Food Edition
MAKING HEALTHIER EATING EASY, ENJOYABLE DIETITIAN TELLS PEOPLE TO ‘FIND FOODS THEY HAVE FUN EATING’
By Tom Haraldsen | t.haraldsen@mycityjournals.com
Many of us wish we could, or would, eat healthier, but one thing seems to often get in the way–we like what we already eat. Kimberly Funk, a registered dietitian, nutritionist and an instructor for the Way to Wellness program at Intermountain Health, has heard all the “wishes” and excuses before, and she said there are ways to develop healthier eating habits while still enjoying much of our regular favorites.
“As a dietitian, I’m working with both groups of people and with individuals, and the way a dietitian works is that we try to find things that work for the individual,” said Funk, a West Jordan resident. “I tell people to find foods they have fun eating. All foods fit in a balanced diet, so don’t try adding foods that you dread and eliminating the ones you like. There’s not a prescription on how to do that. It really takes experimenting and playing around.”
Funk said it starts “where you are, and by taking small steps,” not a drastic overhaul of our diets.
“It would be something along the lines for people looking for more nutrient dense foods. What we eat doesn’t make us a good or bad person. There’s no moral judgment. We’re looking for nutrient dense foods with-
out labeling something good or bad.”
“Nutrient dense to me are those foods that are high in other nutrients and more than just calories,” Funk said. “They have vitamins and minerals, all that stuff that gives us energy. A calorie is a nutrient that provides our body with fuel to move and function, but they don’t have the other nutrients. So we look for nutrient dense food. Traditionally, we hear these are foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.”
She said it’s a small step process–taken one at a time.
“A lot of people find that if they are going to change every vegetable that they eat and don’t like them, it becomes very overwhelming. And then people stop doing it. They develop a negative relationship with these energy dense foods because they’re forcing themselves to eat something that they don’t like.”
She said healthier eating is not a goal, but an experiment. Try different things, adding a food of your choice maybe once or twice a week, and focus on enjoyable nutrient dense foods that you like.
And there comes a satisfaction factor in what she called “intuitive eating. This is the
Kimberly Funk is a registered dietitian, nutritionist and an instructor for the Way to Wellness program at Intermountain Health. (Photo courtesy Kimberly Funk)
A Commitment to Faith-Based Care at Holy Cross Hospital – Jordan Valley
By: Rev. Dr. Godwin Nnamezie
At Holy Cross Hospital – Jordan Valley, and in all our Holy Cross Hospitals along the Wasatch Front, we have a steadfast commitment to caring for the mind, body and spirit of our patients, families and employees. To fulfill this commitment, we pay particular attention to how we serve through our actions, decisions and behaviors.
As Market Mission Director with 20 years of Mission experience at CommonSpirit Hospitals, I have had the unique privilege of working alongside our leaders, employees and providers, ensuring we integrate our mission, vision and values in all we do. Through my work, I strive to make the hidden presence of Christ seen, heard and felt through every interaction we have with one another and those we serve.
Being part of our Holy Cross Hospitals means serving within a faith-based ministry, where our employees are invited to live out their life purpose in a unique and powerful way. Everyone has something inside them that propels them forward, that gives them drive, that leads them and that they want to share with others – this is what it means to be powered by faith!
The hospital can be a frightening environment for so many of our patients, as well as a high-stress work environment for our employees. Being a faith-based ministry means we continue to expand our spiritual care program. The program allows for our hospital chaplains to help alleviate fears and stresses by providing emotional and spiritual care support and ministry.
As a Holy Cross Hospital – Jordan Valley patient, receiving faith-based care simply means you can expect compassionate, healing care delivered by those who are guided by and committed to the ideals and beliefs of our founders, the Sisters of the Holy Cross, and our ministry.
A quick look at our faith-based roots that run deep here in Utah shows that the Sisters of the Holy Cross accomplished feats of great worth and permanence during their years of service. There are generations of our patients who encountered the Sisters and received care from them at our Holy Cross Hospitals. It is so humbling to listen to their stories and first-hand accounts that left such an impact on their lives.
The strength of the pioneering Sisters was their willingness to serve their God
and the sick and needy, no matter the race, creed, or economic status. The Holy Cross Sisters’ legacy of courage, passion, life purpose, dedication, selflessness and regard for their fellow human beings are many and beautiful – and one we strive to uphold.
While the theme of faith and service rings true throughout our hospital walls, it also extends out into the community through collaboration with our partners. Our community health needs assessment and community benefit program help us better understand our communities so we can work to improve the health of the people we serve.
It is my hope that you when you walk through our hospital doors or interact with us in the community that you feel our commitment – powered by faith, fueled by humankindness – to you and our community.
Learn more about the services, care providers and mission-driven work of the Holy Cross hospitals and CommonSpirit Health at www.holycrossutah.org.
When things go wrong,
As CommonSpirit Health, we make the healing presence of God known in our world by improving the health of the people we serve, especially those who are vulnerable, while we advance social justice for all.
SPONSORED CONTENT
Rev. Dr. Godwin Nnamezie Market Mission Director Holy Cross Hospitals
From using crockpots and air fryers to ordering groceries and meals from third party delivery services, we all strive to lessen the time it takes to put a meal on the table. New York Post reports “Americans spend more than 400 hours a year in the kitchen.”
Linda Lederman, a kitchen competence coach and graduate of Rouxbe Cooking School and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, provides tips and tricks when it comes to meal prepping and time-saving hacks in efforts to continue the vital practice of having dinners around the table. Lederman said, “Research shows that when you have a sit-down family meal, your kids do better in school, they have better communication skills, they have better social skills, and believe it or not, they're less likely to abuse illegal substances.”
What’s her first tip to reclaiming the dinner table? Evaluating your schedule. This includes your spouse’s schedule and your children’s schedule too. Once you identify your timeframe allotted for your meals in a given week you can then start planning out your meals whether it be for an open evening allowing a more time-intensive meal, or a quick turnaround night of needing to repurpose leftovers from the night before. Lederman emphasized that “each family will have a different lifestyle, there is not a one size fits all.”
In efforts to meet the needs of your schedule, Lederman suggests using a variety of time savers including:
• Meal prepping. This is where you prepare ingredients so you can quickly use them throughout your week. Examples Lederman shared include prepping lettuce (paper towel in bowl, washed lettuce, then covered with another paper towel and lid to absorb moisture) so that it’s ready to eat throughout the week for salads, burgers and sandwiches;
Meal prepping tips and tricks
By Holly Curby | hello@hollycurby.com
and cooking hamburger meat to use throughout the week in tacos, spaghetti sauce and in a casserole. This helps avoid having to prepare items before each meal.
• Sheet pan dinners, one pot meals or crockpot meals. All of these methods require minimal cooking steps and equipment needed, therefore saving time cleaning up at the end of the meal.
• Batch cooking. This is where you make at least double of a recipe so that you can quickly pull it out to use at another time. This method is used for breaking down into smaller portions for your family to be able to grab and go as needed, or even to freeze for future use.
