Orchid Dynasty

Beauty in the Desert

By Al Sacharov

Orchids … exotic, beautiful, mesmerizing … and thriving in Salt Lake City. Although far removed from the tropics where they bloom in thousands of varieties, orchids are abundant here in the high desert of Utah.

Both the flowers and those who fancy them were at the recent spring showing of the Orchid Club of Utah held at Red Butte Gardens.

“Orchids are so varied no matter what your situation that there is one that will grow,” says club president Angie Schneider. There are few plants that have created such a devotion. During the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, explorers risked their lives to find new varieties in malarial jungles.

What is it about orchids that create a fascination bordering on addiction?

“Orchids teach us patience,” says Shawn Quealy. “They can take forever to flower, grow or die. It’s a spiritual connection that sucks you in by creating rewards on different levels. It’s the

shamanic idea of a power plant.”

Quealy is Utah’s only recognized judge for the American Orchid Society (AOS), a position that takes six years to get fully accredited. This degree of expertise is necessary because big money is at stake with orchid breeding. If a breeder’s orchid receives the highest of marks from the AOS, that plant can be sold for a tidy sum of six figures. “As long as there are addicts, there will be a market,” he says.

Bruce Hugo knows the power of orchids. He started off with one plant and now has over 120. “My wife still hasn’t kicked me out of the house yet,” he says. He has parlayed his orchid love with photography since the plants are natural show stoppers.

This beauty is apparent when visiting Orchid Dynasty at 365 West 900 South in Salt Lake. Owners Clint and Shelly Lewis have over 5,000 orchids at their business which caters both to customers and designing arrangements for special events. Clint says that the phalaenopsis variety is best for newcomers. It is the workhorse of the industry with showy, long-lasting flowers that can stay in a window and only need watering once a week. Orchid Dynasty provides advice to plant lovers, but Clint suggests that the 50-year-old Utah club can be of great help since the best information comes from fellow growers. Perhaps one suggestion is that after a person gets their first orchid, they should always leave space for another.

The Utah Orchid Society can be reached at utorchidsoc@comcast.net.

Moabite Alex de Moor is working with Moab nonprofit Community Rebuilds to construct his own home in the Arroyo Crossing subdivision

Housing crunch

In Moab, advocates try to match need

By Rachel Fixsen

In the under-construction Arroyo Crossing subdivision just south of Moab, dozens of people bustle in and out of 17 houses in various phases of construction. Some are just framed skeletons, others have sheathing and metal roofing, and some have straw bale walls.

Some of the people are residents-to-be working on their own and their neighbors’ homes through sweat-equity programs offered by local housing nonprofits; some are volunteers, donating time and labor in exchange for building skills; some are professional subcontractors. They’re all working on homes built specifically for Grand County workers on a parcel owned by the nonprofit Moab Area Community Land Trust (MACLT).

The MACLT is just one entity attempting to address the housing crisis in Moab. Housing is a problem nationwide; Moab’s housing market is under additional pressure from a thriving tourism industry that generates a glut of low-paying jobs while simultaneously increasing the profitability of overnight accommodations, incentivizing developers to focus on that sector. Many local workers share housing, sometimes in tight quarters. Some live in dilapidated or substandard homes; some live in their vehicles. Others commute to work in Moab from the closest towns: La Sal and Monticello to the

south or Green River to the north.

In Arroyo Crossing, the land is owned by the MACLT, and leased by residents who own the homes themselves. Taking the land out of the equation helps keep the costs low for buyers. To be eligible to purchase a home in the 42-acre subdivision, buyers must live and work in the county and earn between 80120% of the area median income (AMI). There’s also an equity cap on the resale prices of the homes to help maintain affordability. Arroyo Crossing will eventually have about 300 units; a mix of single-family homes, townhomes, and apartments. MACLT Executive Director Kaitlin Myers said about 100 of them will be completed within the next couple of years.

“Most of our lots are already reserved or are in some level of development already,” she said. That’s not surprising, considering the desperate scramble for housing in the Moab area.

Local governments are working on housing too. In 2018, Grand County rolled out its “High Density Housing Overlay” to encourage the private sector to build workforce housing. The overlay allows property owners in certain areas to apply to develop their land at a higher density than their underlying zoning dictates, provided they agree to deed-restrict 80% of the units to Grand County workers. That restriction, officials hope, will tie the home prices to local wages.

