Devour Utah April 2019 by Copperfield Publishing

VOL. 5 NO. 4 • APRIL 2019 • NERD FREE COPY Devour Utah • April 2019 1

2 Devour Utah â&#x20AC;¢ April 2019

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Devour Utah â&#x20AC;¢ April 2019 3

10 Unique, On Fleek

Innovative one-of-a-kind dishes BY HEATHER L. KING

14 The Future of Veggies Chefs and farmers pursue the ‘ponic’ path BY BRIAN FRYER

18 Sustenance Scholars

Only a special kind of nerd would rather study food than eat it BY DEVOUR STAFF

26 The Spread Twin Suns Cafe BY ALEX SPRINGER

4 Devour Utah • April 2019

DEREK CARLISLE

contents

The Nerd Issue

28 The Green Scene Fermentation is science you can taste BY AMANDA ROCK

30 To InfiniTea and Beyond

To boldly seek the best leaves in the galaxy

BY MERRY LYCETT HARRISON & ANNA KASER

39 Power Food

Recipes inspired by Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild BY CAITLIN HAWKER

43 Spirit Guide

Cosplay, Comics and Cocktails BY DARBY DOYLE

50 Last Bite

Celebrating the ‘Violet Hour’ BY JOHN RASMUSON

Only on DevourUtah.com The Healthy Nerd

Innovative and health-based food ventures including ChopChopGirl, The Loaf Bakery, the Protein Foundry and more BY JEN HILL & CAROLYN CAMPBELL

Devour Utah â&#x20AC;¢ April 2019 5

CONTRIBUTORS STAFF Publisher JOHN SALTAS Director of Operations PETE SALTAS EDITORIAL

Editor JERRE WROBLE Proofreaders CAITLIN HAWKER, RAY HOWZE Contributors CAROLYN CAMPBELL, AIMEE L. COOK, DARBY DOYLE, BRIAN FRYER, MERRY LYCETT HARRISON, JEN HILL, ANNA KASER, HEATHER L. KING, HEATHER MAY, AMANDA ROCK, JOHN RASMUSON, ALEX SPRINGER

Heather L. King writes about food and culture in Utah and beyond. She is the founder of Utah Ladies Who Lunch and a proud Great Dane owner.

PRODUCTION Art Director DEREK CARLISLE Graphic Artists SOFIA CIFUENTES, SEAN HAIR, CHELSEA NEIDER

BUSINESS/OFFICE Accounting Manager PAULA SALTAS Office Administrators DAVID ADAMSON, SAMANTHA HERZOG Technical Director BRYAN MANNOS

Brian Fryer is a native Utahn with a communications degree from Utah State University. He’s edited for McGraw-Hill Construction publications, Intermountain Healthcare and the Park Record newspaper.

MARKETING Director of Events & Marketing SAMANTHA SMITH

CIRCULATION Circulation Manager ERIC GRANATO

SALES Magazine Advertising Director Sales Director, Events Digital Operations Manager Senior Account Executives Retail Account Executives

JENNIFER VAN GREVENHOF KYLE KENNEDY ANNA PAPADAKIS DOUG KRUITHOF, KATHY MUELLER MIEKA SAWATZKI

Not only is she well-versed at pairing red wine with books, but Caitlin Hawker is a horror author, visual artist and costumer. After working as a Devour intern in 2018, she now writes for the magazine and proofreads its pages. She looks to graduate from the U of U later this year with a degree in history.

Cover photo: Twin Suns Cafe by Derek Carlisle 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@DevourUtah.com Advertising contact: Sales@DevourUtah.com

Copperfield Publishing

@DevourUtah

6 Devour Utah • April 2019

@DevourUtah

Merry Lycett Harrison is an herbalist who owns SLC-based Millcreek Herbs. A professional member of the American Herbalists Guild, she teaches classes in medicinal and culinary herbs and herb gardening. To learn more, visit MillcreekHerbs.com

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Devour Utah â&#x20AC;¢ April 2019 7

From the Editor

My FAVORITE Nerd

am old enough to have taken Home Economics in the ninth grade, back when girls were supposed to learn to sew and cook while boys took Shop class so they could work on cars. Nowadays, cooking skills are taught as part of “family and consumer science,” a name almost as boring as “Home Ec.” Too bad it isn’t called “Molecular Gastronomy.” While my Home Ec teacher is long forgotten—not only by name but by face—a dish we made in class remains etched in my memory: the surprisingly succulent head of shredded cabbage sautéed in butter. I recall my amazement at how dramatically the leaves shrank in the pan as they simmered and caramelized into tender strands. We barely had time for a few bites of our creation before the bell rang, but they left a lasting impression. Had our teacher been from the Alton Brown school of culinary storytelling, I’d undoubtedly remember her name. And I’d know a lot more about cabbage. “About half of the vegetables bought and sold in the country are technically cabbages,” says Brown, on his “Head Games” episode in Season 3 of Good Eats. As Brown waxes poetic about the properties of the leafy green veggie, a nutritional anthropologist appears from stage right, launching into the history of cabbage: how it started as an indigenous weed growing wild along the rocky coastlines of Europe and Asia, where it was eventually cultivated to become kale, kohlrabi, savoy, bok choy, napa, cauliflower and broccoli. Oh, and lest we forget: Brussels sprouts. Thanks to Brown’s prop of a cabbage leaf made out of bubble wrap, I learned the error of my present-day cooking method that has caused recent cabbage stir-frys to be less flavorsome—not like that first batch I made in Home Ec. Dang! Alton Brown is the Home Ec teacher I wish I’d had, even if such a character did not exist back then, even in our imaginations. (Julia Child and a few others were only just carving out the TV chef niche.) In Good Eats—Brown’s TV show that ran on the Food Network for a respectable 14 seasons, from 1999 to 2012—he realized his vision of creating a series that was equal parts Julia Child, Mr. Wizard and Monty Python. When it ended, he began touring the country with live shows—including “Eat Your Science,” which came to Salt Lake City in 2017—and he is now back in the studio revamping some of his original Good Eats episodes— now airing on the Cooking Channel as Good Eats: Reloaded—with new science and recipes. He also plans to relaunch the Good Eats series in 2019. That’s good news for the legions of Alton Brown fans, especially those in Utah, because, hey, we’re a hive of proud nerds here. We thrive on fantasy, sci-fi, cosplay and video games. On April 19-20, Utah will host the FanX comic convention, purported to be one of the best such gatherings in the country. One of our college interns, Caitlin Hawker, is herself a passionate cosplayer. She pitched the idea of dedicating an entire Devour issue to local food nerds, and it resonated. It’s obvious that our writers had a blast researching and writing about those on the forefront of culinary technology, research, innovation and experimentation. We hope you have as much fun reading about local food nerds as we did in telling their stories. ❖

—Jerre Wroble 8 Devour Utah • April 2019

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Devour Utah • April 2019 9

The Nerd Issue

ON FLEEK

Innovative one-of-akind dishes you just have to experience

Tin Angel Café duck confit tacos 10 Devour Utah • April 2019

DEREK CARLISLE

BY HEATHER L. KING

t’s exciting to see so many Utah chefs having fun in the kitchen—experimenting with flavor combinations and cooking methods to produce memorable meals for their guests. Some restaurants might be looking for the Instagram-worthy dish that draws new customers in to experience the wonder. Others are employing timehonored techniques that enhance flavors or textures. Whatever the reason, we took inventory of some of the most interesting cooking methods being employed around the area to bring you insights into confit, foams, smoked and sous vide preparations.