When it comes to freezing items, Lederman suggests freezing foods such as broths (fish broth or chicken broth), soups, and even sauces like tomato sauce and pesto sauce which she recommends repurposing by putting on chicken breasts, adding to a turkey bacon sandwich, or even putting in a pasta. “Avoid freezing vegetables though,” Lederman cautions, “and make sure you put freezer foods in small portion sizes so when you pull them out you aren’t having to eat them for days.” Smaller portions of broth and sauces can be put into ice cube trays with a little olive oil to be able to pull out as needed when adding a little flavor to soups, stews, and when sautéing or roasting vegetables. Of course, all freezer items should include the date the food was made and a labeling of what the item is as once the foods are frozen they often resemble another food.
When it comes to saving both time and costs in shopping for your meals, Lederman suggests seeing what you have in your pantry, refrigerator and freezer first and then making a list so you don’t buy excess items.
“You’re not only getting rid of your food waste,” Lederman explained, “but
you're not wasting food and you're reducing your food costs because there's no waste.” Not only does she suggest adding to your list items that are staples for you and your family such as always having pasta on hand if you and your family use pasta in many recipes, but she also suggests writing your items down on your list by category of like-minded foods such as fresh produce, dairy, meats, frozen foods, and canned goods so that your shopping time is drastically reduced.
For more meal prepping tips and tricks, as well as for Lederman’s free “Easy One Dish Dinners” eBook, check out Holly’s Highlights podcast Season 3 Episode 14 wherever you listen to podcasts including Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Amazon Music, TuneIn+Alexa, iHeartRadio, Pandora, and www.hollycurby.com. l
The West Jordan Journal is a monthly publication distributed directly to residents via the USPS as well as locations throughout West Jordan.
For information about distribution please email hello@thecityjournals.com or call our offices. Rack locations are also available on our website. The views and opinions expressed in display advertisements do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions held by Loyal Perch Media or the City Journals. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the owner. © 2019 Loyal Perch Media, Inc.
Barton | travis.b@thecityjournals.com
Mieka Sawatzki | mieka.s@thecityjournals.com Jason Corbridge | jason.c@thecityjournals.com Ryan Casper | ryan.c@thecityjournals.com Greg Tanner | greg.t@valuepagesutah.com
WEST JORDAN TEAM
Larry K. meal preps meat to be served at a graduation celebration. (Photo courtesy Holly Curby)
enjoyment level of our food. What we find is, if we eat things that have a low satisfaction factor, maybe something we rate as a 3 on a 1-10 scale, we’re not going to eat it. So I recommend to those I work with something that is higher on that scale. Forget about squash for now if it’s not right for you. Find something on the vegetable scale that is closer to a 7 or an 8.”
Funk said we need to be kind to ourselves as we strive for healthier eating habits. It helps us “find ways around obstacles and continue moving forward in a way that works.”
She’s part of a program at Intermountain called Way to Wellness Bites classes, free 90-minute sessions taught in person or virtually that cover topics such as principles of healthy eating and intuitive eating.
“Everybody wants me to tell them exactly how to do things, and that is the really hard part about this, because there are barriers in our minds,” she said. “They think, ‘I want to include this food with this nutrient in it,’ or, hey, ‘it’s recommended to do this, and I want to be a little healthier. So I want to fuel my body with different foods that provide different nutrients.’ It can be really challenging, because there’s no one way that works for everyone. There’s no one size at all, and what works for someone does not work for the others.”
She continued by saying, “So if you choose to come to these Bite classes or our full program, we work to help people figure out how to explore these food options and explore what they enjoy, what’s satisfying. We try to get them to change their mentality, so they’re not restricting food, so they’re not creating a negative relationship with the food that they do enjoy by saying, ‘I can’t have it. I shouldn’t have it.’ We’re going to give you some basic information on nutrition, and then we can help show you how to do it. It just takes being okay, and that self-compassion is saying ‘hang in there if this one didn’t work out this time. So, what’s my next step.’”
You can learn more about the Way to Wellness Bites classes at intermountainhealth.org. l
FEATURING New Conductor Ben Chapman, with a special segment by Marlene Stanley
Includes workshop with Composer Mark Hayes
PERFORMANCES: Saturday, December 7 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM at Bingham High School
Contact Michelle at (520) 507-0901 or sojochoralarts@gmail.com
For more information, visit sojochoralarts.org or visit our SoJo Choral Arts Facebook page: Sojo Choral Arts
Finding foods that you like and that are nutrient dense can help improve your diet and your health. (Adobe Stock Photo)
School lunch: Recipe for success includes more local produce, less sugar
By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com
Farm to Cafeteria Table
Once they finally mastered the symbiotic balance between fish and plants in their innovative aquaponic garden, Jordan Academy of Technology and Careers students cultivated enough lettuce to stock two high school cafeteria salad bars for a few days in May.
“Nutrition services provided funds for it, so the goal is to always be able to produce some type of food for the district,” JATC teacher and Jordan School District Farm to School Coordinator Margaret Ward said.
Produce from the school’s south campus two-acre garden has also been utilized for the district’s summer meal service.
“This is really the first season that we’re using the produce that we produce in our grow boxes in the schools,” Ward said. “Yesterday we were over at Columbia Elementary and we served cucumbers that we had grown in the garden at our building. And our edamame is going to be ready next week, so we’ll serve the edamame, as well.”
Occasional state-sponsored farm-toschool initiatives, such as Squash Hunger Day (held in July) and Apple Crunch Day (held in October), provide locally grown squash or apples for every student in participating schools. However, Jordan School District Dietician Katie Cole would like to incorporate fresh local produce in all 30,000 meals served each day in the district’s 64 schools. Despite her enthusiasm, she admits it’s not currently feasible.
“Because we are such a large district, and we have such a large amount on our orders, it’s not always realistic to get every single thing on our menu from a local farm,” Cole said. However, for the summer meal service, which provides breakfast and lunch at just five locations June through August,
3 ⅓ cups milk
4 ½ tbsp margarine or butter
1 teaspoon dry mustard
⅛ teaspoon pepper
16 ounces elbow macaroni
she has worked with JATC teachers and local farmers to provide berries, snap peas and other fresh produce for just one school at a time.
“We’re hoping we can do some more things like this throughout the school year, but it does, right now, need to be a one-time thing, just because it’s easier to feed 100 kids local produce than thousands,” Cole said.
What’s on the menu?
“The kids are really getting an amazing variety of food every single day,” Cole said.
Chicken nuggets, corndogs and pizza remain the most popular school cafeteria menu items, and as part of a complete meal, they meet federal requirements for fruit/vegetables, meat/protein, milk and whole grains, and the limits for sodium and saturated fats.
School meals must meet federal regulations in order to qualify for reimbursement of a portion of the meal costs. School nutrition staff members develop menu items that maximize compliance, often making simple ingredient substitutions such as replacing white flour with whole grain flour in desserts and substituting chicken hot dogs for beef.
What’s not on the menu
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced changes to school meal nutrition regulations effective July 2027, and for the first time, there will be limits on sugar. The biggest change will be limits on added sugars in specific menu items such as cereal, yogurt and flavored milk, as well as an overall weekly sugar limit.
“The new standards build on the great progress that school meals have made already and address remaining challenges— including reducing sugar in school breakfasts,” USDA Food and Nutrition Service
1 ¾ pound processed American cheese
1. Combine milk, margarine, mustard, pepper and cheese in a pan. Stir over medium to low heat until melted and creamy. Cook macaroni in boiling water for about 8 minutes or until al dente. Do not overcook. Drain well. Add macaroni to cheese sauce and stir well Enjoy! Makes 12 servings
Administrator Cindy Long said. “These updates also make it easier for schools to access locally sourced products, benefiting both schools and the local economy.”