Moab City requires any new overnight accommodations developments to either provide some employee housing or pay into a fund to be used for that purpose. In 2018 the city used those funds to purchase a property called Walnut Lane with plans to replace existing run-down trailers with more, and higher-quality, affordable housing. That project has been stymied by unforeseen legal issues and higher-than-expected project costs, but city officials still hope to see it through in the near future.

Camping—including living in a vehicle—is illegal outside of established and permitted campgrounds in Moab City and Grand County. Free camping can be found on federal public lands outside those boundaries, but it can be a long drive to and from town, and popular dispersed camping spots are overused: managers find trampled vegetation, litter, and human waste in popular camp spots.

Some Moabites deliberately eschew traditional housing. Sean and Nick, both in their early 20s, work for a busy gear retailer in town, and they say they enjoy living out of their vehicles. Nick has lived out of his van for about two years. He likes to be mobile and close to the outdoors. He said he missed his van after spending a short time living in an apartment with a friend.

“I didn’t know what phase the moon was in the other day, and I kind of freaked out,” he said. He plans to stick with the van lifestyle for the foreseeable future.

In Moab, tourism and the housing crisis are inextricable. Moab’s funkydesert-town vibe and outdoor splendor attract both more tourists and residents seeking an alternative lifestyle. Businesses struggle to find employees, while employees struggle to find housing. Residents and tourists rely on each other to fuel the economy, but at the same time vie for space both under roofs and under the stars.

Ashley Cross explaining the botanicals in the Oomaw Gin.

A Whole New World

From School Teacher to Distiller, The Story of Ashley Cross

By Connie Lewis

In 2013, after teaching High School English for 23 years, Ashely Cross told her husband Chris she didn’t want to go back for year 24. Her plan was to turn their hobby into a business, and New World Distillery was born.

Ashley and Chris both enjoyed traveling, and their trips often involved experiencing the local liquors at different locales, turning hobby travel into a chance to learn the distilling business.

“We liked to travel and visit distilleries. Chris, in particular, is interested in agave. We traveled to Mexico distilleries and also learned artisan backyard distilling techniques,” Ashley says.

Ashley is a gin drinker, and they learned the art of gin distilling, partly in Amsterdam.

“The places we visited for fun became the places we visited to learn. When you think you know everything you should, just get out of the business. It doesn’t matter what you are doing — because then you can’t move forward.” Ashley chose an industry where there is so much to learn. She says it is equal parts interesting and scary.

They broke ground in March 2016 and opened New World in December 2016. They kept the exterior simple. Ashley says it resembles a barn, and the hard work done inside includes all things necessary to start a distillery.

An early decision launched their business. “We had to make a decision to be open for 20 days in December, and pay all the local and federal fees for an entire year, or wait until January 1st,” Ashley says. They ultimately decided to open

in December, and it paid off. 2016 was a heavy snow year and there were lots of tourists in town for skiing. They visited the new distillery, and even with only one product on the shelves, they made enough to justify the expensive fees.

What prompts someone to start a new career? Ashley explains, “I think people are living longer today, living to be 100. You can start thinking of 50 as the halfway mark, and what are you going to do with the second half of your life?”

That’s what started the discussion for her, along with the chance to work closely with her husband after spending a lot of time apart while he was in the military and traveling for other employment.

Choosing a distillery was partly due to a hobby they loved, and practical thinking. There aren’t many distilleries in Utah, and some of those don’t distill in-house, but instead, bring in a product and rebottle it. Seeing a scarcity of actual distilleries, and despite the challenges of dealing with the DABC in Utah, they made plans to go forward. And besides, after a long commute teaching school, Ashley was delighted to switch to a 7-minute commute from their home to New World.

Being one of only a handful of distilleries in Utah is also challenging. Ashley explains that there is not a united body of representatives for distilleries, like a guild. One was attempted a few years ago, but fell apart because of divisiveness between distillers that distill and those that import. Ashley would like to see a true craft distillers’ guild in Utah. “Without it you are on your own,” she says. She collaborates with James Fowler of Sugar House Distillery, and Julia and Alan Scott of Waterpocket Distillery.

Being in what is considered a male-dominated business doesn’t concern Ashley too much. “Over the last few years, I’ve noticed a rise in women’s voices and it has made men scared to death to say anything. I think it has men being really careful and sometimes overly careful. I don’t mind taking a back seat to something I’m not as good at as another man or woman. I don’t make a big deal out of it. I am secure in my femininity.”