COURTESY WALDORF ASTORIA

Powder’s herb-rubbed buffalo tenderloin

Duck Confit

Tin Angel chef and co-owner Jerry Liedtke is a legend in Utah’s culinary scene who has been recognized for his locally minded but European-inspired fare for years. His classic French duck confit features fowl that’s been seasoned and slowly cooked in its own rendered fat to create flavorful, juicy bites. Tin Angel’s duck confit is so popular that it’s found in both the tapas section of the menu as the highlight ingredient in tacos ($8.50) served with hummus, harissa and feta fried in duck fat or as an entree topping a delicate whitewine risotto ($24). You can even add it to the house gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce for just $6.50. Tin Angel Café 365 W. 400 South, SLC 801-328-4155 TheTinAngel.com

Herb-Rubbed Buffalo Tenderloin

Foams are an inventive way to capture flavors that not only add visual interest to a plate but also a light-as-air quality and different mouthfeel. This is particularly thoughtful when it comes to the airy foie gras foam—which captures the essence of the delicacy without the distinctive texture—found on Powder’s herb-rubbed buffalo tenderloin entree ($42). Chef Hermann Schaefer pairs these distinctive flavors with a Burgundy reduction, ratatouille and farro risotto for an elevated mountain cuisine dish perfect for a hearty evening meal in Park City. Powder Waldorf Astoria Park City 2100 Frostwood Drive, Park City 435-647-5566 WaldorfAstoriaParkCity.com/dine

Devour Utah • April 2019 11

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The Nerd Issue

Sous Vide Petite Filet Medallions

Cucina chef Joey Ferran prides himself on crafting a creative menu that utilizes a wide variety of ingredients prepared with great attention to detail. His meticulous skill is on full display with the sous vide petite filet medallions ($26) found on the dinner menu at the wine bar. Sous vide is a simple water-bath cooking method that allows for gentle yet precise temperatures to be reached with each filet. Sous vide helps achieve even cooking from edge to edge so that a medium-rare steak is the same temperature throughout. Ferran then sears the filet to produce a well-browned crust that’s then served with red wine demiglace and a labor-intensive celery-root gratin side that almost steals the show. ❖ Cucina Wine Bar 1026 E. Second Ave., SLC 801-322-3055 CucinaDeli.com

Dracula Roll

Fire up the smoking gun. The Dracula roll ($12.95) at Itto Sushi brings the wow factor when it comes to presentation. The mysterious roll is served in a wooden coffin, and inside, Chef Itto Takashi has piped in cedar smoke with a smoke gun to impart a delicate smoked flavor and a certain amount of awe when the coffin is opened. When the lid is raised and the rolling wisps of smoke clear, a sushi roll filled with cucumber, avocado, spicy crab, jalapeño and shrimp tempura that’s topped with fresh albacore tuna and crunchy fried onions is revealed. Itto Sushi Locations in Midvale, Orem and downtown SLC Facebook.com/ittosushiutah

Cucina Wine Bar sous vide petite filet medallions

DEREK CARLISLE

COURTESY ITTO SUSHI

Itto Sushi Dracula roll

Devour Utah • April 2019 13

WATER BORN VEGGIES Chefs and farmers pursue the ‘ponic’ path for fresh, ready-to-serve produce

et’s face it: Farming’s an occupation where you wouldn’t expect to find nerds. Sure, new tractors have GPS, computers can help work out planting schedules and getting the right fertilizer requires some chemistry, but really, when we talk about farming, most of us think overalls and a straw hat— not a lab coat and pocket protector. But that’s only because we picture traditional farming and not the farms of the future. There are those among us who are not waiting until we colonize Mars to start trying new methods of growing food. The desire for fresher and more local food products has pushed more than a few chefs around the state to plant gardens alongside their restaurants. But there are also some who are looking beyond raised beds or planter boxes and are pushing into extreme nerd territory. 14 Devour Utah • April 2019

Dave Prows, chef for Loveland Living Planet Aquarium

BRIAN FRYER

BY BRIAN FRYER

Tower to Table: Loveland Living Planet’s forest of green The sound of trickling water in the Reef Café inside the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium isn’t some ambient, new-age background music. That’s the sound of a future visitor’s salad being fed. More precisely, the sound is actual water (fortified with plant food) falling down inside the 10 tower gardens that line the south-facing windows of the café. “These were created to be a method of urban farming where there is no green space. You can have these on a roof or balcony. It is a way to have a lot of plants in a small space and no need for soil,” says chef Dave Prows, a partner in Icon Culinary, which operates the café and caters special events at the aquarium. The towers were developed in the early 1990s by engineer Tim Blank as part of his work with Epcot Center at Disney World and as a liaison between Disney, NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy. Prows sees them as a way to deliver sustainable, organic produce yearround for his kitchen at the aquarium. The sustainable and science-oriented qualities of the towers also fit with the environmental and educational mission of the aquarium, Prows said.

“Kids come and look at them and ask questions,” Prows said. “If they have a salad or stir-fry, I can tell them what they are eating came from right here.” With 44 planting spaces or “cups” per tower, Prows grows a fairly wide variety of produce ranging from herbs to peppery, spicy wasabi arugula, red chard, peppers and even strawberries—all grown without pesticides. “If you are doing hydroponics, if something contaminates your water you have to start over or—if you have a sick plant—it can spread to the others,” Prows said. “Here, the water is refreshed each time. If I get a sick plant, I just take it out and put in another. We have deionized water here that has been through reverse osmosis, and all we have to do is maintain the pH and add the nutrients to the water.” Prows said some day he would like to have an entire “farm” of the towers to provide fresh, sustainable, organic produce to other restaurants. Loveland Living Planet Aquarium 12033 Lone Peak Parkway, Draper 801-355-3474 TheLivingPlanet.com

The water table at Pat’s BBQ

COURTESY PAT’S BBQ

Roots of Pat’s hydroponic tomatillos

COURTESY PAT’S BBQ

Tomato garden using Dutch bucket system

BBQ With a Side of Fresh Produce: Pat’s BBQ’s hydroponic garden of delight Fresh, organic produce is probably not what most people have in mind when walking into a barbeque restaurant, but, Pat Barber, owner of Pat’s Barbeque in South Salt Lake, wants that to change. Diners who stepped out onto the south patio at Pat’s in the summer of 2018 would have found themselves in a jungle of tomato vines sprouting from rows of plants in 5-gallon buckets. “It started with a garden at my house after my wife passed away four years ago. Gardening was a way for me to find some peace and work some things out,” Barber said. “As I got into it, I found I needed more information, so I took a Master Gardeners class from Utah State University. There were some people there talking about hydroponics and aquaponics, and I thought it was something I wanted to try out for the restaurant. People have this idea that eating at a barbeque joint is unhealthy. I believe in moderation, and I want to surprise people and show them they can have great, fresh things at a barbeque place, too.” Barber utilized two hydroponic systems to grow produce at his restaurant. His tomatoes were grown using a Dutch bucket system in which 5-gallon containers were filled with a gravel-like growing medium and suspended over a water reservoir. Water would flow in the top and—after reaching a certain point—would drain out through a pipe. The water would be captured and circulated to the next bucket and eventually return to a reservoir that’s replenished regularly.

The system uses less water and soil than conventional growing methods. Barber also built two 16-by-4 feet water tables that hold water and nutrients. Holes are cut into a sheet of polystyrene foam that floats on top of the water, and the plants are placed in the holes with the roots suspended in the water. Barber grew spinach, lettuce and other greens on the water tables along with peppers and tomatillos in the buckets. All the produce was used at the restaurant. This year, Barber has plans to move things to another level and venture into aquaponics. Aquaponic systems combine farming of fish and plants. Plants are suspended in a tank of water and receive nutrients from the waste produced by the fish. It is intended to be a self-sustaining and low maintenance system, and, for Barber, it’s another addition to the menu. “Serving catfish from the tanks with vegetables we’ve grown here? I can’t wait!” he says. Barber said he plans to grow hops on the patio this summer and says that he is working with a local brewery to turn them into beer. “Years ago, I used to homebrew,” he says, “and I still have all my recipes, so we’re going to see what we can do.” Pat’s Barbecue 155 W. Commonwealth Ave., South Salt Lake, 801-484-5963 PatsBBQ.com

