage and sprouts. 5. Wash it all down with a refreshing honey dew smoothie dotted with blueberry boba. Chef’s two cents: The motto here is, “One and the only one.” As in no one can create a noodle bowl exactly like yours. Make this your own mantra as you craft your custom noodle bowl here or in your own kitchen. CY Noodles House 3370 S. State, SLC 801-485-2777 cynoodleshouse.com
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Producing Perfect Poke First it was ceviche. Then it was sashimi. But the latest raw fish craze to strike our palates is poke. This Hawaiian delicacy usually features cubed raw fish mixed with sauce, rice and/or veggies. Laid Back Poke Shack’s customizable bowls make for a refreshing and satisfying lunch, especially in the approaching summer months. Poke paradise, here you come: 1. Choose a foundation—white or brown rice. 2. Cabbage? Seaweed Salad flecked with sesame seeds? Or do you want to focus on the fish? 3. The most important decision: the poke. Laid Back Poke Shack offers several staples, such as Bigeye tuna from the Honolulu Fish Auction with variations like shoyu, sweet ginger and spicy ahi. You can also choose shellfish with kimchi mussels and oyster tako, or spring for the sweet chili shrimp. And if you see seasonal spicy snow crab on the menu, go for it. 4. To pig or not to pig. While some opt just for a kalua pig bowl, you can also decide to surf and turf with a portion of the hickory smoked, slow-roasted pork in your poke bowl—a decision we doubt you’ll regret. Chef’s two cents: Co-owner Tiffany Thomas recommends combining the oyster tako, shoyu salmon, and spicy ginger ahi. She’s also a fan of the California, made with imitation crab, tobiko, avocado and a savory sauce. Laid Back Poke Shack 6213 Highland Drive, Holladay 801-635-8190 facebook.com/laidbackpokeshack
36 Devour Utah • April 2017
Lemon blueberry croissant doughnut
MAYA SILVER
JOHN TAYLOR
Spicy ahi and crab poke bowl
Design-It-Yourself Doughnuts Even the most Willy Wonka-adoring sugar enthusiast could not envision a dessert fantasy as outrageous as crEATe in Sandy. Owner LaDonnia Jones is a sweets wizard who hand-bakes doughnuts, croissant doughnuts (aka Cronuts), brownies, pies and Belgian waffles; churns her own gelato and sorbets; and whips up a dizzying number of toppings, from Nutella mousse, to lemon cream and wild berry drizzle—all of which can be mixed and matched into hundreds of combinations. Sweet dreams are made like this: 1. Doughnut or Cronut? The croissant doughnut has a lighter, flakier texture. 2. Fill it up with Madagascar vanilla whipped cream, Key lime mousse or something chocolatey. 3. Get in touch with your inner Jackson Pollock and splash on the drizzles and glazes—a little cookie butter here, a lot of dulce de leche there. 4. Add crunch in the form of toppings. From classy coconut and dreamy Butterfinger to adventurous bacon. 5. Go full throttle and turn the whole sugary shebang into a gelato sundae. Chef’s two cents: Jones’ top tip for home cooks is to cultivate a love like her own for playing with food. Ditch the recipes, and bring on impromptu innovation! And at crEATe, she recommends the mocha Cronut. After each bite, she’s “amazed all over again.” She fills a croissant doughnut with coffee whipped cream and chocolate mousse, drizzles it with maple and chocolate glazes and dusts it with Biscoff crumble. ❖ crEATe Donuts 9305 S. Village Shop Drive, Sandy 801-790-2738 createdonut.com
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Love Food for the of
Chef Arturo Flores cooks from the heart.
By Aimee L. Cook Photos by John Taylor
W
hen you love what you do, it shows. It’s in every detail. Chef Arturo Flores of Park City’s Chimayo Restaurant is a shining example of someone who loves what they do, and you not only taste it in his dishes, but you feel it in his space. Flores grew up in Chihuahua, Mexico, and set out to be a tax attorney. Needing to earn money to further his education, he came to Utah in 1993 and starting working in Bill White’s Grappa Restaurant as a dishwasher. He quickly moved into making soups and sauces and being a food runner. After five years, Flores transferred to White’s Windy Ridge Café, dabbling in many things throughout that tenure, and learning all he could from his mentor, Bill White. In 1997, Flores became a food expeditor at Chimayo, and after just one year, he was offered the job as head chef. As they say, 38 Devour Utah • April 2017
the rest is history. Flores never returned to law, and only visits Mexico a few times a year to see family. Utah is home; Chimayo is where his heart is. “Arturo comes in every morning to make all the sauces himself, some of them take several days,” Chimayo restaurant manager Marylou Johnson says. “He looks at every dish before it leaves the kitchen. Detail and taste are very, very important to the chef.” Flores finds inspiration for his foods in both the cuisines of southern Mexico and the southwest United States, but you won’t find a lot of beans and traditional cheeses on his menu. Using different types of chilies and spices are the foundations of a lot of his dishes. Flores changes up the menu every six months to keep things fresh and, on average, he serves 340 patrons each evening.
