Serving up locally sourced, free-range storytelling.
There's no way around it. The food business sucks.
Eight out of 10 restaurants don’t make it beyond the first 18 months. The profit margins are razor-thin, competition is fierce, and every diner with a Yelp account thinks they’re a food critic.
But here’s the thing—the ones who succeed aren’t just in it for the food—they’re in it for the love of the craft. They’re the bold dreamers who transform simple ingredients into unforgettable experiences that bring people together. They know the odds, and still, they pour everything into making magic happen.
Because the secret ingredient isn’t on the menu. It’s in the people behind it.
In partnership with KRCL 90.9 FM, ”The Utah Foodie Podcast” was a showcase of the Utah food scene where we interviewed the state’s top chefs, restaurateurs, and culinary entrepreneurs.
Although the podcast is no longer active, it is still available on all major podcasting platforms.
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Host: Chase Murdock
Co-Host / Marketing: Keni Nelson
Producer: Ryan Samanka
The Utah Foodie Reheated - Utah's Coffee Journey
Join us as we hear from the experts at Blue Copper, Publik Coffee, 3 Cups Coffee, Three Pines Coffee, and Watchtower Cafe. While all of these businesses are connected by a common thread, they all offer their own unique and personalized touch, philosophy, and feel to a coffee experience.
Mollie & Ollie - Healthy Eating on the Fly
We sit down with Julie Paine and TJ Gingell, two of the people who have put blood, sweat, and tears into opening Mollie & Ollie in Salt Lake City. Mollie & Ollie is located at 159 S. Main Street in Salt Lake City and brings to the area a much needed fast-casual option that won’t make you feel full of regret. With locally sourced products at the core of what they do, Mollie & Ollie provides a fully customized experience. Whoever thought you would see “fast-casual” and “local and healthy” in the same sentence?
Project Pineapple - Vacation in a Pineapple
Adam Malmborg was destined to be an entrepreneur. His mind was always running with ideas, and his creativity and problem solving needed to be free from the confines of the 9-5 grind. One day while wandering at a market he stumbled upon a lemonade stand that had a long, winding line. Adam was blown away by people’s commitment to buy a $7 lemonade in the summer sun, and his mind began to race. What other cold, delicious treats could be provided?
Mama Africa - Smell It, Taste It, Love It
Cathy Tshilombo-Lokemba was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and was surrounded by the spices and flavors of the country. But her path was a winding one, and she ended up traveling and living all over the world. With stops in Europe, New York City, Dallas, Phoenix, Cathy, known to many as Mama Africa, planted roots in Toole, Utah. While many wouldn’t consider Utah a mecca of diversity, Mama Africa only saw an opportunity. A chance to bring Africa to Utahns, and help share her culture and her food.
Handle + HSL Restaurant - Appreciate Tradition
When you interview over 50 different food, coffee, and beverage entrepreneurs over a year, you begin to notice certain trends. They’re all passionate about their craft, feel a calling to create, and want to contribute to a growing community. The aspiration to put Utah on the foodie map can be found in ways big and small. For Briar Handly, the co-owner of Handle and HSL, developing a hyper-local, hyper-seasonal restaurant was one way to help Utah take one giant step forward.
Butcher's Bunches - It's All About Family
When the recession arrived in 2008 the pain was felt everywhere. Fortune 500 companies, local mom and pop shops, and governments around the world all slowed down and the cost of living made margins thinner and thinner. For Liz Butcher and the Butcher family, their farmer’s market side business felt a massive crunch. As more people joined the markets to sell produce, Liz began brainstorming alternatives. And what she dreamed up was even bigger than the family's produce business.
Publik Coffee Roasters - Good Coffee, Great Community
One of the most prominent leaders for the third wave coffee revolution is Publik Coffee. The word “Publik” is derived from the Dutch word “Community,” and the feeling of community can be found in every chair, barista, and warm piece of toast. Publik’s dedication to creating a community for coffee lovers of all backgrounds has led to an accelerated expansion into The Avenues and Ninth & Ninth.
Taqueria 27 - It's Not Mexican, It's Mexicanish
Many people spend their entire professional careers attempting to find their calling. Dreams are dreamt but never realized. For Todd and Kristin Gardiner, the founders and owners of Taqueria 27, finding their calling was as simple as waking up in the morning.
Chedda Burger - Give It Your All, or Don’t Even Try
When Nick Watts founded Chedda Truck, it was more of an online concept than a real company. Working multiple jobs and needing a creative outlet, Nick would stop by the farmers market during his free time to find the perfect ingredients for his homemade grilled cheese creations. His Chedda Truck Twitter account began to grow, and in a moment of generosity, a friend who owned a tattoo parlor offered him an evening to bring his grilled cheese out into the world for some of his customers.