Devour Utah • April 2019 15

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There is plenty of traditional agriculture on view throughout central Utah. Fields of alfalfa, onions, barley, wheat, fruit orchards and pastures of grazing livestock stretch out from small towns and dominate the landscape. But it wasn’t the wide-open spaces and fertile ground that drew the attention of the Canada-based Houweling’s Tomatoes produce company. Specializing in hydroponic greenhouse-grown produce such as tomatoes and cucumbers, the folks at Houweling’s were drawn to the Currant Creek natural-gas power plant in Mona, Utah—about 75 miles south of Salt Lake City—which produces electricity for nearly a quarter of a million homes. In addition, it also produces excess heat, steam and carbon dioxide, which tomatoes thrive upon. In 2011, the company began talking with Rocky Mountain Power about tapping into one of the exhaust stacks at the plant. In 2014, the company purchased 28 acres of ground next to the plant and began constructing a massive greenhouse. In summer 2015, a 475-foot-long pipeline that is 10 feet in diameter was connected from the power plant’s exhaust stack to the greenhouse. The operation produced its first crop by the end of the same year. In addition to the heat and CO2, the steam is condensed and used to water the hundreds of tomato vines growing in a medium made from shredded coconut husks. Beehives inside the greenhouse provide pollinators for the plants that produce around 27 million pounds of tomatoes a year. With the success of the project, Houwelings announced plans last year to expand the operation. Houwelings tomatoes can be found in stores all around the state and bear the “Utah’s Own” label. ❖ Houweling’s in Utah 1935 W. 300 North, Mona 435-319-4074 Houwelings.com

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Devour Utah • April 2019 17

The Nerd Issue

SCHOLARS OF SUSTENANCE

Fred Montague

Only a special kind of nerd would rather study food than eat it BY DEVOUR STAFF

Not sure about what to major in at college? If you’re fascinated by all things culinary, why not food science? In this fertile field, food geeks utilize chemistry, microbiology and engineering to study the basic elements of food. They analyze nutritional content, advance ways of cooking and processing food and even invent new food products. Some scientists study soil composition to see how it affects crop yields. Others look at how to enhance plant growth and study ways to fight weeds and pests. Animal scientists seek to improve the quality of life for farm animals by reducing disease and injury rates and improving animal environments. Finally, there are those who prepare food, those who employ new techniques and methods of preparation, some of whom are simple chefs blessed with a curious mind and the desire to go beyond the tastes of the average diner. Devour writers were themselves curious about the food geeks in our midst. They met with local university professors and innovative chefs to see what has captured their fancies and have described their research in the following pages. If their work intrigues you, better plan a visit to your favorite university or college and see how to climb aboard the food-geek train.

18 Devour Utah • April 2019

COURTESY PHOTO

TRUTH: We eat to live. But some of us— perhaps many enthusiastic fans of this magazine—live to eat. For us, food is a passion, an art form, a gift from the gods, an inspired form of creativity, a medicine and a comfort. And then there are those who take it a step further, those who find food a curious subject that inspires study, experimentation and analysis.

FRED MONTAGUE Wildlife biologist, author, artist: Grow your own! Fred Montague warns that you might be depressed after talking with him. The former University of Utah professor will tell you that the human population is 700 times the amount the Earth could support if we were all hunters and gatherers again, that the world population is growing by 1 million people every four days, and that the way we 7.5 billion people survive—by eating food grown by industrialscale farms—will prove catastrophic because of how it erodes soil, depletes water sources, deposits toxic material in the environment and contributes to climate change. “It’s going to be the ultimate admission of human failure if we have to plow up the last wild place to grow food for people—and that’s where we’re heading,” he says. But he has solutions, which are outlined in his book Gardening: An Ecological Approach. Planting in the dirt is one of the most important environmental actions we can take, he says. Grow your own vegetables. Buy organic. Cook your own food. These are the ways we can increase soil fertility, sequester carbon, create safe spaces for birds and insects, conserve water. In short, think of food—how it’s grown and what we eat—as an “ecological sacrament, where something dies that you might live.” (Heather May) MountainBearInk.com

the

Devour Dozen

LAURA JEFFERIES Food scientist: A cricket a day Ground-up crickets taste earthy, says Brigham Young University professor Laura Jefferies. And once they are churned into a “slurry of cricket mush” and spray dried—the same method used to turn milk into the powdered cheese used in macaroni and cheese boxes— their texture is good enough to provide the protein in a smoothie. Jefferies would know: The food technologist recently studied the properties of cricket powder to learn how to process the crickets to make them more palatable. There are good reasons to wonder: Crickets contain, per ounce, about the same amount of protein as beef but use a fraction of land and water resources to raise.

COURTESY U OF U

Polly Wiessner

Laura Jefferies

COURTESY PHOTO

POLLY WIESSNER

After Jefferies learned of a Utah company that uses cricket flour in its protein bars, she realized that she could study what happens to the nutritional value of crickets after they are processed, and she and her students could explore consumer attitudes about eating crickets. Ultimately, she learned that spray drying the powder is most acceptable. “I feel pretty convinced that the edible insect market in the United States has a lot of potential,” she says. “But I think it’s still a niche market.” (Heather May) BYU Nutrition, Dietetics & Food Science Lifesciences.BYU.edu/~lkj

Anthropology professor: Communal meals—the original social network The Enga people of Papua New Guinea give pork and other gifts to their maternal kin to recognize their role in raising children. They wrap stones that represent their ancestors in pork fat as part of a religious ceremony. They hold grand feasts to mark their allies’ deaths in war. Food is about so much more than nutrition, says University of Utah anthropology professor Polly Wiessner, who studies the Enga. It is the medium for social relations. Lest you think it only functions that way in traditional societies, consider the spread that was served at the last wedding you attended, what you made for a loved one’s birthday, what you don’t eat because of your religion and why you shared a picture of your meal on Instagram.

Wiessner designed a college course around food and culture—the ways food is used to create social bonds, display status, mark social distinctions, exercise power and communicate with the supernatural. Food, she says, is “very primordial. A lot of other primates share food. Birds share food. It’s very much a part of our evolutionary heritage.” We aren’t meant to eat alone. The fact that so many of us do might explain all sorts of health and social isolation problems: People are looking to food to satisfy their need for human interaction. Instead, they should share meals to fill up emotionally and socially, she says. So what is her stressrelieving recipe? Buy food and invite friends. “Cook and sit around and enjoy yourself. Then you see you’re not alone.” (Heather May) University of Utah Department of Anthropology Anthro.Utah.edu

Devour Utah • April 2019 19

The Nerd Issue

TAMARA MASTERS

Tamara Masters

COURTESY PHOTO

Marketing professor Heroes and villains

Tamara Masters was seeing villains and heroes everywhere. A skull and crossbones for a woman’s perfume. An ad for a basketball star that ended with the word “villain.” Darth Vader and Yoda on children’s snacks. The Brigham Young University marketing professor started to wonder: How do the hero and villain labels affect our food choices? She and Arul Mishra, a University of Utah marketing professor, conducted seven experiments to find out, on items including ice cream bars, bottled water and cheese curds. It turns out, we want our cake to be branded as heroic so we can eat it, too. “Vice products like an ice cream

Robert Ward

20 Devour Utah • April 2019

COURTESY USU

ROBERT WARD Food researcher Better living through chemistry Curiosity about food and how its chemistry affects human health took Robert Ward from the kitchen of a Park City restaurant to a laboratory in the food-science department at Utah State University. After graduating from the University of Vermont in the early 1990s, Ward moved to Park City to ski. “I was working as a restaurant cook, and I got interested in how different ingredients would behave in predicable ways with different preparations, and it struck me there was a lot of chemistry going on,” Ward said. “I had also spent time in Italy and got very interested in food there as well. As a person who loves the outdoors and being active, I was very interested in how food affects health and athletic ability.” Ward left Park City for the University of California Davis to earn a master’s degree in brewing science and later a

bar—it’s already bad,” she says. If it’s also labeled as villainous, shoppers can’t justify buying it, she notes. But when a “vice” food is labeled heroic, consumers are put at ease. And when something utilitarian like bottled water is marketed with Darth Vader, consumers are willing to pay more than if it were marketed with Luke Skywalker. “A hero label will give them license to buy something that’s hedonic. A villain label makes things very boring more interesting to us,” she says. Consumers and vegetable sellers, take note: The marketing doesn’t change how the products taste, but a well-placed Voldemort picture next to some kale could do wonders. (Heather May)

BYU Marriott School of Business Department of Marketing & Global Supply Chain MarriottSchool.BYU.edu

