LOCAL PRODUCERS SPOTLIGHT:

TSUKI SAKE: UTAH-MADE, JAPAN-INSPIRED

JILLIAN WATANABE

Working in Asian cuisine and drink felt like a natural fit for half-Japanese Salt Lake City native Jillian Watanabe. When working at Montage Deer Valley’s Yama Sushi, she took a sommelier course and quickly fell in love with the world of wine. Even before that, she took a sake adviser course through the Sake School of America. “Through these learning experiences, I kept having these ‘aha moments’ when it came to food and drink pairings and how to elevate already delicious dishes with intentional wine pairings,” says Watanabe.

In 2020, Watanabe had plans to begin home brewing and embark on a sake internship in Japan. But the events of 2020 threw her plans for a loop, leading her to focus on furthering her career at home in Utah. Enter: Tsuki Sake.

Tsuki Sake was founded that same year in partnership with Yuki Yama Sushi Executive Chef Kirk Terashima and Ty Eldridge, a major fixture in the Salt Lake City brewing community. Each partner, with deep ties to Utah’s culinary community, had the same interest in sake and the same goal of bringing Japanese-style wine to the Beehive State.

The name Tsuki, which translates to “moon,” was selected by Watanabe’s wife. Symbolic of masculine-feminine balance, the moon was a natural representation for the brand — the balance between sweetness and dryness in sake and of bringing a traditional Japanese drink into modern American settings.

Tsuki Sake represents a truly unique offering in the Utah drink landscape. Made of American-grown ingredients, Tsuki is the first ultra-premium domestic sake brand in the state. “One of our main goals as a company is to normalize sake being on American menus, right at home next to beer and wine and cocktail lists,” says Watanabe. “Sake is simply amazing. It’s easy on the body, drinkable, and doesn’t fight with food.”

There are currently three varieties of Tsuki Sake: Super Moon (Junmai Daiginjo [see sidebar]); Harvest Moon (a white peach nigori); and Desert Moon (citrus prickly pear). They can be found in liquor stores, restaurants and bars across Utah, including Yuki Yama Sushi and KITA locally.

TSUKI SAKE'S DESERT PEAR SAKETINI

1 OUNCE VODKA 1/4 OUNCE ORANGE LIQUEUR 3 OUNCES TSUKI SAKE DESERT MOON

CITRUS-PRICKLY PEAR SAKE LIME JUICE (TO TASTE) SIMPLE SYRUP (IF DESIRED) LIME TWIST, FOR GARNISH

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass or coupe glass. Garnish with a lime twist.

• SAKE IS BREWED LIKE BEER BUT IS USUALLY

CATEGORIZED AS A WINE BECAUSE OF ITS SIMILAR

ALCOHOL CONTENT. TSUKI SAKE’S CURRENT

PRODUCTS CONTAIN 15% TO 16% ALCOHOL BY

VOLUME (ABV) AND ARE MEANT TO BE SIPPED ON

LIKE WINE. • MOST ARE GLUTEN- AND SULFITE-FREE. • A FUN CHARACTERISTIC OF SAKE IS THAT IT

CAN BE SERVED AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES.

TYPICALLY, PREMIUM-STYLE SAKES ARE BREWED

WITH AROMATIC YEAST, CREATING FRUITY, FLORAL

OR EVEN COOKED-RICE AROMAS, DEPENDING ON

THE SAKE. THEY ARE ALSO KNOWN FOR BALANCING

SWEETNESS AND SAVORINESS ON THE PALATE AND

HAVE SILKY AND DELIGHTFUL TEXTURES. SOME,

BUT NOT ALL, LOWER-GRADE SAKES ARE SERVED

HOT. SAKES OF THIS ILK ARE WARMED TO ENHANCE

THEIR POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES AND MINIMIZE

THEIR NEGATIVE ONES. HOWEVER, WARMING ANY

TYPE OF SAKE IS A FUN WAY TO EXPLORE THE

DIFFERENCES IN AROMA, VISCOSITY AND NOTES

ON THE PALATE. • AMINO ACIDS IN SAKE CONTRIBUTE TO SAVORY OR

UMAMI NOTES ON THE PALATE. • PREMIUM-STYLE SAKES ARE BREWED WITH RICE

THAT HAS HAD THE OUTER LAYERS POLISHED OFF.

THIS GETS US CLOSER TO THE STARCHY CENTER,

RIDDING THE FERMENTATION OF ANY FUNKINESS

FOUND IN INEXPENSIVE SAKE. THE PROCESS OF

RICE POLISHING CREATES A MORE REFINED END

PRODUCT. (ALL OF TSUKI SAKE’S PRODUCTS ARE

ULTRA-PREMIUM AND PREMIUM SAKES MEANT TO

BE SERVED COLD.) • DAIGINJO MEANS 50% RICE GRAIN REMAINING. • GINJO MEANS 60% RICE GRAIN REMAINING. • KANPAI MEANS “EMPTY THE GLASS” IN JAPANESE

AND IS THE EQUIVALENT TO SAYING “CHEERS!"