Schools and food manufacturers have three years to rework their recipes to be in compliance with the new regulations. Jordan School District Nutrition Services Director Katie Bastian said her department is already looking at small changes that can be made immediately, such as ordering lower-sodium ketchup and reducing sugar in their recipes.
Because Jordan District schools have full-service kitchens and make many menu items from scratch, new recipes to meet the new regulations can be developed, reviewed and tested.
“The nutrition standards are changing, and we need to have control over our ingredients, and cooking from scratch is a way to do that,” Bastian said.
Ultimately, new recipes and products have to pass the taste test, Cole said.
“We definitely have a process here in our district to make sure that the things that we’re developing and giving the kids not only fall within regulations, but it’s something that they’ll actually eat,” Cole said. “We want them to enjoy the food that we’re giving them.”
The cost of paying (and not paying) for school lunch
School meal prices, which increased last year in Jordan District for the first time in about 13 years, will remain the same this coming school year, with elementary school students paying $1.05 for breakfast and $2.00 for lunch, and secondary school students paying $1.25 for breakfast and $2.25 for lunch. Secondary school kitchens also sell a la carte items for a few dollars.
Because the federal food program only
reimburses one lunch and breakfast per student per day, if a student gets back in line for more food, they are charged $2.50 for a second breakfast and $4.10 for a second lunch.
For families with financial limitations, the Free and Reduced Meal Program eliminates or reduces meal prices to 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch. Applications can be filled out in schools or online. Bastian emphasizes the importance of families reapplying for this program at the beginning of every school year and any time their circumstances change throughout the year.
“If you have another baby, or someone comes home from a mission, or your job changes, apply again,” Bastian said.
When families don’t apply for Free and Reduced Meals and cannot pay their lunch balances, students are still provided meals, but the school becomes responsible for the unpaid balances. Bastian said, while community donations to pay-off overdue lunch accounts are appreciated, this may discourage families from applying for the Free and Reduced Meal Program. Fewer participants then affect the school’s Title 1 status qualifications and further burden school budgets.
The final ingredient
Five hundred Jordan School District employees are involved in developing and serving healthy and delicious meals for students and for adapting menus for those with food allergies, religious and cultural preferences and special needs.
“All the kitchen managers in our district really love their job and love working with the kids and creating amazing food, and I think that makes a huge difference,” Cole said. l
Jordan School District Macaroni and Cheese
(Courtesy Katie Bastian)
Students get a taste of fresh, locally grown zucchini at Squash Hunger Day at Majestic Elementary Arts Academy. (Doug Flagler/JSD)
Emergencies happen. We’re right here when they do.
Get the treatment and attention you need, right when you need it most, at a CommonSpirit location near you.
When you need medical care fast, the closest emergency room is a smart thing to know. Our dedicated ER staff treats patients of all ages for emergencies, such as accidents, falls, and broken bones. We also provide advanced care for patients experiencing a stroke, heart attack and chest pain. Choose our ERs for the quality care you need during critical moments.
Congratulations to CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospital - Jordan Valley and Holy Cross HospitalMountain Point for receiving the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade-A Accreditation Spring 2024.
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades are determined based on a rigorous assessment of various safety measures.
mountain.commonspirit.org
1-303-673-8166 (TTY:
Local Mexican bakery brings authentic flavors to the community
By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com
Learn to Square Dance on Monday Nights!
Cakes by Edith has quickly become a cornerstone of the community, offering a taste of authentic Mexican desserts and traditions. From freshly baked conchas to award-winning cakes, this local panaderia has gained a loyal following for its commitment to quality and culture.
Started by Edith Gallegos and her husband Jorge Lopez 18 years ago in Taylorsville, Cakes by Edith launched its second location in Riverton (1515 W. 12600 South) nearly three years ago. Since then, the couple’s daughter Alma Lopez has taken over management of the Riverton location where she was recently named Businesswoman of the Year by the city and the South Valley Chamber of Commerce.
“Our coming up has been immense in these last three years when we opened in Riverton,” Alma Lopez said. “We’re tapping into this neighborhood and into this community. It’s different, because Taylorsville is more of a Latino community, and this is more of an American community. It has given us an opportunity for people to be more aware of us.”
The Lopez family is dedicated to preserving traditional recipes and techniques to help people understand the food culture of Mexico through cakes, sweet breads and pastries. At the Riverton location, Alma Lopez said they see many customers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who served church missions in Mexico. They bring their families in to experience the delicious tastes and textures of Cakes by Edith.
Favorite menu items at the bakery include the mil hojas cake, with layers of puff pastry, fresh fruit and frosting; marble cakes with fillings made from guava, pineapple, strawberry, raspberry, vanilla and chocolate mousse; and the award-winning tres leches cake, a light sponge cake soaked in a mixture of three sweet milks.
“We take a lot of pride in showing our traditions with our sweet breads and Mexican pastries,” she said. “We’ve never had
to change the quality, nor the tradition or the culture of the breads. We always want to be teaching the community about what the breads represent. There are different breads that we make throughout the year for holidays. So we always want to be teaching people the customs and the traditions that we have with these breads. And we don’t ever want to lose our customs.”
Cakes by Edith also offers cake decorating classes and workshops, teaching techniques, tips and tricks like how to decorate an intricate Mexican embroidery cake. Consultations and tastings are also available for custom wedding, birthday or celebration cakes. Visit CakesByEdithBakery.com to learn more.
Alma’s sister Diane Lopez runs the Taylorsville bakery and both women are involved in local chambers, encouraging young women to pursue entrepreneurial careers. They mentor high school girls through the Junior Women in Business Scholarship Program, run through the South Valley Chamber of Commerce. Cakes by Edith was also named the 2019 Minority Business of the Year by the Small Business Administration.
“It’s really important to be able to see different routes that people took, maybe going to college or starting your own business,” Alma Lopez said. “Especially from girls or women that you can relate to, or women of color like my sister and me.”
The sisters are looking to expand Cakes by Edith in a third location, possibly in West Jordan, Saratoga Springs or North Salt Lake. They are also considering a Mexican cafe with bagel sandwiches and breakfast foods.
“What sets us apart from other Mexican bakeries is that we are becoming very innovative and trendy,” Alma Lopez said. l
Cakes by Edith founder Edith Gallegos started her family bakery 18 years ago with her husband Jorge Lopez and their children. The award-winning bakery has expanded to include a second location, bringing authentic Mexican desserts to the community. (Photo courtesy Alma Lopez)
The Wine Academy of Utah uncorks wine education
By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com
In the world of fine dining, wine often takes center stage. However, understanding the realm of wine can be intimidating. Jim Santangelo founded the Wine Academy of Utah in 2008 to help demystify the complexities of wine, offering knowledge to help both enthusiasts and professionals.
“People want to be more empowered,” Santangelo said, “and they want more of an experience emphasis. You sit down and look at that wine list, or see all these great products in the wine store and you’re going to increase your own experience through knowledge.”
Whether someone is looking for a wine certification, a tasting tour or an in-home wine education experience, Santangelo hopes to increase wine knowledge, one sip at a time. He’s seen a heightened interest from consumers in the academy’s courses when, in the past, hospitality professionals made up the majority of attendees, but now, that mix is about 50/50.