Ph.D. in food science. His Ph.D. work led him to study the chemistry of milk and the specific sugars that feed gut bacteria that make up the microbiome or the bacteria that live in the human digestive system. Scientists now speculate that our microbiome is much more important to our health and even behavior than previously thought. Ward’s research at USU helped develop “the total Western diet” (a diet with fewer calories from protein and carbohydrate sources and twice that from fat), which is fed to laboratory animals to study models of human disease, including cancer. His work also led to investigations of how and why polyphenols—compounds found in foods like blueberries, green tea, dark chocolate and coffee that have low levels of toxin—seem to promote overall better health. (Brian Fryer) USU Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences NDFS.USU.edu/research/robert-ward

the

Devour Dozen

SILVANA MARTINI

COURTESY USU

Food-science professor The chocolate degree Everyone knows fats are where the flavor Silvana is at, right? Thanks to scientists looking at Martini the physicochemical characterization of lipids and sensory properties of foods, we now know how fats work to create those crave-able flavors and textures. Utah State University food-science professor Silvana Martini was one of those food-nerd scientists. She earned a degree in food science from the University of La Plata in her native Argentina before finding her way the gods,” from its history to politics. Along the way, they to Utah’s Cache Valley in 2005. In addition to her research, work in the lab taking raw cocoa from the bean to bar. her teaching has led to the creation of the Aggie Chocolate The student-produced chocolate is not only available for Factory that opened last fall. sale at the factory but is also used in making the famous “A few years ago, the food science staff were trying to Aggie Ice Cream. Martini said the university soon plans think of ways of attracting more students,” Martini said. to offer courses at the factory to the public for small, local “First, we thought of fermentation—making beer and chocolate producers as well as large-scale manufacturers. wine—but we knew that would be a problem. So, I said, (Bryan Fryer) ‘What about chocolate?’” USU Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science Her suggestion became a reality. Today, students in MartiniResearch.com Martini’s class learn about every aspect of “the food of AggieChocolate.com

sources of some of Utah’s earliest humans identified at North Creek Shelter near Escalante, Utah. The recovered starch granules of Solanum jamesii wild potatoes, dating between 10,900 and 10,100 years ago, are the earliest use of the tuber identified so far in North America. Pavlik notes that there’s a long oral history of indigenous people utilizing this species, that early cavalry officers called the area Potato Valley because they foraged wild tubers there, and that, during the Great Depression, area residents depended on the plants to make it through rough times. Next up? Louderback and Pavlik are investigating evidence for prehistoric manipulation of the species to determine if it was selected for taste or other qualities. They are also tracing the locations of nutrient-rich source plants from as far away as El Paso and Mesa Verde that might allow Native American farmers to bring S. jamesii to a market near you. (Darby Doyle) Red Butte Garden RedButteGarden.org Natural History Museum of Utah NHMU.Utah.edu COURTESY RED BUTTE GARDEN

Lisbeth Louderback & Bruce Pavlik

LISBETH LOUDERBACK, paleoarchaeologist

BRUCE PAVLIK,

director of conservation

Wild potato foraging in the West “It took us about two years to become confident in our identification” of potato starch grains found on archaic grinding stones, says Red Butte Garden director of conservation Bruce Pavlik of the ground-breaking research. A team led by University of Utah/Natural History Museum of Utah paleoarchaeologist Lisbeth Louderback and Pavlik has been investigating the food

Devour Utah • April 2019 21

The Nerd Issue

Food engineer: Food safety and food preparation efficiency innovator As a food engineer, Luis Bastarrachea’s interdisciplinary work at Utah State University touches on the physics, chemistry and biology of foods and their processing, handling and preservation. His research ensures the safety of foods while also trying to mitigate the negative effects of food preservation practices. For example, using heat to pasteurize dairy products or cooking with boiling water kills microbes, but it also has some downsides. “Heat helps keep food safe, but it can also cause loss of desirable attributes,” Bastarrachea says, such as texture, color, flavor and beneficial nutrients. Noting that for many reasons, consumers prefer more “natural” ingredients to chemical preservatives, his current research focuses on antimicrobial packaging materials. “Through the use of (mostly plastic) materials that are able to eliminate microbes, the application of heat and chemical substances could eventually be dismissed or even discarded,” he says, and the energy costs involved in heating methods would be considerably reduced. But how does this packaging become antimicrobial without introducing chemical additives? Bastarrachea is investigating the use of industrial-scale microwaves, high pressure, high-voltage electric currents and UV light, to name a few areas of study. “It is exciting and evolving,” Bastarrachea says, of his field, “which I hope will lead to relevant breakthroughs in the future.” (Darby Doyle) USU Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science NDFS.USU.edu

KATIE WEINNER

SLCPop chef: Bringing whimsy and wickedly good fun to the table For SLCPop, Red Moose After Dark and private chef Katie Weinner, the thrill of using molecular gastronomy never gets old. “I’ve worked on some recipes for five or more years, and they seemed unachievable,” to get the wow-factor she’s aiming for. “Then, when I figure it out and finally have it all come together, it’s mind-blowing!” She’s widely admired in SLC’s culinary community and beyond (she competed on Season 12 of Top Chef ) for her creativity and wildly inventive plating. “A lot of my food is inspired by nostalgia, and wanting to evoke moments for guests,” Weinner says, such as the time she created mini “clotheslines” to hang slices of charcuterie, inspired by the comfort of sunwarmed clothes hung outdoors to dry. She’s also a master of “MacGyvering” tools and equipment to produce her desired results, such as when she used a kids’ cotton-candy machine to spin foie gras floss or a rigged-up smoke gun to create foggy edible “terrariums” using jars she found at a dollar store in Maine.

22 Devour Utah • April 2019

Katie Weinner

COURTEWSY SLC POP

Luis J. Bastarrachea

COURTESY USU

LUIS J. BASTARRACHEA

“It’s fun to make people laugh and smile, and it sets the mood for the evening,” she says. Whether she’s putting together an elaborate private dinner party or showcasing her original plates at SLCPop, her seasonal pop-up dining experience, it’s those convivial moments shared with guests that keeps Weinner creating. “When people at the tables are talking to each other,” she says, “they feel like they’re part of something unique.” (Darby Doyle) SLCPop SLCPop.com

the

Devour Dozen

DARBY DOYLE

Tyler Stokes

TYLER STOKES Provisions chef: The care and feeding of a great master stock It’s one of the most basic elements of any great restaurant kitchen, and one of the first things chefs learn in culinary school: a great stock. But it’s far from a “set it and forget it” enterprise. “It’s the baseline,” chef Tyler Stokes says, of making a superlative master stock. “The depth of flavor and that cooked-in umami is unattainable any other way.” Based on a recipe he’s tinkered with since 2007 at his restaurant in Sun Valley, Stokes favors Asian stock ingredients such as soy sauce, ginger, orange peel, garlic, brown sugar and cardamom. “In China,” he notes, “there are stocks that are 400 to 500 years old,” whereas his current batch has been simmering for two years. It’s tended daily by removing any solids that may have accumulated during storage overnight, and carefully skimming off foam

throughout the cooking process. Stokes uses the aromatic, coffee-colored liquid to braise items like lamb shanks, pork ribs, and duck, which further add to the oomph of the stock with each meaty addition. “Probably half the items on our menu have this stock in them,” Stokes says of its versatility, though he notes that they’re careful not to use it in vegetarian items or for dishes served to guests with soy or wheat allergies. Stokes will be splitting his current batch to jump-start another master stock at his latest endeavor set to open this spring, a Southeast Asian-inspired restaurant in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City. (Darby Doyle) Provisions 3364 S. 2300 East, SLC 801-410-4046 SLCProvisions.com Devour Utah • April 2019 23

501 E. 900 S. SLC | (385) 202-7167 | www.traditionslc.com 24 Devour Utah â&#x20AC;¢ April 2019

Devour Dozen

the

The Nerd Issue

DAVE BIBLE

JOHN TAYLOR

Nick Fahs

Executive chef at Maxwell’s and Myrtle Rose: Clams are his jam Chef Dave Bible hails from the Pacific Northwest and gets particular satisfaction in working with raw ingredients from that region. One of his favorites is geoduck, a giant saltwater clam that is noted for its delicate, sweet and slightly crunchy texture. Although many claim that the delicious mollusk might have aphrodisiac charms, it’s just as likely that its phallic properties of the long, protruding neck or siphon that stretches sometimes feet outside of its shell are to blame. The sand-burrowing bivalve can be enjoyed either raw or cooked and Bible loves working with the world’s largest burrowing

clam because of its versatility. “It’s super easy to prepare. You can serve it as sashimi, make a fritter from the belly or chop it up and put it in chowder.” As the geoduck has become more of a delicacy and prices have skyrocketed, Bible, who has spent several decades preparing and serving geoduck, doesn’t get the opportunity to present them on too many Utah menus, but when he does, “It’s nice to be able to pull something from another region of the country and do justice to it,” he says. “It’s a really good clam. I like using it!” (Heather L. King) ❖ Maxwell’s and Myrtle Rose 1456 Newpark Blvd., Park City 435-647-0304 Maxwellsece.com 435-658-0304 MyrtleRose.com