PARK CITY CREAMERY: CHEESE WITH ALTITUDE

CORINNE ZINN

Park City Creamery’s slogan (Cheese with Altitude) is a perfect tagline for a business whose products pair with wine, vegetables, fruits, pasta and much more. Park City Creamery was founded in 2018 by European-born fromager Corinne Zinn. Zinn’s fruitful journey with cheesemaking started when she moved to the U.S. about 20 years ago.

Living in Colorado, Zinn quickly missed the tastes of fine European cheese and set out to learn how to make her own. She eventually had her own goat farm in the small town of Delta, where she used the goat milk to craft her fine cheeses, which she sold at numerous wineries and farmers markets.

Zinn then moved to Utah, where she became a well-loved cheesemaker for Deer Valley Resort. “We built my cheese room in the basement of Silver Lake Lodge, so I would ski in the morning, and then make cheese in the afternoon. It was a lot of fun,” she says. After changes in the culinary programs at the resort, Zinn was ready to strike out on her own.

Today, Park City Creamery is making cheese dreams a reality for northern Utah residents and visitors. Zinn creates a range of artisan, European-style cheeses, each aptly named after a Park City ski run. Silver Queen (goat cheese with vegetable ash) was created based on an old French recipe from the days when ash was used to preserve cheese because refrigeration didn’t exist. “Silver Queen has a hole in the center, which is just perfect for making a statement on a cheeseboard because you can put berries or jams in the middle,” says Zinn.

Zinn also sells the insides of the “holes” as “White Nuggets,” which are a fan favorite.

Park City Creamery’s lineup features Treasure, a brie-style cheese; Hidden Treasure, a brie with flecks of delicious truffle nestled throughout; and Mayflower, a feta handcrafted to be far creamier than the typical commercial variety.

Zinn’s cheeses have won numerous culinary awards, including the 2021 Utah Cheese Award for “Best of the West,” beating out offerings from fine creameries in eight Western states. For now, cheese fans can visit Park City Creamery’s cheese shop on Lori Lane, as well as numerous local restaurants and markets, for a taste of the magic.

PARK CITY CREAMERY'S FRIED NUGGETS

6 PARK CITY CREAMERY WHITE NUGGETS 1 CUP FLOUR 2 EGGS, LIGHTLY BEATEN 1 CUP BREAD CRUMBS OR CRUSHED ALMONDS 1 TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL 1 TABLESPOON BUTTER SALAD, FOR SERVING

Take nuggets out of wrapping paper. Roll the cheese in flour, eggs, then bread crumbs or crushed almonds. Fry nuggets in saucepan over medium heat with olive oil and butter for 3 minutes on each side. Suggested to serve on a salad.

MOUNTAIN TOWN OLIVE OIL: OIL AND VINEGAR NIRVANA

JESSICA MCCLEARY

Next time you need to warm up when strolling around Main Street, look no farther than Mountain Town Olive Oil. Walking up the stairs of this gourmet oil and vinegar store, you’re immediately greeted by delectable smells and a staff ready to help you explore.

Owner Jessica McCleary opened the store in 2009 after a career working as a buyer for companies like Williams Sonoma and Papyrus. The store started in a space above Bangkok Thai before moving next door to its current location in 2012. “At the time, there wasn’t a lot of variety in the Park City shopping scene,” McCleary says. “I visited an oil and vinegar store in Arizona and knew it would be a great concept for Main Street. I really just wanted to find something that I could be engaged in and believe in. Olive oil and vinegar definitely fit the bill.”

What differentiates Mountain Town from olive oil at a regular grocery store? Just about everything. Whether your taste is spicy, savory, sweet or all of the above, McCleary and her team are educated on all the different possibilities of combining oil and vinegar flavors to find the perfect sample for each customer. But there are discoveries to be made after years in business. “After 13 years, I’m still finding new combinations of oils and vinegars,” says McCleary. “I tried one [recently] that blew my mind. It was so good. It’s our new leek-infused olive oil with apple balsamic.”

Mountain Town offers tasting and demonstration classes called The Next Course, where chefs share fresh, exciting ways to use their vinegars and oils in recipes. Customers can learn cooking techniques and recipe hints from culinary mainstays like DeeLicious Park City owner Deanna Fitchat and cookbook author Kelley Epstein. “Providing a personal experience like this really helps expand people’s repertoires. Because at the end of the day, we want people not only coming back but learning something new about food each time they visit,” says McCleary.

Getting hungry? McCleary’s personally selected lineup of oils, vinegars, spice blends, gourmet sauces, spreads, dried pasta, condiments and more is also available on the Mountain Town Olive Oil website.