The Wine Academy of Utah offers two certification courses, approved through the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. The WSET Level 1 course is a one- or two-day program that introduces students to food and wine matching, and storing and serving wine.
The WSET Level 2 is a 10-week course for people in the retail, sales or hospitality industry and for serious wine consumers who want to expand their knowledge.
“The first step in becoming a wine expert is knowing your geography,” he said. “If you’re talking about Spain, know where Spain is in the world. Know there are different regions in Spain and know that it’s connected to France. That helps establish a good foundation to place all your wine knowledge.”
Originally from upstate New York, Santangelo came to Utah to attend college in 1994. He started working at the Stein Eriksen Lodge in Deer Valley and fell in love with the hospitality industry. Santangelo continued working
at high-end restaurants, gaining experience and building his wine knowledge.
Intrigued by how wine can enhance a dining experience, Santangelo decided to become a certified Sommelier and wine educator. By bringing his knowledge to Utah wine enthusiasts, he’s found a way to educate through fun experiences and adventures.
The Wine Academy of Utah also offers monthly whisky tastings at The Westerner (3360 S. Redwood Road) that include a professional lecture and free country swing classes. Regular Cigar & Spirits tastings introduce people to the etiquette of cigar smoking. The academy also participates in a variety of wine tastings for organizations like Tracy Aviary and The Leonardo in Salt Lake.
“We provide fun, educational and entertaining events in these consumer tastings,” he said. “I’m just really proud to be able to do that.”
For those beginning a foray into the world of wine, Santange-
lo offers in-home tasting events, catered to educate in the comfort of home. The tasting includes all beverages and glassware, tasting notes and a presentation from a certified Wine & Spirits specialist for up to 18 guests. For more information, visit WineAcademyofUtah.com.
“Having a Sommelier in the
comfort of your own home really spices up a cocktail party,” he said. “You’re having a complete and natural discussion about something that’s been around for thousands of years, and how it can change based on cultures. You’re there having a great conversation and enjoying a beautiful product.”l
The Wine Academy of Utah offers courses, tastings and certifications for consumers and professionals who want to learn about wine and spirits. (Stock photo)
Ice cream for breakfast? New trend delights kids and adults alike
By Bailey Chism | bailey.c@thecityjournals.com
Thismay be the best news you get this summer: yes, you can have ice cream for breakfast. It’s no longer just a fantasy we had as kids. A rumored scientific study, some social media attention and a nifty kitchen gadget have taken everyone’s favorite summer dessert and turned it into a breakfast trend that’s delighting both kids and adults.
The trend first grabbed the spotlight a few years ago when it was reported a Japanese study found people who ate ice cream immediately upon awakening showed signs of reduced stress and heightened alertness.
Ice cream lovers everywhere were eager to scoop up this information, even though news agencies were unable to verify the study or its results. Still, lovers of the frozen treat determined the rumors worthy enough to change up their morning meal.
Then in 2021, the Ninja CREAMi Ice Cream Maker hit the market and became an instant social media sensation. The blender-size appliance claims to be able to quickly turn just about anything into a creamy frozen ice cream treat.
Add your ingredients—milk, cream, sugar, fruit, dairy-free milk alternatives, natural sweeteners, no-or-low calorie sweeteners, protein powder, flavor extract, chocolate, nut butter—press a button and watch as the mixture
turns into ice cream.
Social media’s sweet influence
Next, enter TikTok. The platform’s track record of turning simple food preparations into
to low-carb, high-protein, no sugar and other health-conscious mixtures suitable for the most important meal of the day.
From unknown TikTokers to well-known social media influencers like Dylan Lemay and Alexis Frost, it seems like everyone on the internet is enjoying a bowl of sweet, creamy ice cream for breakfast. Even Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, has openly shared her love for starting her day with ice cream.
"I have it for breakfast," Pelosi told Ruthie Rogers on her podcast “Ruthie's Table 4.” "It's a great way to start the day. I don't have it every day, but I have it often."
If celebrities like these are starting their days with a scoop, you know it's a trend with legs.
Sweet breakfasts are nothing new. In the United States, French toast and waffles get drenched with maple syrup. In France, pastries like pain au chocolat are breakfast staples.
global phenomena is unmatched.
Try searching “ice cream for breakfast” on TikTok. What you’ll get is an endless stream of videos about how to make Ninja CREAMi concoctions that range from rich and indulgent
In Thailand, breakfast might be sweet sticky rice drizzled with sweetened condensed milk, and in Japan, you’ll find fluffy, sweet souffle pancakes. So, while ice cream for breakfast might seem revolutionary, it’s really just a twist on the longstanding and global tradition of sweet food in the a.m.
The breakfast-worthy frozen treat market is hot
Luckily for those ice cream lovers who want to enjoy a healthy-but-indulgent breakfast, the supermarket freezer case is loaded with options. You’ll find products that keep fat, calories and sugar low. Some offer significant doses of protein and other nutrients, and many are dairy-free and vegan.
Halo Top makes low-calorie, high-protein, dairy-based ice cream. Arctic Zero offers a similar product that is dairy-free. Famous for rich yogurt and healthy overnight oats, Noosa now offers frozen yogurt boosted with probiotics.
Good for the mind
While the nutritional value of ice cream may be debatable, there’s no doubt that enjoying a favorite treat now and then can have a significant, if not short-term, positive impact on your mood. According to Rupa Health, small indulgences release feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine that boost happiness and reduce stress levels. So, that morning scoop may be just the pickme-up you need.
Rachel Engelhart, a registered dietitian and certified intuitive eating counselor, told The Healthy that she advises her clients to fill their plates with nutritious foods, but also allow themselves to enjoy favorite treats like ice cream or chocolate in moderation.
"So many of my clients are hard on themselves and rather judgmental around their food choices, and it negatively impacts their mood," she said. "Sprinkling our day with a delicious
coffee, a yummy dessert or one of our favorite restaurant meals is also an important way to positively impact our mental health."
The future of breakfast is now
The ice cream for breakfast trend is shaking up the industry. Across the United States, ice cream makers are creating new breakfast-themed flavors to meet consumer demand.
Baskin-Robbins recently launched a flavor called breakfast in bed—pancake and maple syrup ice creams swirled together with fluffy pancake pieces and ribbons of blueberry compote. And the supermarket brand Blue Bell's "I heart cereal" flavor features fruity cereal-infused ice cream with confetti sprinkles and bits of sugar-coated fruit cereal.
If you want to make your own breakfast ice cream, the internet is overflowing with recipes for classic custard-based ice cream, nochurn ice cream and healthy Ninja CREAMi recipes.
As the ice cream for breakfast trend gains traction, it's clear this isn't just a summer fling. With innovative appliances like the Ninja CREAMi, social media's viral influence and a growing market for health-conscious frozen treats, our morning routines are getting a delicious makeover. So, when breakfast time rolls around, why not enjoy a sweet, creamy, cold scoop of joy? After all, who says you can't have dessert first? l
MEnjoy ‘Cookies with a Cop’ in West Jordan this August
By Rebecca Olds | rebecca.o@thecityjournals.com
ost months in West Jordan, the city police department hosts the event “Cookies with a Cop” for its officers and the community to connect outside of a traffic stop or noise complaint, where the uniting factor is a cookie.