Beehive Distilling - Gin As the Medium, Utah As the Canvas
Creativity is especially apparent at Beehive Distilling, one of the first four distilleries in Utah. Founded by Chris Barlow, Erik Ostling, and Matt Aller, Beehive Distilling originally began as a fun idea that was discussed amongst these three friends. But once the idea was in Erik’s mind, he couldn’t let it go. What followed was research, research, and more research, and the realization that their idea could very much become a reality.
Mountain West Cider - Let There Be Cider!
Jennifer and Jeff Carleton, the owners of Mountain West Cider, are cider lovers who were unimpressed by the available mass-market options. They saw the lack of cideries in Utah as a problem and knew they had the perfect solution. While Jennifer and Jeff had toyed with the idea of potentially opening a bar or restaurant, it was always a dream that they kept on the top shelf for a later date.
The Big O Doughnuts - 100% Vegan, and Slightly Naughty
In early 2015 Allie Curzon and her mom Jessica Curzon were driving through Salt Lake City when they were hit with a craving: they wanted a doughnut. While Utah has some fine doughnut options, none would work for the Curzon family because they are vegan—and vegan doughnuts can be hard to come by.
Beltex Meats - Sustainability Through Local Sourcing
Founded by Philip Grubisa in 2014, Beltex Meats is a whole animal butcher shop that has one goal in mind: bringing back the neighborhood butcher. Only using animals from local farmers, Philip and his small team make sure that nothing goes to waste. From steak, chops, ground beef, sausages, pot pies, charcuterie boards, and dog treats, Beltex Meats is a butcher shop that brings expertise and sustainability to every product they craft by hand.
Watchtower Cafe - The Idea That Never Went Away
For Cori Hoekstra and Mike Tuiasoa, geekdom wasn’t a trend. It was a lifestyle. With strong roots in the Salt Lake City geek community, Cori and Mike were more than aware of the community's needs. With Cori’s background in coffee houses and restaurant management, and Mike’s desire to have ownership of a project, their shared dream of having the freedom to create something on their own motivated them to look for opportunities.
Bar X & Beer Bar - Old Bar, New Tricks
Prior to 2010, if you mentioned Bar X to a Salt Lake City resident, a very particular image came to mind: a dive bar, cheap beer, no women allowed (until 1986, that is). It wouldn’t necessarily be considered a downtown hot spot that locals and visitors flocked to. But when Bar X went up for sale, a very ambitious group had a vision for what Downtown Salt Lake City could be and knew that a revamped Bar X was the starting point.
Uinta Brewing Company - It All Comes Back to the Beer
Uinta Brewing Company opened their doors in 1993 with a sole focus on craft brewing -- no pubs or bars, just really great beer. Salt Lake City wasn’t known as a brewing mecca, and previous breweries had all opened with a restaurant attached. So to outsiders, co-founders Will Hamill and Dell Vance were taking a chance, but they had an ace up their sleeve: they knew how to make really, really good beer.
Chapul - Eat Crickets for a Better Future
Patrick Crowley doesn’t have a typical start in the food industry. With a background in water conservation, a majority of Patrick’s professional career was dedicated to hydrology and analyzing water resources. This passion led to the discovery of a TED talk by Marcel Dicke titled “Why Not Eat Insects?” This talk ignited a thought in Patrick’s head that couldn’t be squashed. Was there a more sustainable way to get our protein?
Manoli's - A Restaurant Reinventing Greek Food, One Small Plate at a Time
You could almost say that Manoli Katsanevas was destined to be a restaurant owner. Growing up he washed and bussed tables at Crown Burgers, the restaurant his family owns and operates that is a staple in the Salt Lake City skyline. After attending culinary school and working at Cafe Niche and Fresco, the idea of creating something on his own began to tickle at Manoli's mind.
Naked Fish Japanese Bistro - The Flavor Is in the Details
When thinking about high-quality, fresh sushi, a restaurant in Utah doesn’t immediately jump to mind. But Johnny Kwon, one of the founders and the owner of Naked Fish Japanese Bistro, is working to dispel that assumption. High-quality, authentic sushi can be found in Salt Lake City, and it will change your expectations about what sushi, and Japanese cuisine, can be.
Beehive Cheese - Have Your Cheese and Eat It Too
When life gives you an opportunity, you have two choices. Either ignore it or go all in. For Pat Ford, life's opportunity came in the form of a mid-life crisis. After a successful career as a real estate developer, the energy and excitement that came from his job began to disappear. The constant pressure of deadlines, demanding bosses, and commuting kept adding up, and Pat was in need of a change.