MOUNTAIN TOWN OLIVE OIL'S BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

1/2 CUP 18-YEAR BALSAMIC VINEGAR 3 TABLESPOONS DIJON MUSTARD 3 TABLESPOONS HONEY 2 SMALL SHALLOTS, MINCED 1/4 TEASPOON SALT 1/4 TEASPOON BLACK PEPPER 1 CUP TUSCAN HERB EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, mustard, honey, shallots, salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, blending well.

Q A Local Taste: Erin Pinta

The foodie behind Instagram’s @parkcityfood and some of Deer Valley Resort’s social media left the East Coast to live the mountain lifestyle — and she’s wasted no time tasting her way through Park City’s best menus. by Jené Drennan photos by Travis Engvall

Like many other new pandemiC arriVals, Erin Pinta planned to be in Park City for just a short stint in 2020. Her boyfriend was sent here on a temporary work assignment in March of that year, but then, COVID-19 hit. The pair was sort of stuck, but they also realized they didn’t want to leave.

At the time, Pinta was able to work remotely as the social media manager for the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, where she was exposed to chefs and the food world. Previously, the Boston native had worked with food and beverage clients (Ben & Jerry’s and Lindt Chocolate) at a public relations agency, and in her spare time, she and her friends made a hobby out of trying new restaurants — which was where her love of food began.

When she got called back to the office, Pinta realized she didn’t want to go back to New York, so she found a new job in the tech space to stay in Utah. Throughout her early days getting to know Park City, she used @parkcityfood to document her meals around town.

“I think I started it right when I moved out here because I didn’t really know anyone,” Pinta says. “The only thing to do was eat, so I figured I might as well document it. I made a restaurant list and started slowly making my way down it. I haven’t tried every single restaurant yet, but I’ve tried a lot of them. Whenever we have people come visit, I send them to my page.”

Pinta recently took a new social media role at Deer Valley Resort, where she’s creating content and working with influencers. And, of course, she’ll be getting to know all the Deer Valley restaurant offerings very well. “I’m dying to try the Fireside Dining [at Empire Canyon Lodge] as soon as it opens,” she says.

Pinta shared some of her favorite finds in her new hometown.

INFLUENCE-HER:

Erin Pinta spends a lot of her free time eating, and documenting it. Deer Valley Café is a favorite.

What are your thoughts on living in Park City? When I first moved here, a lot of things were closed because of COVID. Over the past few years, the food options have really expanded, and it seems like every other day I hear about a new restaurant that’s opening. I love that all the restaurants cater to the Park City lifestyle — there are so many dog-friendly patios, there’s live music everywhere all the time, and in the winter, you can ski to some restaurants. Plus, a lot of the restaurants incorporate ingredients from nearby farms or gardens. You’ll find some of that in New York, but it’s so different here. Did anything surprise you about Utah’s food scene? I didn’t know about fry sauce or all the fun liquor laws. What are your go-to restaurants for dinner? My favorites are Handle, Cafe Terigo, Riverhorse on Main and High West. How about brunch? Do you have a favorite cocktail spot? I think Handle has really good cocktails, and I also love High West. I always order the Dead Man’s Boots [bourbon, tequila, lime, ginger beer]. What’s the best dish you’ve had since you’ve been here? We did a chef’s tasting menu at Yuta at [The Lodge at] Blue Sky Auberge, and we were blown away by everything we had. The ahi tuna l’occidental was incredible, and they told us about how it was flown in fresh every day. It’s such an experience at the resort, and they make sure everything is perfect. The crab tower at Royal Street Café is incredible, too. When you have visitors in town, what do you put on their itinerary? Take the funicular up for lunch or the Champagne sabering at the St. Regis Deer Valley — I feel like that’s a unique and fun experience. I also tell people to have brunch at Harvest and walk up Main Street, do some shopping, and stop for a drink at No Name Saloon and check out the rooftop.

Go to Blue Sky to do the Yuta brunch, and get a service at the spa so you can have access to the pool — they have an amazing pool. Then go to High West Distillery and do the whiskey tasting. What aspects of Park City have you really leaned into?

Five5eeds is my go-to brunch spot, and I love it there. And Deer Valley Café — it’s a great vibe. What about any recent additions? I really like Chop Shop for sandwiches, lunch and to-go stuff. I also like Salt Box and Hana Ramen [Bar]. Park City Brewing’s patio is awesome, and the food is good. What’s one thing you wish we had in Park City? Far and away, I would say soup dumplings. Can we please get some soup dumplings in Utah? We also don’t have a Chipotle-style salad bar. If we could get a Sweetgreen here, that would be amazing. I adopted a dog a week after I moved here — hiking with your dog is a huge part of Park City living. I’ve skied since I was really young, so I was able to pick that back up after a decade off. And really just driving around — I love going up Guardsman Pass and hiking to Bloods Lake.