On Aug. 7 at 10 a.m., the department will host the event with the SWAT team at Veteran’s Memorial Park where the community can come get to know the officers and ask questions.
“This event will show the community our SWAT team,” Sergeant Andrew Hercules, the department’s community outreach supervisor, wrote in an email. “SWAT will bring some of their vehicles and many of the tools they may use during their operations.”
Previous Cookies with a Cop events have focused on different teams within the department including the canine officers and motorcycle officers doing different activities like reading books or playing sports.
Chief Ken Wallentine, who is from the South, emphasized how these types of food-related community outreach events
can open up communication avenues and help build relationships between the police and community members.
“Food brings people together,” Wallentine said. l
A previous “Cookies with a Cop” event hosted by the West Jordan Police Department at the West Jordan Library with cookies and reading time for kids. (Photo courtesy West Jordan City)
SLCC Culinary Arts inspires future food professionals
By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com
Ittakes more than the ability to create good food to earn a culinary arts degree. For more than 25 years, the culinary arts program at Salt Lake Community College has taught chefs and hospitality experts how to blend creativity, science, flavors, experience and traditions.
Drawing inspiration from global cuisines, incorporating techniques that reflect cultural heritage and introducing courses that teach hospitality, sustainability, and business management, SLCC’s culinary arts program covers it all, and interest in the program has grown over the last few years.
“We see people with a greater desire to follow their passion and they know they need to get started somewhere,” said Jeffrey Coker, executive chef and interim dean at the Gail Miller School of Business. “At the community college, we have a great program, great faculty and great staff. We're a very family-oriented program.”
Coker knows the industry. He spent 16 years at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Los Angeles, working his way up from chef instructor to executive chef and director of education at the school.
He helps each student craft a course of study to help them reach their goals. Whether they want to become a baker, a food writer, a restaurant manager or own a catering business, the SLCC program provides the necessary foundational skills for students to be successful.
“We have smaller class sizes,” Coker said. “We really get to know our students. Our faculty and our staff are focused on creating unique experiences for those students and getting to know them as they prepare them for careers in industry.”
At about $15,000 for an associate of applied science degree (including tuition, lab fees and uniform costs), the culinary arts program is an affordable option for students. Plus, scholarships, grants and other funding options to help reduce that cost, including concurrent enrollment for high school students.
Located at the Miller Campus in Sandy (9750 S. 300 West), the school provides a kitchen with modern equipment, 10,000 square feet of training space and a dining room to practice presentation and service. This year, they added a greenhouse to the campus, donated by a graduate of the program.
There are also 30,000 honeybees on site. Students harvest 40-50 pounds of honey during the season and work in the on-site garden for a complete farm-to-table experience.
“Every year, the garden looks a little bit different. The students are involved from the planning, the preparation, the plotting, the harvesting of seed, to the transplanting of seed and maintaining the watering schedule,” Coker said. “Not only are we promoting and building on the foundational skills that students need to be successful, but we’re giving them the relevant topics that are taking place in industry today.”
But a food career isn’t just about creating delicious dishes, it’s creating an experience where guests feel included. Learning professional techniques and practices of hospitality provides a deeper connection with guests and helps develop a valuable reputation in the food world.
“People are not customers. They are our guests,” Coker said. “This is the cornerstone of everything we believe. It is
something that I’ve maintained as one of my steadfast principles in my 30-plus years being in culinary arts and hospitality, and it’s something that I pass along to our faculty and our students. They need to learn to embrace the concepts of hospitality.”
For more information about the program, visit slcc.edu/ culinaryarts. l
Students in the Salt Lake Community College Culinary Arts program learn foundational skills to help them become successful in the food and hospitality industry. (Photo courtesy of SLCC)
The Dough Lady sweetens Salt Lake with homemade cinnamon rolls
By Collette Hayes | c.hayes@mycityjournals.com
People in Utah seem to love sugar, especial-
ly a brown, buttery cinnamon roll loaded with fresh homemade blueberry jam, lemon curd, and a thick slather of cream cheese frosting melting into the warm, sweet dough.
“Sugar is our love language; we also want to be buried in butter!” The Dough Lady, Amy Lund said. “I love pulling something freshly baked out of the oven. It makes a home smell so deliciously comforting.”
Lund grew up baking with her mom and sisters. Classic comfort treats, from chocolate chip cookies to brownies and cinnamon rolls, could always be found in the kitchen. After high school, Lund left her home in Sandy and moved to Utah State University, where she received a Public Relations and Marketing degree, which proved valuable after she married and started a business selling take-and-bake frozen cinnamon roll dough.
"I got a new job in March of 2020 working in brand strategy and wasn’t loving it,” Lund said. “Covid hit, and everything became extremely stressful. My outlet for stress has always been baking, and I was baking a lot. My husband became increasingly concerned and finally said, ‘We've got to get all of these treats out of the house.’”
At this point, Lund and her husband Eric began to figure out a business plan to sell cin-
namon rolls. In November 2020, the Lunds launched their idea for a take-and-bake frozen cinnamon roll business with only a KitchenAid and Bosch mixer on their kitchen countertop to fill orders.
“I was so nervous, scared, and vulnerable the first year we began the business,” Lund said. “While working full time, I sold frozen cinnamon roll dough off Instagram and to family and friends.”
With a large following on Instagram, the business exploded and proved to be a huge success. In October 2021, Lund finally slipped off her corporate shoes to focus on building what is now known as The Dough Lady, housed in a shared bakery kitchen in Woods Cross.
Still using the basic family cinnamon roll recipe, Lund has improved it by incorporating the best baking ideas from several recipes. The rolls are sold in packs of four and come in a variety of flavors, including cranberry orange, fresh peach, gingerbread, and the staff favorite, brown butter chai.
“Frozen dough has kind of a tricky shelf life,” Lund said. “I did a lot of testing, and the rolls are best baked within a week after receiving them for optimal rise. Tuesday is a favorite day of the week for our staff. It’s flavor testing day, where we create and test new flavor ideas. Cinnamon is still our best seller, but it’s
followed close by blueberry lemon.”
Interested in warm, freshly baked cinnamon rolls for breakfast or lunch at your office or private event? The Dough Lady caters from Bountiful to Provo with a minimum order of four dozen rolls. Need cinnamon rolls on hand for a late-night snack or early-morning comfort breakfast? That's no problem. Frozen dough can be purchased from The Dough Lady’s website. Perhaps you’re on the go and want to stop in at a local coffee shop and grab a freshly baked roll. The Dough Lady has you covered. The aroma of fresh cinnamon rolls wafts through several locations across the Wasatch Front.
“We deliver our fresh rolls to a variety of coffee shops around the valley,” Lund said. “You can always find a fresh roll somewhere— from Roots Coffee and Co. located downtown and in Sugar House, to Frankie and Essl’s breakfast shop by Liberty Park, The Neighborhood Hive in Sugar House, The Fox Shop in Holladay where we deliver fresh and frozen rolls, the local farmers market downtown, Cheryl’s Bagels in Bountiful, and we even do pop-ups at Jolley’s Corner in Salt Lake.”