Arturo Flores Devour Utah • April 2017 39
“For me, food is like art, like a picture, you add things, you take some ingredients away,” he says. “You work with the recipe until you have the flavors.” Flores comes from a long line of cooks, and grew up in the kitchen with his mother and his grandmother. You will find his grandmother’s homemade tortilla soup on the Chimayo menu, along with many other dishes inspired by his family. The Puerto Nuevo-style sea scallops are a popular menu choice and the crown roasts of barbecued spareribs
take all day to prepare. The elk London broil, the buffalo Alambre and the duck enchiladas are unique dishes created with flavors particular to Flores’ wideranging culinary palate. In addition to its cuisine, the Chimayo ambiance transports diners beyond Utah’s borders. Fashioned after the historic Spanish mission in Chimayo, New Mexico, the restaurant space is quaint and warmly welcoming. The booths have Southwestern-style pillows, the floor is lined with imported Mexican tile, and the magnificent twisted wood
Roasted Chilies
40 Devour Utah • April 2017
columns throughout are hand-carved and also from Mexico. It’s a place you want to linger and enjoy as many foods as you can eat. When asked if he regrets not following his original path of being a lawyer, Flores says, “Not for a minute. What I do every day is from the heart. I really love what I do.” ❖
Chimayo 368 Main, Park City 435-649-6222 chimayorestaurant.com
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Devour Utah • April 2017 41
Grandma Flores’
Tortilla Soup
Ingredients:
1 jalapeño pepper 4 Anaheim chile peppers 1 poblano chile pepper 12 tomatoes 1 yellow onion 3 garlic cloves 12 tostada-sized corn tortillas 1 small bunch cilantro 8 quarts chicken stock
Directions:
Grill jalapeño, Anaheim and poblano peppers to char the skins. Place peppers in a container and cover with plastic wrap until the skins loosen. Peel and seed the peppers and set them aside. Oven-roast the tomatoes until the skins blister and loosen. Peel and set aside. In a 10-quart stock pot, sauté onion and garlic until lightly browned. Add peppers and tomatoes, sauté to blend flavors. Add corn tortillas, cilantro and chicken stock. Bring to a slow boil. Once boiling, carefully transfer to a blender (in batches, if necessary) and purée until well blended. Return soup to pot, simmer to blend flavors, then strain. Garnish with spiced tortilla strips, guacamole and Oaxaca cheese (can substitute mozzarella cheese). *Arturo’s Secret Ingredient: A lotta love!
Photos by John Taylor
42 Devour Utah • April 2017
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Fresh cocktails for spring sipping By Darby Doyle photos by caroline hargraves
F
rom the palest juice of fragrant Key limes to glossy near-black basil, green ingredients and garnishes pop up in cocktails year-round. We’re always excited to see how bartenders eagerly embrace all things emerald come springtime. Spanning the spectrum from classics like a traditional lime daiquiri to original recipes using jalapeño infusions, celery bitters or kale juice, there’s a little something for everyone under the sun. Need more inspiration for the home bar? Some of the drinks featured here and dozens more appear with full recipes and gorgeous photographs in the soon-to-be-released Utah Bartenders Guild Cocktail Book. Look for this hymnal-sized volume, full of local drinks lore and recipes from award-winning bartenders all over the state, alongside the bar swag at your favorite Bartenders Guild member watering holes or at the purveyor of all things shaking and stirring, Boozetique (315 E. 300 South, SLC, boozetiqueslc.com)
The Cocktail:
#juan
Chartreuse has a bit of a roguish reputation in drink lore. Like Brussels sprouts, mushrooms and cilantro, people either love it devotedly or can’t stand the distinctly vegetal herbal liqueur made with heavy hints of artichoke. The 400-year-old secret recipe has been reproduced since the 1730s by monks in La Grande Chartreuse order in the foothills of the French Alps not far from Grenoble. Called Elixir Vegetal de la Grande-Chartreause, this “Elixer of Long Life” recipe using 130 herbs and botanicals survived the French Revolution, distillery nationalization, both World Wars and a devastating landslide. According to the brand’s website, Chartreuse products are “still prepared by two Carthusian Brothers entrusted with this mission by their Order. They work in the greatest secrecy and are the only ones who know the details of manufacturing. Even today the formula remains a mystery, which modern investigation methods have not been able to penetrate.” Something Devour editor Ted Scheffler, myself and Park Citybased barman extraordinaire Chris Panarelli have in common: We are on Team Chartreuse. For the #juan cocktail, Panarelli uses Vida tequila blanco, Lillet Blanc, a few shakes of celery bitters and dry vermouth that he infuses with cucumber, all stirred over cracked ice, then strained into a coupe glass. Vegetal, earthy and refreshing, the well-balanced #juan hits about every green note in the cocktail symphony.