NICK FAHS Dave Bible

DEREK CARLISLE

Table X chef: Experimenting daily Science and technique are important partners in creating great food. Even home cooks need to understand several variables in order to have success in the kitchen. As chef Nick Fahs says, “knowing the science allows you to understand the ‘why’ in cooking.” The kitchen at Table X is a true “test kitchen” as all three chefs—Fahs, David Barboza and Mike Blocher—are constantly developing new menu concepts, focusing on technique and innovation as they test an idea, and then test it again. From braising to fermentation (they are now making kombucha in-house), they are learning about food science every day as they try to move cuisine in a forward direction. “Probably the most important food science principle in our minds is the ‘Maillard reactions,’” Fahs said. This is a flavor-producing reaction that occurs in cooking foods such as bread crusts, chocolate, coffee beans, dark beers and roasted meats. “We are evaluating these reactions all the time, from making our breads to searing meats,” Fahs said. “All those things come into play.” (Aimee L. Cook) Table X 1457 E. 3350 South, SLC 385-528-3712 TableXRestaurant.com

Devour Utah • April 2019 25

The Nerd Issue

Your Neighborhood Diner! A

Cottonwood Heights Cafe 7146 Highland Dr. | 801-947-0760 Open everyday for Breakfast & Lunch 7:00am-2:30pm

Hours: 7am to 10pm • peacetreecafe.com 435-259-0101 • 20 South Main Street • Moab, Utah 435-587-5063 • 516 North Main Street • Monticello, Utah

26 Devour Utah • April 2019

New Location!

short time ago, in a neighborhood very close by, Daniel Cantu’s career as a culinary Jedi led him to open Sugarhouse’s Twin Suns Café. A veteran of the catering business, Cantu’s decision to integrate his affection for Star Wars with his talent for whipping up quality, health-conscious food was instantaneous. While he was developing his talents as a chef, he was also accumulating a serious collection of Star Wars memorabilia, most of which can be seen adorning the walls of this modestly sized diner. The café itself takes its name from Luke Skywalker’s home planet of Tatooine, which orbits under the angry gaze of two solar bodies. While the décor at Twin Suns is reason enough to visit, Cantu has created a menu of dishes that reference a multitude of sci-fi films. The Nerf Burger, for example, is made from a mixture of ground pork, beef and lamb, but takes its name from an intergalactic beast of burden—a herder of which is considered one of the franchise’s sickest of burns. The combination of meats ensures a pleasantly juicy burger, and the almond tomato sauce— one of Cantu’s many homemade condiments—complements the dish nicely. All of the restaurant’s entrees can be ordered with a choice of fries, salad or fresh fruit, which is a nice touch for those looking for a more wellbalanced meal—or, in my case, those looking for an excuse to order dessert. Speaking of the dark side of the menu, Whatawook Bars arrive like chocolatey slabs of carbonite layered with peanut butter and chopped pretzels. The spiced chocolate layer is thick and moderately flavored while the peanut butter creates a salty counterpoint to the taste and texture. It’s a delicious mix of sweet and salty flavors, and it’s rich enough to sustain any diner for a trip to a galaxy far, far away. Twin Suns Café 2305 S. Highland Drive 385-252-7061 TwinSunsCafeSLC.com

SpXeAd the

Twin Suns Café

Twin Suns Cafe is open for breakfast and lunch

BY ALEX SPRINGER PHOTOS BY DEREK CARLISLE

Darth Mousse

Daniel Cantu showcases his health-conscious fare and Star Wars memorabilia at Twin Suns Cafe

The Nerf Burger, made with ground pork, beef, and lamb Devour Utah • April 2019 27

The Green Scene

Taste the Tang Fermentation is science you can taste BY AMANDA ROCK

uman beings have been fermenting food and beverages for 12,000 years. The first people to pickle their food lived in 2400 B.C. It’s embarrassing that I, a modern woman, still do not understand the difference between pickling and fermentation. But since we’re learning about food science this month, I thought this was a good opportunity to talk to my favorite food nerds and finally learn the difference. Both methods safely preserve food while changing the flavor and texture; this much I knew. “Pickling slows down the decay of food by covering it with an acidic liquid that impedes growth of the bad bacteria that cause spoilage,” Justin Soelberg, chef and owner of Nomad Eatery, says. Fermentation works in the opposite way, according to Paige Collett, owner of Cache Canning Co. “Fermentation uses ‘good’ bacteria to produce lactic acid and enzymes that combat bad, food spoiling bacteria,” she says. Swing by the Downtown Farmer’s Market for a taste of pickling and fermentation, courtesy of either Cache Canning Co. or Mamachari Kombucha. To experience pickle-plus-sandwich perfection, visit Nomad Eatery. 28 Devour Utah • April 2019

Bubbly Brew

DEREK CARLISLE

Pickling preserves food while transforming flavor

Can You Beet This?

Preserving nature’s bounty with the canning knowledge passed down from generations, Paige Collett finds inspiration for her uniquely-flavored pickled vegetables from cookbooks. “My most popular pickled beets are done with orange and caraway, something I would never have thought up, except I found a recipe roasting beets with these flavors.” she says. Other popular items include crunchy pickled carrots flavored with honey and habanero, pickled onions, and delightfully crisp and tart Dilly Beans. Find Cache Canning Co.’s creations at the Downtown Farmers Market and Redmond Heritage Farm Stores in Sugar House, St. George, Heber and Orem. If you’re interested in private classes or have a special request, email cachecanning@gmail.com. CacheCanning.com

Pickles on the Side

Nomad Eatery is a fast-casual restaurant that cuts no corners. French fries and potato chips are sliced by hand, farmers cheese is made from scratch and pickled vegetables are made in-house. “If we can make it instead of buying it, that’s the route we go,” Justin Soelberg, the chef and owner, says. In addition to serving pickled cucumbers, the restaurant accents sandwiches and other dishes with pickled zucchini, celery, butternut squash, Fresno chilis and even grapes. Soelberg wants to serve seasonal produce all year long. “Pickling is a great way of preserving ingredients and adding amazing flavor,” he says, noting he learned the basics when he was young helping his mother can and pickle ingredients from their garden. Nomad Eatery, 2110 W. North Temple, SLC, 801-938-9629, Nomad-eatery.com

Kombucha is a fermented, sweetened tea that is said to keep bacteria balanced in your guts. The tea is fermented in large barrels with a SCOBY, an acronym for symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. According to Mamachari Kombucha’s website, the health benefits of drinking kombucha stem from various organic acids. Your craving for sugar will decrease, your skin will clear up, and your guts will feel great. This bubbly brew is also delicious and a fun alternative to soda. Lorrie Vorkink and Benjamin Phillips bought the business in 2015 and added Tibi Kefir Soda, their line of water kefir. “Kombucha and water kefir are made from different cultures,” Vorkink says. “Both are fed with organic sugar to feed the fermentation, however most of the sugar is consumed through the process. The results are delicious, probiotic, low sugar beverages.” Mamachari Kombucha is available at many local restaurants and grocery stores. You’ll also find them slinging kombucha and water kefir at the Downtown Farmers Market. Visit their tap room to refill your growler and sample different flavors. ❖ Mamachari Kombucha, 1415 S. 700 West, Ste. 4, SLC, 385-202-3391, Mamachari.cc