The future looks great at New World. They recently added a third still that arrived this month. The new still will keep things running while the slow processing of aging the Ogden 9 Rails Bourbon Whiskey takes place. Ashley says the other products pay for the time while the whiskey is sitting. The Ogden 9 Rails is one of their most popular products, with people waiting in the parking lot on release days.

The new still is called Ruth, after Ruth Bader Ginsburg and a character from the series Ozark; both strong, powerful women. Ashley says that stills are named after women because, “they are complex and sexy, and get a lot done, but they can be difficult and challenging at times.”

Dishing the decadence

Delectable Desserts to Die For

By Ted Scheffler

The Beehive State has a sweet tooth. Utahns love, love, love their desserts. Of course, that’s true of Americans in general. But Utah is special. I mean, you can’t swing a cat by its tail without hitting a soda shop like Swig, Twisted Sugar or FiiZ. Walk into the BYU bookstore and the first thing to catch your eye isn’t textbooks, it’s the enormous Sweet Stop candy and dessert counter.

But hey, I’m no sugar hater. I love a decadent dessert as much as the next person. Here are a few of my favorite sugary sins.

There are few things I love more than a made-from-scratch pie like grandma’s. For that, I turn to Left Fork Grill in Murray. Jeff Masten’s pies (order whole ones in advance) are second to none, made with fresh ingredients by hand. The crusts are perfect (the secret is lard) and the fillings are divine.

My favorite is Jeff’s banana cream pie, which I would eat daily if I lived closer to Murray. And if you happen to be down in Washington County, drop into Veyo Pies for pies like the Veyo Volcano with graham cracker crust, sweet cream cheese, butterscotch, and chocolate with whipped cream on top.

Or, how about a pizza pie for dessert. Pizza for dessert??? Yup! MidiCi at The Gateway is one of my favorite restaurants, and I can’t get enough of their outstanding Neapolitan-style pizza. But another of my favorite menu items is the decadent Nutella Calzone dessert. It is sooooo yummy and looks like a million bucks. It’s a dessert calzone made from pizza dough, baked to crisp perfection and topped with fresh fruits (blackberries, strawberries and blueberries), then drizzled with a sweet and tart balsamic reduction and, finally, Nutella, before getting a dusting of powdered sugar. Now that is decadent!

Another great restaurant dessert is the decidedly decadent Torpedo Waffle at Bruges Belgian Bistro. This is a Liège-style waffle stuffed with Belgian dark chocolate bars and topped with silky creme fraiche. And you might not expect Utah’s best sushi restaurant to have world-class desserts, but Takashi does.

One of the more surprising desserts I’ve ever had is Takashi’s Candy Cap Panna Cotta. This silky Italian-inspired panna cotta is actually made with candy cap mushrooms that taste naturally like maple syrup. Maple syrup-tasting mushrooms? Who knew?

One of the finest bakeries in the West — not just Utah — is Romina Rasmussen’s Les Madeleines, one of the first bakeries in Utah to offer gourmet cupcakes, French macarons, and heavenly kouign amann.

Romina told me that she flavors the shells of her macarons, which is not typical. Romina’s been making macarons since way before they were trendy, initially calling them “buttons” since nobody knew what macarons were. She uses fruit powders and extracts to flavor the shells and only utilizes natural food colorings. All the macarons are piped by hand, with fillings ranging from buttercreams to caramels to ganaches, using Weiss bean-to-bar chocolate from Saint Etienne, France.

Popular macaron flavors include Bali (coconut-almond shell and passion fruit buttercream) and the Coquelicot, flavored with poppy blossom. Bonus: Romina recently added chocolate bonbons to the menu — just another great excuse to visit Les Madeleines.

If it’s variety you’re looking for, look no further than the opulent brunch buffets at Stein Eriksen Lodge in Deer Valley or at Grand America’s Laurel restaurant in downtown SLC. Both offer a staggering selection of sweet things for every palate.

At Laurel, for example, the Sunday all-you-can-eat brunch dessert options include mini brownies, assorted French macarons, sacher torte, Verrines chocolate pot de creme, passion fruit mousse bars, mini chocolate tarts, mini blondies, mini caramel tarts, Verrines vanilla pot de creme, and more.

Ain’t life sweet?