The Green:
Chartreuse, Celery Bitters, Cucumber
The Maker:
Christopher Panarelli O.P. Rockwell • 268 Main, Park City • 435-565-4486 • oprockwell.com 44 Devour Utah • April 2017
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Devour Utah • April 2017 45
The Cocktail:
The import
C
opper Kitchen general manager Bryan Lebehn says bartender Chase Wallin developed The Import cocktail as a bit of an ode to the flavors he associates with his other job as a forest firefighter. “It’s got a nice balanced blend of the freshness of the cucumber and lime juice with a touch of heat from the jalapeños and the smokiness of the mezcal,” Lebehn says. Wallin first developed the recipe for a mid-winter bar special, and we can’t wait to see it on rotation again soon as a perfect patio drink for spring (hint, hint). Bonus: After a recent renovation and re-licensing, Copper Kitchen now has a dedicated area with bar and tableside seating for just over 20 happy patrons; food service optional. It’s a much-appreciated cocktail addition for denizens of the south end of the city.
The Green:
Cucumber, Lime, Jalapeño
1 1/2 ounces of Wahaka Mezcal 1 ounce cucumber juice 3/4 ouce lime juice 1/2 ounce jalapeño syrup 1/2 ounce Pok Pok Som honey drinking vinegar Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a collins glass with fresh ice.
The Maker: Chase Wallin
Copper Kitchen • 4640 S. 2300 East, Holladay • 385-237-3159 • copperkitchenslc.com 46 Devour Utah • April 2017
Devour Utah • April 2017 47
“A
classic Wray-Daq is probably my favorite drink of all time,” says award-winning Utah bartender Scott Gardner. “It’s the best drink. Ever.” He continues waxing poetic on all things daiquiri-related during a cool and drizzly afternoon as those of us grouped inside his bar, Water Witch, nod in sage agreement. Indeed, sipping on a well-made daiquiri is like finding a little spot of spring sunshine, whatever the weather might currently be.
The Green: Lime
The Maker: Scott Gardner
The Cocktail:
Classic Wray-Daq
There’s a lot to love about Gardner’s clean, minimalist take on the classic daiquiri, made with Wray & Nephew overproof Jamaican white rum, fresh lime juice and just a titch of simple syrup. But word to the wise: You probably won’t find the Wray-Daq listed on the everchanging menu board at Water Witch. This is a drink-lover’s bar to the Nth degree; for cocktail nerds (guilty, as charged), each visit is the best kind of bartender roulette. Just put yourself in their talented hands, and Gardner—along with co-owners Sean Neves and Matt Pfohl—treat you to whatever boozy genius they’ve got in mind. Classics are made superlatively and with little fuss. Unusual liquor treasures are served with a subtle nod and little other fanfare—or price mark-up. Case in point is the Wray-Daq, a cocktail Gardner has brought with him to each of the many top bars he’s worked at in Utah. “It’s a promise I’ve made people: Scott Gardner will always have a daiquiri,” he says, no matter where he’s shaking or stirring things up. So far, inflation hasn’t crept up on him, either. I got mine for six buckaroos plus tax.