Devour Utah • April 2019 29

AND BEYOND “Show me everything.” —Ellen Ripley Aliens

To boldly seek the best leaves in the galaxy BY MERRY LYCETT HARRISON “Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!” —Robot, Lost in Space

herished and revered by millions for its many benefits, tea is a medicine, teacher, gateway to the sacred, psychological and energetic shifter, and tool for socializing. Legends, fortunes, empires, ceremonies, wars, treaties, traditions and rebellions have developed on account of this beverage. While thought to have originated as a medicinal drink in southern China in roughly 1500 B.C., tea spread to Japan and Korea via teachers of Buddhism, where it was enjoyed by monks, samurai and aesthetes. In the 10th century, Chinese traders traveled the arduous 1,400-mile route from China’s Sichuan province to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, where Tibetan horses were exchanged for Chinese tea. Hence, the passageway became known as the Tea-Horse Road. As the tea trade spread, Portuguese priests and merchants tasted tea in Lebanon in the 16th century and by the 1700s, Portuguese ships were trading tea with the English and Dutch

30 Devour Utah • April 2019

where only the rich could afford it. As the British embraced tea traditions, they introduced it to India, hoping to cultivate it there to break the Chinese tea monopoly. Today, tea bushes can be found in Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Africa. The leaves from the shrub Camellia sinensis and its varieties are picked, chewed, dried, cured, smoked, soaked, steeped, crushed, powdered, roasted and whipped in efforts to obtain the most desirable quality and taste. Tea appreciation in Utah is on the rise with unique oneoff shops such as Tea Grotto, Tea Zaanti, Tea Bar and others offering quality tea leaves and blends to sample, even in spite of local religious objections to hot drinks laced with caffeine. With more than 3,000 tea varieties to choose from, these local shops give us a reason to sit, sip and ponder. “Coffee is not my cup of tea.” —Samuel Goldwyn

The Nerd Issue

“How do you talk and drink at the same time? Must be drool city!” —Mork, Mork & Mindy

Tea Zaanti owner Scott Lyttle

COURTESY PHOTO

Tea Grotto

“A warrior’s drink.” —Lt. Worf, Star Trek: The Next Generation

A Healing Journey

There's Magic in Tea

Brad Heller, the well-traveled owner of the Tea Grotto (401 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-466-8255, TeaGrotto.com), says he drank herbal teas growing up and was introduced to green tea in college. He went on to become a geologist and suffered a serious fall that shattered his leg and ankle. The prognosis was grim, so when he was done with Western doctors, he visited a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. Heller said he made great progress taking bone-nourishing, blood-purifying herbs.

A tea-blending class was wrapping up on a recent Saturday at Tea Zaanti (1324 S. 1100 East, SLC, 801-906-8132, Teazaanti. com) when owner Scott Lyttle joined me for tea. Scott and his wife, Becky, took over the shop two years ago, name and all, and have made it flourish by tapping into the public’s growing interest. Revenues are up 50 percent over the previous year. Raised in Canada where tea and biscuits are enjoyed daily, Lyttle spent years working for nonprofits. Now, he enjoys learning about tea and sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with customers. He lights up when explaining the moment a new shade-grown tea called gyokuro from Japan arrived and went on to explain that it needs to be steeped in roomtemperature water for 14 minutes. The complex flavor, he says, is “vegetable, buttery bean-like, a million flavors all at once.” Lyttle thinks his customers are more conscious and aware because of social media and that, as savvy and selective buyers, they are willing to pay for high-quality tea from his trusted distributors. They count on and look forward to unique new teas being added. The Lyttles travel to Portland often where Lyttle tracks tea trends which he hopes will catch on in Salt Lake City. At Tea Zaanti, customers can peruse the broad selection of tea tins—many containing Camellia Sinensis teas. Each tin has an easy-to-read label that explains how best to brew the tea including quantity, water temperature and steeping time. Teas may be purchased to brew at home, but why not order a cup and sip in the comfy, well-lit setting? It will even taste better at the shop because Tea Zaanti has invested in a reverseosmosis filter to remove tap-water minerals and help perfect the profile of each tea. Lyttle loves knowing his customers come to the shop not only to enjoy tea but also each other as they sit at a table and talk. The magic of tea, he says, is that it brings a sense of calm.

This enlightening experience led him to further study Chinese herbs, tea and Eastern cultures. He embraced the lessons of patience, quiet and serenity. The opportunity to run the Tea Grotto presented itself, and he gladly took it to establish a healing space similar to what he experienced during his recovery: a spot where people can pause to sip teas and visit in a peaceful setting. He is going for the opposite of the busy, caffeine- and Wi-Ficharged coffee-shop vibe. Heller considers himself a curator of fine teas, similar to a wine sommelier. “It’s using me, and I’m using it,” he says of his respectful relationship with the plant. The Tea Grotto’s two-sided menu lists 160 choices that can be brewed on the spot while you relax in the bohemian-style atmosphere or while perusing the well-stocked shelves. Black teas are organized as “self-drinking” (usually sipped without milk or sugar), “milk and sugar” and “English favorites.” Dark, earthy flavored, highly valued Dragon, Mandarin and Royal Pu ‘ehr from Yunnan are available by the pot. In addition, varieties of green, white and flowering teas are plentiful with chai, oolong, yerba mate, red Rooibos, ayurvedic, medicinals, herbal and boba teas with tapioca pearls mixed in. An unusual line from Nuwati Herbals of handcrafted combinations of Native American and traditional herbs with names like Buffalo Bone, Laughing Coyote and Share my Blanket are sure to spark interest.

Devour Utah • April 2019 31

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Lower Level Center Court Trolley Square 32 Devour Utah • April 2019

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The Nerd Issue

Grand America Afternoon Tea Service

COURTESY PHOTO

“I aim to misbehave.” —Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, Firefly

British Tea: An indoors picnic

Other Tea Connections

Another way to savor tea’s comfort and delight is a British style afternoon tea. Salt Lakers may experience one daily at 1 p.m. in the lobby lounge of the Grand America Hotel (555 S. Main, SLC, 801258-6707, GrandAmerica.com). Fridays through Sundays, a second seating at 3:30 p.m. is also served According to Rachel Eames, Grand America’s PR director, tea commences with strawberries topped with Chantilly cream followed by sweet and savory pastries on tiered platters (including finger sandwiches and scones with clotted cream). “Flavors are updated seasonally, but a classic cucumber sandwich is always included on the savory tier. Macarons and madeleines are staples for the dessert tier,” executive chef Fernando Soberanis says. Guests may upgrade to Grand Traditions Tea which includes domestic and imported cheeses. Everything is served on Tunisian china and set upon the table spread with pastel linens while harp or piano music drifts in the air. The Grand America proudly serves Steven Smith Tea. Choose black teas such as Lord Bergamot and spice-infused Masala Chai or oolongs like Ti Kwan Yin, which are tightly rolled nuggets made in a 36-step process. Smith Teamaker Blend No. 555 Dandelion Chai was custom crafted exclusively for the Hotel. Other tea offerings include low-caffeine white and green teas such as the minty Fez and hand-rolled Jasmine Pearls along with caffeine-free herbal infusions that blend hibiscus, chamomile, hyssop, rose petals and sweet linden flowers. Hot chocolate is available as well as a Child’s Tea, served with pastry shapes and flavors they love. The Grand’s Afternoon Tea has been served nearly every day since the hotel opened in 2002 for the Winter Olympic Games and has seen increased popularity for local experience seekers and celebrations. Reservations are required for this unique experience.

The Utah Tea Guild is a monthly gathering for community tea-lovers. Co-founder Josh Williams is an herbalist and the owner of Greenthread Herbs (GreenthreadHerbs.com), a tidy shop chock full of medicinal herbs and useful botanical preparations.