According to Lund she never expected to be in the cinnamon roll business since it’s a labor-intensive dessert to bulk produce, but as she says, “Nothing is quite like eating a warm,
In October 2021, Amy Lund finally slipped off her corporate shoes to focus on building The Dough Lady—a business known for its homemade cinnamon rolls loaded with fresh ingredients. (Photo courtesy Amy Lund)
cinnamon roll right from the oven.”
For more information about The Dough Lady’s cinnamon rolls visit doughladyslc.com. l
You can help change the tone of political discourse
Therecent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump has been a wake-up call for many people in our country. And it’s about time.
For too long, we have given in to the money-making schemes of cable news stations, social media companies, politicians and others who profit off of strong emotions like fear, anger and hate. They are all attempting to capture your most scarce resource…your attention. And that captive attention is worth billions to them in advertising revenue.
A few years ago I mentioned to the campaign manager of a political candidate that I wished his candidate would tone down the rhetoric and talk about real policy rather than just throwing “red meat.” He told me that the red meat gets him on cable news and when that happens they get more political donations. What a disappointment.
Our country was founded on passionate disagreement, debate and compromise, but we are losing the ability to have hard policy conversations without calling names, using pejorative language and taking things personally. We need to learn how to disagree in a better, more productive way.
My four children each have very different political leanings. One leans to the left
Aimee Winder Newton
Salt Lake County Councilwoman| District 3
and cheered on Bernie Sanders when he ran for president. Another is more libertarian. One loved Donald Trump. Another is more of a classic, Reagan-esque conservative. A few years ago I decided that if the Newton family could learn how to “disagree better,” anyone could.
It has taken practice. Not all of my kids are willing participants in my experiment all the time. But we’ve gotten to the point where we can have political discussions without someone stomping out of the kitchen or calling someone names. That’s progress.
Here are some of my tips on how to practice this with your family and friends:
1. Be a listener. Honestly, this is the most important way you can positively contribute to political discussions. Don’t just listen to better form your own argument, but
listen with the intent to understand. Show genuine curiosity. Try to truly see the other person’s perspective and understand their ideas. Repeat back to the person what you heard them say.
2. Don’t be sarcastic or make diminishing comments. It’s easy to want to do a “gotcha” or mock someone’s perspective, but that doesn’t help you build relationships and certainly doesn’t convince someone of your viewpoint.
3. Share the time. Some people want to dominate a conversation. Make sure you are spending more time hearing another viewpoint than sharing your own.
4. Don’t associate your identity with your political views. Our identities as parents, siblings, Jazz fans, and neighbors should all matter more than our political identities.
5. Finally, don’t consider it a failure if you fail to persuade someone of your view. Sometimes people change their minds and sometimes they don’t, but the relationship should stay healthy regardless.
Agree or Disagree: Take our Poll and we want to hear from you. Follow this QR Code and share your beliefs, opinions or facts. We look forward to hearing from you.
I truly believe that the future of our nation depends on us learning this skill. American democracy depends on us assuming some good faith behind people and positions we think are wrong. We need to tamp down the anger, the rhetoric, and the hostility toward our fellow men.
While we need politicians to do this, we also need you to help us do this. Our kids should grow up in a country that models kindness, empathy and healthy debate. Strong feelings are great! It’s how you share them that matters.
Italian restaurant owner Giuseppe Mirenda bases life on food, faith and family
Assoon as Giuseppe Mirenda steps through the door of his newest restaurant called “Basta Pasteria,” wearing two Italian flags on his collar and a “Jesus Saves” hat on his head, he is immediately greeted by an employee with, “Good morning chef.”
The title “chef” demands respect but also had an edge of camaraderie as both men grinned and Mirenda leaned in for a handshake and a hug with his employee.
“I couldn’t do this without them,” Mirenda said. “I'm kind of like the gasoline: I'm the one that sparks everything together, gets everybody moving…you can see me in the line, running food, serving tables, whatever is needed on that day to be able to better help my team.”
Basta Pasteria is the third of Mirenda’s multi-award-winning restaurants he’s opened over the past 10 years in Salt Lake County including Sicilia Mia which opened in 2014 and Antica Sicilia which opened in 2016.
Antica Sicilia is one of four restaurants in the state of Utah to receive an award from the Distinguished Restaurants of North America and has received a plethora of Best of State awards.
Family
Mirenda’s family and Italian background are the basis for all of his cooking and something he loves to share with each customer.
His connection and passion with food started as a young boy living near Sicily, Italy where his family was in the restaurant business. He grew up cooking and eventually went to culinary school before immigrating to the United States in 2012 where he met his wife. They have two daughters together.
Today, some of the dishes still served in the restaurants are from recipes that have been passed down from generations while other dishes show his modern-unique flair.
“My grandma is always my judge,” Mirenda said, “She's 83 but she still comes to the restaurant.”
Every day, his grandmother and mother Margherita D’Alessandro prepare the day’s desserts in the morning. The Torta della Nonna, or Grandmother’s cake in English, is a particularly special recipe that has been perfected by his family for generations.
“It's kind of very weird that certain things work in a family, but I am not allowed in the dessert kitchen area,” he said with a laugh. “So that recipe is being passed to my mom now.”
The olive oil cake served with gelato is the restaurants’ most popular dessert and is even available at the more casual-dining experience at Basta.
Mirenda emphasized the importance of making every customer feel like family from the moment they walk through the door.
“I want people to feel like they're coming home, you know?” he said.
Food
Mirenda takes care of the savory dishes
By Rebecca Olds | rebecca.o@thecityjournals.com
while his nonna and mom take care of the dessert.
All the ingredients are either sourced locally for quality, or like the flour to make the pasta, come from Italy.
To spice up the menu, different dishes are featured in rotating specials every Thursday and Saturday and include food with his own flair on traditional Sicilian dishes—including octopus, both boiled and fried.
“So you have a tender octopus on the inside, which is melt in your mouth, but you have a very, very nice and crispy charcoal outside, but it's then served in Mediterranean sauce, which is made out of yogurt, capers, parsley, dill, Parmigiano and lemon,” he said.
Other specialties include the steak and Genovese, a short rib ragu.
But the most popular dinner item on the menu Mirenda said is the carbonara which entices about 40% of guests every night.
Carbonara as a dish that originates from Rome, but in unique Antica Sicilia fashion, the pasta is spun tableside in a wheel of Parmigiano cheese rather than the traditional Pecorino cheese. Antica Sicilia manager Bryton Quick said each 80- to 90-pound cheese wheel is split in half for the tableside service and lasts four to five weeks.
“[Carbonara] is traditionally not a Sicilian dish, but it is a Sicilian thing to use Parmigiano over Pecorino,” Mirenda said. “I've been criticized many times because people from Rome use only Pecorino but it works and for me and it tastes 100% better.”
To bring fresh pasta like the carbonara to a wider audience, Mirenda opened Basta in February to cater to a different price point and atmosphere than his other two restaurants.
“In my experience, I think it's needed to understand what the experience of a customer is, and I think that's why Antica Sicilia and Sicilia Mia are such a big staple for Salt Lake City—it's because I care as much as the food, as much as I care about my service,” Mirenda said.
Basta even has some of the same dishes as found in his other restaurants, including the gnocchi sorentina, margherita pizza and olive oil cake. But it’s the overall “casual vibe” and quick 10-minute cooking experience that differentiates the new restaurant from the other two and allows him to “lower the price considerably.”