Water Witch • 163 W. 900 South, SLC • 801-462-0967 • waterwitchbar.com 48 Devour Utah • April 2017
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The Cocktail:
T
here’s something about ordering drinks at Zest that makes this imbiber feel more than a little bit naughty. I think it has something to do with how fresh and healthy (and delicious) the food options are: Everything is vegetarian and glutenfree, and most of the menu is completely vegan, to boot. Having a fabulous adult beverage alongside all that clean eating feels like the best kind of pat on the back for choosing to dine so well. And at Zest, there’s not just one, or even two, green drink offerings—there’s usually three or more to choose from on the extensive bar menu. Green juice mimosas at brunch, margaritas with a peppery kick, and my favorite detoxifying green drink in town: the Antioxidrink. Made with gin and a plethora of beneficial botanicals that change a bit with what’s in season, it’s good for what ails ya. While owner Casey Staker was reluctant to part with the recipe for this potent and proprietary potion, he did graciously share the recipe for Zest’s magical margarita. Staker says the always popular jalapeño margarita is a drink people love “because it hits so many sensations: salty, bitter, spicy, sweet and sour, making it a great balanced drink!”
The Cocktail:
Spicy Jalapeño Margarita
Antioxidrink
The Green:
Leafy Greens, Jalapeño, Cucumber
The Maker:
Casey Staker
1 1/2 ounces reposado tequila 1/2 ounce citronage 1 fresh slice each of jalapeño and cucumber 1 squirt of agave nectar 1 ounce fresh lime juice 1 ounce fresh lemon juice In a cocktail shaker, muddle jalapeño and cucumber well. Add ice and all other ingredients. Shake well and strain over ice. To salt or not to salt is the question!
Zest Kitchen & Bar • 275 S. 200 West, SLC • 801-433-0589 • zestslc.com 50 Devour Utah • April 2017
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Content provided by Utah Restaurant Association
U
tah’s restaurant industry is currently the third largest growing restaurant industry in the United States. Growth comes from fertile soil and the infrastructure- workforce that can grow with an industry. ProStart is one such program and has been cultivated in the state for 20 years, allowing for a robust and well 52 Devour Utah • April 2017
trained workforce. We have the opportunity to work with and educate a legislative body that values Utah’s growth, the importance of food tourism and having a bustling restaurant and food service industry. We have diners that are hungry for new restaurants and palates ready to explore new concepts and cuisine. We have great food writers like Ted Scheffler
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A Growing Restaurant Industry
who celebrate food and navigate our vast culinary landscape. Restaurants are opening across our state- from the Wasatch Front to rural less populated regions becoming anchors and destinations helping grow our food
community. We have a lot to be proud of in Utah and we’re excited to share in the growth with you! For more restaurants growing Utah’s must hit list visit: www.TasteUT.com
Mesa Farms & Market Imagine this…. grazing on a loaf of our artisan bread, served with chevre, pesto and some garden tomato all products of the land with Capitol Reef as your backdrop. Mesa Farms is an oasis for travelers journeying through Utah’s National Parks. Their market is dedicated to ensuring a successful future for the planet by growing sustainable communities. A sustainable community consists of local enterprises working to meet the needs of the people. And they’ve found a fan in Matt Caputo, who sources their milk to cultivate amazing goat cheeses aged in the Caputo’s cheese cave and sourced to restaurants all over Utah. UT-24, Torrey, UT 84775 Devour Utah • April 2017 53
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Zion Mountain Ranch & Cordwood Restaurant Zion Mountain Ranch and Cordwood restaurant are located just minutes from the east entrance of Zion National Park. A must hit on all southern Utah visitors dining lists this eating establishment is growing the concept of sustainability and chef driven menus. Careful management of the land and healthy sustainable food production is at the heart of their operation. What isn’t grown at the ranch is carefully sourced ingredient by ingredient. Here a guest may order a salad and literally watch the chef go out to the green house and cut the greens for that salad. For the staff at Cordwood, it is rewarding in itself to work the earth and enjoy it’s fruits but the true satisfaction comes in sharing it with their guests. 9065 West Highway 9, Mt Carmel, UT 84755 54 Devour Utah • April 2017
Oteo Restaurant Oteo is a modern, family-owned Mexican restaurant in Lindon, Utah serving traditional Latin American dishes infused with unique vibrant flavors. A concept develop through the intention to heal and nourish, Chef Mosi Oteo is inspired by foods that heal and the effect these foods can have on growing a vibrant community. He’s opened the Italian restaurant Manhattan across the street and operates or loans out his food truck to those who need it. His next project is a community garden for sourcing his restaurant and enhancing the neighborhood that keeps them in business. 139 S State St Lindon UT 84062