His passion for tea grew out of his interest in plants used for health and healing. Williams gladly shares his acquired tea wisdom and prepares the setting for a modest tea ceremony drawing from a variety of world traditions. For example, for a future meeting, the group planned how to make tea brownies using powdered tea and cacao. Asked what it is about tea that makes it so desirable throughout the world, Williams replied, “Growers and tea specialists have such a deep connection to the plant it is as if it can tell them exactly when to pick it for particular flavor and benefit.” When you sit quietly and drink a cup of tea, he says, “it reaches into you ... and assists in the revelation of something you need to understand.” The guild is open to all interested in a tea-centric gathering. UtahTeaGuild.com Japanese Tea Ceremony The intricate Zen tea ceremony was created to subdue the ego and inspire harmony among participants. Locals can experience a tea ceremony at Utah’s annual Nihon Matsuri (Japan Festival), on April 27, 2019, at Japantown Street (100 South between 200 and 300 West in Salt Lake City). NihonMatsuri.com Devour Utah • April 2019 33

treat yourself to locally crafted coffee and sweet or savory crepes

7am-1am / 7 Days A Week • 3231 S. 9 0 0 E. • 801-466-3273

34 Devour Utah • April 2019

The Nerd Issue A “Cylon” drinking tea —Battlestar Galactica

Tea basics

Tea pairing

Tea leaves are graded based on the quality and condition of the tea leaves. Orange Pekoe, or OP, is the benchmark that denotes whole leaf black tea that can be graded Super, Fine, Tippy, Golden and/or Flowery. After the higher grades of whole-leaf tea are gathered, the smaller particles of tea that remain are called either “broken,” “fannings” or “dust,” which are often used in tea bags. The basic taste of tea is determined by many things— soil, environmental conditions, cultivar as well as the “shaqing” process—achieved by sun drying, steaming, baking or pan frying—which deactivates the polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and keeps the leaf from oxidizing. The taste of tea is evaluated by tea masters who look for four distinct characteristics: strength, brightness, “Tea! That’s all I needed! astringency and briskness. Good cup of A tea master with years of tea!” experience and the ability to —The Doctor, Doctor Who discern taste and characteristics sample teas in “cupping rooms” at large tea makers. Tea masters “nose” a spoonful of wet leaves to take in the aroma and then the tea is served, after which they interpret the flavors.

While the English serve finger sandwiches and pastries with tea, in China, fine tea is served with very small nibbles like seeds, nuts and dried fruit. In their book Culinary Tea, Cynthia Gold, a tea sommelier at Boston’s L’Espalier, and co-author, Lise Stern, rank tea pairings with mild, savory, sweet or spicy foods. They determined Dragonwell green tea pairs with certain cheeses. Oolong holds up to spicy and hot dishes. Darjeeling from India may accompany fruits, and its astringency compliments custards, eggs and polenta. Earl Grey—a black tea scented with oil of Bergamot—goes well with pastries, dairy, bourbon and chocolate. A food guide at ArborTeas. com suggests that white teas be paired with mild dishes such as basmati rice, light fish and basic salads. Green tea goes well with seafood, chicken as well as Asian and Middle Eastern food. Black teas such as Lapsang Souchong pair well with chicken, smoked salmon and lemony desserts. “‘Out-of-the-box’ The website also suggests is where I live.” —Lt. Kara ‘Starbuck’ combinations of chocolate and Thrace, Battlestar tea, and provides recipes for Galactica making tea-infused cookies.

Tea types Green tea is made from unfermented Camellia sinensis leaves that have not undergone the withering and oxidation process used to make oolong and black teas. Pale in color and slightly bitter, the more healthful green tea is chock full of naturally occurring catechins that have potent antioxidant properties. Black tea is green tea put through significant oxidation by withering, rolling and drying to result in a different taste and color.

“Tea, Earl Gray, hot.” —Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: TNG

White tea is the least processed and has been developed only over the last 200 years. Its fine white hairs, or silvery pekoe, on the early-picked buds give it its name rather than the pale tea it produces. Oolong tea is plucked later in the season when the leaves have acquired different chemical constituents that add to their flavor profile. Part of the oxidation process for oolong requires sweating the leaves in warmth and humidity where they become long and curly and are often processed in little balls with an extending tail.

Devour Utah • April 2019 35

Tea shops that warm the soul

COURTESY PHOTO

Tea Time

Hong Kong Tea House

COMPILED BY ANNA KASER

Hong Kong Tea House If the colorful entrance and classic style didn’t welcome you into Hong Kong Tea House, then the smell of dim sum and tea will pull you in. With a menu featuring amazing prices (think $1 per cup of tea, and $8 for a plate of food), you won’t find any pretentiousness here. At the top of their tea menu sits jasmine tea, a fragrant light tea for the winter months. For something stronger, try the Shoumei tea, a white tea with a flavor similar to oolong. 565 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-531-7010 HongKongTeaHouse.yolasite.com

Tea Bar This little-known tea secret lies in the heart of Sugar House. Tea Bar offers not only a variety of flavors but a variety of tea types. Their menu offers classic Chinese herbal teas as well as milk teas—a sweeter, creamier option for those not a fan of more earthy flavors—and iced teas in many flavors. For hot teas, the ginger and brown-sugar herbal tea is sure to comfort and warm you on a cool day. Tea Bar even has tea toppings such as boba, aloe and red bean. The flavor combinations are truly endless. 1201 E. Wilmington Ave., Ste. 109, SLC, 385-322-2120

“Captain, we are registering very curious readings from all sensors.”— First officer Spock, right, to James T. Kirk, Star Trek

Watchtower Cafe Do you love reading a comic book while sipping a delicious cup of tea or coffee? Are you seeking a nerdy environment with the added aroma of tea? Then, Watchtower Cafe is the spot for you. In addition to comic books for sale, retro video games and other nerdy activities, you can enjoy a wide variety of tea, coffee and other drinks. Boba teas and other menu items even have charming fantasy/science-fiction based names. Take BB-8, for instance, a blended Thai iced tea with caramel, or the Donatello, a hot jasmine tea with avocado, steamed milk and violet. Maybe grab a cup of tea with your favorite action figure to round out the day. For more competitive company, try their Super 36 Devour Utah • April 2019

Smash Bros. tournaments on Fridays. “We have our game nights that are really fun as well as some writing groups that come in,” employee Cecille Osborn says. “We have people that like to nerd out and people that love to just keep to themselves and watch our cartoons. It’s great for people to meet others like themselves.” A welcoming and warm place, Watchtower is LGBTQ friendly and inclusive to all groups. So, grab a comic book, or maybe a battleship, and make yourself comfortable. ❖ 1588 S. State, SLC, 801-477-7671, Watchtower-cafe.com

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Devour This | Recipes

Power Food Recipes inspired by Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild STORY AND PHOTOS BY CAITLIN HAWKER

intendo released one of its most critically acclaimed video games, the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, in 2017. Thanks to its open world, players can explore the Legend of Zelda universe in a more creative way than ever before, and one of the most addictive elements of the game is the exotic-recipe collecting. Not only does food play an important role in the flavor of the game, but it gives players the ability to defend themselves in battles, gives them stamina for difficult climbs and keeps them warm or cool depending on the climate they find themselves in. Plus, they can earn “rupees” by hunting wild game, cooking it and selling it. Players create meals that are so mouthwatering, that frankly, it would be a shame not to try a few of them out. Early on, an essential quest gives players the ability to explore a frozen area of the map. Link, the hero, must make a recipe from a mysterious stranger in order to get warmweather clothing. The recipe is for a “Spicy Meat and Seafood Fry,” which the stranger claims is his favorite dish. Sound delicious? Here’s a realworld adaptation for you to try at home.

38 Devour Utah • April 2019

Making this (virtual) stir fry allows players to get helpful gear before heading out to the frigid climate of the North.

Spicy Meat and Seafood Fry With Corn Salad Ingredients 2 pounds thinly sliced steak strips 1 pound precooked jumbo shrimp ½ cup cornstarch ½ tablespoon garlic powder ½ tablespoon cayenne pepper Salt/pepper to taste Dash of white pepper

1 stick of butter 1 teaspoon pepper flakes 1 tablespoon smoked paprika Dash of oregano 1 red bell pepper sliced thin 1 clove garlic Dash of thyme 2 whole Serrano peppers

Corn Salad Â˝ cup black beans 1 cups corn niblets 1 small shallot diced 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 juiced lime 2 teaspoons hot sauce of your choice 2 small green onions diced 2 tablespoons veg/olive oil Salt and pepper to taste

Process Combine cornstarch, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, white pepper and salt on a flat surface (a plate or tray) and stir together. Lay the steak into the mixture, thoroughly coating it. Flip over and repeat. Melt stick of butter on medium low in large pan until brown and frothy. Add red pepper flakes, paprika, garlic, oregano and thyme to taste. Stir together, and then remove half of mixture into a bowl and put in freezer until firm. We will use that later. Heat remaining butter mixture until almost smoking and set the steak into the pan. Sear on both sides for about 2 minutes. Turn your vent fan on and open the windows if you are working in a small space because it will be smoky. If the pan gets too dry, add a dash of vegetable oil. Add 1 tablespoon of frozen butter mixture to taste onto the meat and cook for another 2 minutes. Once the meat is up to temperature, put it on a plate and set it aside while you deglaze your pan for the next step. To deglaze, pour Âź cup of red wine or red wine vinegar into your hot pan. Scrape off the residue from the pan and discard. When wine evaporates, add the rest of the butter mixture. Sear the pepper and green onions for about 1 minute, and then add the shrimp and Serrano peppers. Once the peppers are browned, plate them with the steak. To make the side salad: add all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and stir gently until well mixed. Plate with your peppers and steak and enjoy!