“People haven't seen this concept here in Utah,” Mirenda said. “[Customers] are enjoying the fact that they can get a good meal…and it takes about 10 minutes for fresh, homemade pasta.”
Mirenda said Basta has the potential to change the game for “fast food” by offering an affordable version of fresh pasta made with fresh ingredients.
“In Basta there is the idea of growing this brand into maybe something that will grow in different states,” he said. “I see Basta becom-
ing a global brand.” Faith
Having more restaurants has been a dream of Mirenda’s for some time and he even opened another restaurant before 2020, but when COVID-19 hit, he had to close it and called the time “a very, very dark part” of his life.
His “Jesus Saves” hat is just a small implication of his beliefs, but he said without his faith and belief in Jesus Christ, it wouldn’t have turned out as good.
“I try not to force it out on anyone, but I think it has helped me tremendously to be close to him because he has helped me in many ways,” Mirenda said. “Throughout my professional life, there's been many turbulences, and I think there's no other way I would have either come up from it or being able to go through
without him.”
Mirenda said no other physical restaurant locations are currently in the works as he and his team continue to improve the experiences people are already having at Antica Sicilia and Sicilia Mia, and watch the new open-kitchen concept blossom with Basta.
“I think they are two staple restaurants for Salt Lake City, and we're gonna keep it that way,” he said. “When you come in the door, it's all about the customer. It's all about how your experience is going to turn out…I think that's been the No. 1 goal all along.” l
Restaurant owner, chef and Italian immigrant Giuseppe Mirenda opened his third Italian restaurant in Utah called “Basta Pasteria” in February. (Rebecca Olds/City Journals)
Antica Sicilia, opened in 2016, offers fresh, homemade croutons on top of the Caesar salad prepared tableside. (Rebecca Olds/City Journals)
Claudio Trevisan heats the half of a 80- to 90-pound wheel of Parmesan cheese to prepare the carbonara, the most popular dish on the menu. (Rebecca Olds/City Journals)
Torta della Nonna at Antica Sicilia on June 28. (Rebecca Olds/City Journals) Torta della Nonna or “Grandma’s cake” is a house favorite dessert. This olive oil cake is made fresh daily by owner Giuseppe Mirenda’s grandmother and mother with a recipe handed down for generations. (Rebecca Olds/City Journals)
Back-to-school shoppers may get a recess from inflation
Robert Spendlove, Zions Bank Economist
As families prepare for the 2024-2025 school year, forecasters are penciling in a drop in back-to-school spending. Total K-12 spending is expected to decline from $41.5 billion in 2023 to $38.8 billion this year, with back-to-college spending falling from $94 billion to $86.6 billion, according to the National Retail Federation.
Families stocking up on school essentials plan to shell out an average of $875 for primary and secondary school students and $1,365 for college students, the NRF reports. That’s slightly down from $890 and $1367, respectively, in 2023.
The projected dip may be a sign of weakening consumer demand coupled with slowing inflation. Overall prices dropped from May to June for the first time since the start of the pandemic. And over the past 12 months, wage growth has outpaced inflation. Average unadjusted weekly earnings grew 4% over the past year, compared to 3% annual inflation. This means families are finally regaining some of the purchasing power lost to pandemic-era inflation.
When it comes to back-to-school expenditures, you might notice greater price relief in what you pay for goods — physical items like textbooks, computers and
smartphones — compared to the cost of services — intangible offerings like tuition and haircuts. That’s because goods prices have largely stabilized, while service prices continue to climb.
Some examples of services that have
become more expensive over the past year include elementary and high school fees, daycare and preschool tuition, and haircut prices, according to Consumer Price Index data. Meanwhile, goods like smartphones, computers, children’s shoes and college
textbooks have gotten cheaper.
Will the cooling prices of early summer continue? If so, back-to-school shoppers may get a longer recess from inflation. The July Consumer Price Index, which will be released on Aug. 14, will provide more insight. If the index continues to slow, it would be a strong case for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates in the next few months.
Here are a few ways to sharpen your budgeting skills and help keep back-toschool spending in check:
Make a plan. Before you hit the stores or shop online, have a clear idea of what you need and how much you want to spend.
Budget for the big picture. Don’t budget for each item individually. Instead, decide what your child will need and pick a dollar amount to cap your overall spending.
Involve children. Use back-to-school shopping as an opportunity to teach kids about budgeting. Letting children have a say in shopping decisions can help them learn invaluable money lessons.
Robert Spendlove is senior economist for Zions Bank, a division of Zions Bancorporation, N.A l
8 Utah restaurants that serve up unique desserts
By Rebecca Olds | rebecca.o@thecityjournals.com
Utah is full of sweet treats and there are whole stores dedicated to gourmet cookies, cheesecakes, milkshakes and more. But for many, a good dessert is better when it accompanies a good meal, and it’s even more interesting to the palate if it’s something that’s new.
Here are eight restaurants across Davis, Salt Lake and Utah counties that not only bring good food to the table, but follow up with delicious and lesser-known desserts. The list is for all price-ranges, starting with the most expensive on the top. Prices range from $3 to $14.
ANTICA SICILIA - TORTA DELLA NONNA
Italian desserts at Millcreek’s Antica Sicilia are made fresh daily by restaurant co-owner, Giuseppe Mirenda’s mom, Margherita D’Alessandro. He said he doesn’t know of anyone else in Utah who makes the dessert.
“It’s the cake my grandma used to make all the time,” said Mirenda.
The recipe for the torta della nonna or “Grandma’s cake,” is an olive oil cake served at the restaurant made of fresh ingredients with a zabaglione sauce. The restaurant serves 40 portions of the cake every night, and is almost always sold out before close.
MoreLIBERTANGO - PERA AL VINO
This Argentine steakhouse in Sandy promises you a taste of the fancy life. Libertango also has some desserts you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere else in Utah. Their pera al vino is a sliced pear soaked in a red wine sauce paired with vanilla ice cream.
They also offer a guava marmalade and mozzarella stuffed empanada drizzled with citrus and honey yogurt.
MUMBAI HOUSE - KHEER, KULFI, GULAB JAMUN
Traditional homemade Indian desserts at Mumbai House in Salt Lake City feature cardamon, golden raisins and rose syrup. Kheer, cardamom rice pudding with cashews and golden raisins; kulfi, a homemade Indian ice cream with cream, pistachios, cashew nuts and cardamom seeds; and gulab jamun, a pastry soaked in rose syrup, are all available to satisfy your sweet tooth at a good price.
VIETOPIA BISTRO - CHÈ 3 MÀU
Vietopia Bistro in Farmington Station offers a wide variety of Vietnamese cuisine, including a dessert known as “chè 3 màu” or “three colors dessert.” Made in distinct layers, there are sweetened red and mung beans on the bottom, usually green pandan jelly, and a white sweet coconut sauce.
AUBERGINE KITCHEN - COCOA AND PEANUT POWER HAYSTACKS
As a healthy vegan, gluten free and no sugar added option, Aubergine Kitchen (various locations) has you covered for dessert. The haystacks look almost like a power bite sweetened with dates rather than sugar, so you can get your sugar fix without the pro-
cessed sugar.