Gibbons Green Gate Farm A love of animals and the good earth is a continual motivation for the Gibbons Family. Growing crops while beautifying a corner of the countryside along with raising healthy happy animals is all a part of the dining experience at the farm’s Carriage House Kitchen restaurant. The Gibbons’ philosophy in growth is to continually seek learning in all aspects of the natural world to secure the longevity of their farm. The warmth of the sun is palpable in each bite of intentionally grown, raised and prepared menu items. They want the consumer to be inspired by the enjoyment of meals created with the food from their farm. • 4680 N 800 W, Smithfield, UT 84335
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Prostart
Championships
U
tah ProStart State Championships were held at the South Town Expo on Tuesday March 7. After a busy February of regional culinary competitions the ProStart State Finals were eagerly anticipated! The Culinary competition saw 11 teams from around the state compete and 12 Management concepts presented by teams from Southern Utah, Northern Utah, and the Wasatch Front. “I’m impressed every year with the teams dishes and presentations. This year’s are truly extraordinary. Sometimes, I can’t believe these are high school students.” proclaimed Melva Sine, President of the Utah Restaurant Association. “It’s inspiring to hear these students presenting” said Chef Daniel Mason of Black Sheep Cafe in Provo and SLC about the Management competitors. “We work in the industry and sometimes forget we are living the dream. These students help remind us of what a beautiful gift that is.” The State competition is sponsored by Sysco Intermountain, a food distribution company that is fueling Utah’s food community and an ongoing proud support of the Utah Restaurant Association. The ProStart state finals pair working professionals as judges for both the management and culinary competitions. The pairing creates a synergy where the future generation is inspiring the current generation of restaurant professionals and vice versa. “It’s incredible to see so many of our students leaving the competition with job offers” says Sine. “The ability to create a career path and connect
with professionals is one of the big advantages Utah ProStart provides these dedicated teens. It’s also a gift for our industry- an industry that is dependent on a well trained and passionate workforce. The amount of effort Utah ProStart teachers invest into this program is unparalleled. We couldn’t do it without them or without the industries support!” Judges this year included volunteer owners, chefs and operators from Black Sheep, Veneto SLC, Red Iguana, Gastronomy Inc., Oteo’s, Snowbird, YouNique, Even Stevens Sandwiches, Weber Basin Job Core, Chartwell’s at the University of Utah among others. The winning teams representing Utah at the ProStart National Invitational for management will be Provo High School. There was a tie for the culinary competition and the tie breaker will be decided between Westlake High School and CLC - Tooele. We can’t wait to see how these teams represent Utah in Charleston, SC at the National Invitational April 2017. •
Devour Utah • April 2017 55
Content provided by Utah Restaurant Association
Save The Date
Utah’s Premier Dining Awards in partnership with Devour Magazine will be held at the: Grand America Hotel Tuesday, May 16, 2017 6:00PM - 8:30PM Ticket sales coming soon at UtahRestaurantAssociation.org and DevourUtah.com 56 Devour Utah • April 2017
For Sponsorship opportunities contact:
Katy Sine
katy@UtahRestaurantAssociation.org
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Content provided by Utah Restaurant Association
Recap Legislative
T
he URA continues to work diligently, alongside many other interested industries, to improve Utah’s liquor laws so that we can better serve our patrons without sacrificing Utah’s low DUI and underage drinking rates. The 2017 legislative session saw many different issues pertaining to hospitality and Utah’s restaurant industry especially involving liquor laws. The gist was that the Zion Wall will come down and so will Utah’s BAC level from 0.08 to 0.05. Business will roll a little easier for food trucks but cities may still create policies that inhibit food trucks from parking in front of restaurants. Let’s break it down:
Tearing down the “Zion Wall” and Debunking the mythological “Zion Moat”:
.05 BAC:
HB 155 — Sponsored by Representative Thurston. The URA opposed this bill which sought to lower the states Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) from 0.08 to 0.05. We voiced the restaurant industry’s opposition at every opportunity including the Senate committee hearing where this bill passed out 4 - 2 1. Unfortunately, this bill passed through the legislative process where it awaited the Governor’s signature. There is strong community opposition to this bill and requests for a Governor veto have been made by many stake holders and individuals in the community.