Devour Utah â&#x20AC;˘ April 2019 39

Devour This | Recipes

Salmon Meuniere Another of the most memorable (and mildly irritating) quests in Breath of the Wild is when an adorably stubborn young Rito (bird person) insists that she will not sing with her sisters and open a quest for you until you make her a plate of salmon meunière. An oddly specific request, but one that you must complete if you wish to move forward. While the dish can be made in game with wild salmon, Tabantha wheat and goat butter, here is a slightly more comprehensive version to try IRL.

Making a Rito a virtual plate of salmon meunière opens a quest that allows players to move forward.

Ingredients 2 skinless salmon filets Salt and pepper to taste Garlic powder to taste ½ cup plain flour 3 tablespoons butter Sauce 2 tablespoons unflavored Greek yogurt 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon soy sauce Grated sharp Irish cheddar cheese to taste 40 Devour Utah • April 2019

Process Set salmon on paper towels and carefully dry. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder and gently rub onto the skin. Spread the flour out onto a flat surface (a plate or baking sheet will do) and set the salmon onto it, coating both sides. In a large pan, melt butter on high heat and then carefully set the salmon onto it (the butter will spit at you if you set the salmon down too hard, learn from my burned arms.) Cook the salmon on medium-high heat for 4 minutes, flip and cook other

side for another 4. Note: the thickness of the salmon will influence cooking times. Make sure the salmon is thoroughly cooked and up to temperature before eating. To make the sauce, add the yogurt, lemon juice, sugar and soy sauce in a bowl and stir thoroughly. Add the grated cheese and stir until it has mostly broken down. Just before you are ready to plate the salmon, microwave the sauce for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stir thoroughly, and drizzle over finished fish. Serve and enjoy ❖

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Spirit Guide

Kickass drinks that let you get your geek on STORY AND PHOTOS BY DARBY DOYLE

hen compiling this compendium of cocktails inspired by characters in cult movies, TV shows, comics and video games, it quickly became clear that an obsession with craft and details is a quality that booze geeks and fandom nerds have in common. “It’s really the golden age of geekdom,” Watchtower Café co-owner Mike “Tui” Tuiasoa says of today’s fandoms, with blockbuster movies bringing to the big screen what comics fans have always loved about the heroic characters of Marvel, DC and more. To get the 411 on what Utah’s geeks are inspired by when they’re imbibing, we talked to a cross-section of the beehive’s nerdiest business owners and cosplay aficionados.

Cospla y, Comi cs and Co cktails The Drink

Falcon Punch

The Inspiration: Captain Falcon Recommended by: Katy Willis & Michael Eccleston Quarters Arcade Bar 5 E. 400 South, SLC QuartersSLC.com

Falcon Punch 1 ounce Goslings Black Rum 1 ounce Dented Brick Well Rum 1 ounce grapefruit juice ½ ounce lime juice ½ ounce Montenegro Amaro Brew Dr. Love Kombucha Combine all ingredients except kombucha. Short shake and strain over fresh ice in a large rocks glass or collins. Top with kombucha. Serve with a purple glow cube.

Katy Willis & Michael Eccleston, Quarters Arcade Bar

“This drink is a good example of what we do at Quarters,” arcade bar co-owner Katy Willis says of the Falcon Punch. “It’s grounded in classic cocktail traditions, technique and great ingredients, but we make it goofy and interesting.” With solid careers bartending around SLC, selfproclaimed “cocktail nerds” Willis and co-owner Michael Eccleston developed Quarters Arcade Bar to fulfill their own passion for great drinks and classic arcade games, with themed event nights and visiting performers like the Nerdlesque Cabaret. Willis describes the menu as “playful and approachable” with drinks like The Hulk Smash (with gin and green chartreuse) and the Fate of Carmine (black rum, Campari and coffee rum), all at a very reasonable price point. Inspired by an old-school Tea Punch, they named the Falcon Punch cocktail after the Super Smash Bros. character in the racing video-game series F-Zero who calls out “Falcon, punch!” and “Falcon, kick!” during the action. Says Willis of the concept, “People love it because it comes served with a glow cube, but you can get any drink here with a glow cube.” Eccleston agrees. “Just ask!” he says. “We’ll put a glow cube in your beer, and it looks awesome.” Devour Utah • April 2019 43

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Spirit Guide

The Drink

Boca del Inferno

(aka Slayer’s Sour) The Inspiration: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Recommended by: Lisa Romney cosplayer Instagram @lillifae

Lisa Romney, cosplayer

With a closet full of cosplay options, Lisa Romney admits that Buffy the Vampire Slayer has the most nostalgic roots for her. “I probably watched the Buffy movie 25 times in high school. It’s a classic of the Valley Girl era,” she says, though her current costume is more in line with the popular Joss Whedon TV series that followed. With her late husband, Steve Edwards, who died in 2016, Romney found a partner who was equally obsessed with living large and pursuing creative passions from collecting rare whiskey to participating in elaborate costume party events. “We didn’t ever want to do anything half-assed,” Romney says of the philosophy that’s still her default, and it translates to exacting detail in her self-made cosplay costuming from steampunk Hullabaloo to X23 to Star Girl. Her advice for creating exceptional characters? Keep the concept in line with what’s well known: “If you get too far away from the original Buffy, you’re just some blonde girl wearing pleather,” she says. Inspired by Buffy’s counterpart, Angel, we photographed Romney imbibing a spin on an Angel’s Envy rye whiskey sour, served with a rosemaryskewered cherry “heart,” of course. Boca del Inferno (aka Slayer’s Sour) 1 ½ ounces Angel’s Envy rye whiskey ½ ounce amaretto liqueur ¾ ounce lemon juice ½ ounce simple syrup 1 egg white Dry shake all ingredients (without ice), then shake again with ice. Double strain into a double old fashioned glass over a large ice cube. Add a dash of aromatic bitters to the top and garnish with a rosemary-skewered cherry. Devour Utah • April 2019 45

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Spirit Guide

The Drink

The King of Atlantis

The Inspiration: Aquaman Recommended by: Mike Tuiasoa & Cori Hoekstra Watchtower Café 1588 S. State, SLC 801-477-7671 Watchtower-Cafe.com The Watchtower Café comic store-slash-coffee shop embraces all fandoms from Star Wars trivia to the latest gaming obsession. For the past three years, the shop has been an oasis for those who love fantastic La Barba coffee, boba teas and handcrafted sodas. Most have geeky references like “Donkey Kong” iced coffee smoothie with banana, and new to the menu, a drink inspired by co-owner Mike “Tui” Tuiasoa’s hands-down favorite character, Aquaman. “To have a Pacific Islander character that looked like me and shared my culture was really amazing,” Tuiasoa says of his love for the comic hero. With four shots of espresso and coconut milk, the powerful latte called The King of Atlantis is liberally spiked with their house-made Tongan caramel, which is so popular that they sell it by the bottle. Both shop owners have areas of professed geekery, with Tuiasoa leaning toward comics and superhero films while his partner, Cori Hoekstra, is an acknowledged fan of sci-fi, fantasy and horror. But one thing they have in common is their love for coffee and coming up with a great concept. “The drink has to fit the character,” Tuiasoa says. “Every geeky reference is made with intentionality.” They also happen to be delicious.

Mike Tuiasoa & Cori Hoekstra, Watchtower Cafe

Devour Utah • April 2019 47

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