CHICHO’S FLAVORS - DESSERT EMPANADAS
Caribbean food, such as found in the Dominican Republic, can be found on a food truck that drives around Utah. Although it’s technically not a restaurant, this one had to make the list. Chicho’s Flavors offers sweet options of the traditional empanada full of coconut, pineapple and apple.
99 THAI FUSION - MANGO STICKY RICE
When you think of rice, you may not think of something sweet. But a traditional Asian dessert with real mango, coconut milk and sticky rice from 99 Thai Fusion in Layton may change your mind. It’s also one of the healthier dessert options out there if that’s important to you.
THE SMOKED TACO - CHURRO FRIES
With three locations in Utah County, The Smoked Taco has a fun spin on a classic Mexican dessert. Churro fries bring all that you love about churros in a more bite-sized form. Plus, who doesn’t want some added whipped cream and a caramel drizzle on top? In the past, the restaurant has even had a strawberry and Nutella specialty flavor. l
6 spots to treat your pup during National Dog Month
and more restaurants seem to be offering treats, both sweet and savory, for customers’ furry family members. Around town in Salt Lake County, there are plenty of places that offer free or low-cost items to celebrate your pet for National Dog Month in August.
Whipped cream “Pup Cups”
Starbucks isn’t just a well-known place for toddlers to tag along with parents to get a cake pop, but for furry friends to snag a free treat. Most locations offer a cappuccino-size cup with whipped cream called a “puppuccino” by the franchise and deemed “pup cup” by customers. Just ask the barista for it when you get yourself a treat, free of charge.
Matt Young from the West Jordan location of the chain Culver’s, said the franchise also offers pup cups with whipped cream and an outdoor patio where dogs can enjoy them.
The burger restaurant Freddy’s has also been known to give away free pup cups.
Custard and ice cream
All Shake Shack locations offer a treat for their customers’ furry friends. For purchase, pet-parents can buy a bag of gourmet dog bones or a “Pooch-ini” made with the franchise’s dog-safe custard, topped with a Milk Bone, said Riverton’s Shake Shack manager Gregory Jensen.
The staff at this particular Utah location are especially dog-friendly, said Jensen. If you go through the drive-thru and let them know you have a dog in the car, workers will give a free Milk Bone treat and your dog might be added to the dog wall of photos inside the restaurant. Most locations lack a drive-thru like the Riverton store, but usually have a
By Rebecca Olds | rebecca.o@thecityjournals.com
patio of some sort.
Some Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream locations offer what they call “Frosty Paws” or “Dogsters” for four-legged friends which is ice cream specifically made for dogs and comes in a variety of flavors to choose from, including peanut butter. A single-serving Frosty Paws is available for $3 at the Sandy and Cottonwood Heights locations of the franchise and can even be ordered for delivery.
Ground hamburger “Puppy Patty”
The burger joint In-N-Out offers a more savory offmenu item for the furry family members of its customers. Marielena from customer service said most stores offer a “Puppy Patty'' which is an unsalted version of their normal hamburger patty. In Utah, she said these cost owners just more than a dollar. l
Shake Shack’s Pooch-ini is made with custard and topped with a Milk Bone. (Courtesy of Riverton Shake Shack)
Serving Local Families Since 1885
COMPASSIONATE FUNERAL PLANNERS
During one of life’s most difficult moments, you deserve the utmost respect, kindness, care, and guidance. Seven generations of Larkins have been devoted to serving Utah families in their time of need, and that unique experience enables us to guide you in preparing services for your loved one with consideration and respect.
4 LOCATIONS ACROSS THE WASATCH FRONT
Larkin Mortuary 260 East South Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (801) 363-5781
Larkin Sunset Gardens 1950 East Dimple Dell Road (10600 S.) • Sandy, UT 84092 (801) 571-2771
Larkin Sunset Lawn 2350 East 1300 South Salt Lake City, UT 84108 (801) 582-1582
Larkin Mortuary Riverton 3688 West 12600 South Riverton, UT 84065 (801) 254-4850
www. L arkinCares .com
EMPOWERING OUR HEROES
• NOT medicine • NOT shock therapy
• NOT invasive • IS safe and effective
• IS COVERED by most insurance
TMS is like physical therapy for the brain. It uses magnetic pulses, similar in strength to MRI, to reignite dormant connections in the brain and give you control of your depression. With NeuroStar, you can live on your terms NOW FDA-cleared for depression in adolescents 15 and older!
Groovy grub
Utah food scene in the ’70s was abysmal. The state’s greatest culinary achievement was Arctic Circle’s fry sauce, followed closely by green Jell-O salads filled with pineapple or shredded carrots or (retching noises) cottage cheese.
I was a kid during that decade and my mother was a whiz at preparing trendy 1970’s cuisine. She mastered the crushed-saltine meatloaf. She casseroled the heck out of tater tots, cream of mushroom soup and ground beef. Her chicken-fried steak (hamburger patties covered in smashed cornflakes and slathered with A-1 sauce) was a weekly staple.
In a rush, she’d chop up a jarful of dried beef, mix it into a cream sauce and dump it on toast. The sodium content of that meal is still wreaking havoc on my kidneys.
Going out to dinner was a luxury for our family, which included me and four siblings. So that left Mom with the difficult task of feeding six people every night with whatever we had in the cupboards. Mom would sit at the table, clenching her jaw, and I knew better than to complain about the tuna and potato chip casserole. But I still did.
Eating at a restaurant was an event. I have vague memories of eating at Restaurant Minoa, a Greek place in Salt Lake, wearing my Sunday best and feeling very adult when I ordered the halibut (which I didn’t eat be-
cause I found a fishbone and refused to eat, and my parents got mad and we never went back).
I also remember trying Chinese hot mustard for the first time. I smothered my char siu pork in the creamy sauce, put it in my mouth and regained consciousness three hours later.
Most of our dining out was at places like Shakey’s, with its deliciously crispy pizza crust, or A&W drive-in, with food trays clipped to the car window and frosty mugs of root beer. There was also Dee’s Hamburgers in Murray that featured a creepy clown sign and cheap burgers.
Church dinners played a big part in my childhood. The potluck free-for-all was a Russian roulette of food poisoning. We knew whose overcooked ham was sprinkled with cat hair, and how to avoid potato salad that had been left in the sun. But the dessert table was fair game with its chocolate sheet cake, spice cookies and lemon bars. I didn’t even
care if they were covered with Siamese fur.
We also subsisted on Mormon wedding fare; miniature paper cups filled with butter mints and peanuts, and grape Kool-Aid spiked with 7-Up.
But my favorite childhood dining memory was going to Chuck-A-Rama with my grandparents. We’d go on Sunday (which mom didn’t approve of but which wasn’t a sin if you were with your grandparents) and the all-you-can-eat buffet was laden with piles of fruits and salads and meats and desserts, gleaming under fluorescent lights like an offering to the gods.
We’d load our plates and eat until we
were dizzy. Then we became Grandma’s partners in crime. Although signs at ChuckA-Rama said taking food home was strictly forbidden, Grandma told each of the grandkids to get a fried drumstick or chicken breast, and a scone. She’d wrap the food carefully in napkins and walk out of the restaurant as nonchalantly as Al Capone.
Now, the bland food of my childhood is replaced with tasty cuisine from all over the globe. But I often miss my childhood dinners with everyone sitting around the table. Although it’s still a hard “No” to tuna casserole, with or without potato chips.