Food Truck Regulation:
SB 250 — Sponsored by Senator Henderson. The URA was able to maintain our alliances with vested stake holders in our food service industries which will not prevent a city from having a land use ordinance. Cities and counties will still have the right to create policies about when and where food trucks may operate and certain aspects of operations will be more streamlined for the food trucks.
HB 442 — Sponsored by Representative Wilson and Senator Stevenson. The URA has been committed to bringing down the “Zion Wall” or the inability for a restaurant to display service, dispensing and storage in view of the public since its implementation in 2009. That 2009 legislative session saw club memberships disappear but the “Zion Wall” appear in it’s stead. This session the URA worked with Representative Wilson to tear down the Zion Wall while creating a policy regarding the proximity an unaccompanied minor may sit in relation to a dispensing area or “bar” service counter in a restaurant. Restaurants now have the power to choose several different options AND have their serving, dispensing and storage all in view of the public. Consumers will see signage on the doors of restaurants serving alcohol informing them of such and the consumer must express “intent to dine” if they choose to consume alcohol. A restaurant may also have a 42 inch high railing — 5 feet from the dispensing area OR a ten foot buffer zone from the end of the consumer facing edge of the dispensing counter which denotes the area where an unaccompanied minor may sit. It’s as simple as that. No crazy moat my friends! • Devour Utah • April 2017 57
Last Bite:
Trust Your Gut By Joanne Miller
I
have deep respect for the food industry’s ability to grow and adapt to the shifting demands and trends of today’s informed and often highly allergic/sensitive consumer. Sadly, I belong to that group of “sensitives.” I’m hedonistically challenged. I physically thrive when I shun dairy, gluten and alcohol, but my most revered foodstuffs are straight-out-of-the-oven sourdough, and the funkiest of raw, stinky cheeses, combined with heavyhanded pours of vintage Champagne. It’s a cruel twist of fate that many of the foods I love to devour do not sit well. Thankfully, the quest for alternatives to inflammatory and irritating foods is an increasingly common topic of our culinary conversations. The proliferation of inventive and passionate artisans and online bloggers sharing their meal adaptations grows by the second. Motivation for many artisans, bloggers and restaurateurs stems from initial survival—personally, or as business owners relying on patrons who can no longer regularly tolerate their favorite foods. Such realizations are typically reached after a “cleansing” period of abstinence. The nutritional world thereby gives a defiant fist to the adage, “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Eschewing gluten alone appears to make the body, and therefore the heart, a lot stronger, while elevating and supporting a $5 billion global industry, projected to reach $7.6 billion by 2020. Industry pundits were quick to dub 2017 the year of wellness by mid-2016, and it’s no surprise. I’m no longer met with eye rolls from wait staff when requesting a gluten-, dairy- or soy-free meal. If anything, it’s to be expected. The blessed few with impervious, cast-iron stomachs are dwindling in numbers and might soon reach extinction. It’s also the year of attuning to your microbiome (gut). Trusting your gut is critical, as its daily needs are typically the very antithesis to what our minds and mouths desire. Prebiotics, healthy foods and probiotics can drastically alter the microbiome balance in just 24 hours, given bacterium’s meager lifespan of 20 minutes. (So, one day represents 1,500 years in bacteria time.) It’s never too late to embrace a healthier lifestyle. Utahns are fortunate to belong to a supportive community that upholds the importance of local, sustainable and ethically sourced foods and products. Proximity to Mother Nature’s bounty is also a real boon. If you aren’t already familiar, check out menus at restaurants such as 501 On Main, East Liberty Tap House, Frisch Compassionate Eatery, Good Karma, Oh Mai, Omar’s Rawtopia, Sage’s Café, SpudToddos and Vertical Diner. This is not an exhaustive list. It merely represents the tip. Like our snow-covered mountains, Salt Lake City is littered with culinary gems, as is the rest of our wondrous, pending your propensity to forage. (Tip: If venturing south to St. George, drive through Santa Clara to Xetava Gardens Café within the Kayenta Art Village. It’s worth the drive.) I’m a firm believer in moderation, and have since realized the need to moderate my ‘cellar-brations’ to truly value special indulgences and feel and function better on a daily basis. We flourish when we consciously select food that fuels and benefits our bodies as opposed to our emotional and habitual desires. To paraphrase a certain beleaguered super model: Nothing tastes as good as vitality feels. Here’s to restoring balance and our collective health. ❖
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60 Devour Utah • April 2017