Urban farming pioneer Frog Bench Farms is a small (but mighty) plot fueling local restaurants in Salt Lake City.
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Apres-ski was turned up a notch in Park City over the weekend. Let’s say two to three notches. And over three delicious days. It was all thanks to Deer Valley Resort and DAOU Family Estates’ premier Taste of Luxury Series, the first of three-weekend events this year featuring food and wine, world-renowned culinary figures and luxury brands. Three-star Michelin Chef Roberto Cerea headlined the inaugural weekend April 8, 9 and 10 as he joyfully pleased the palettes of dozens of guests at a meet-and-greet reception, personalized cooking class, eight-course dinner and finale brunch.
“We must have used 80 pounds of parmesan cheese in four days,” exclaimed Deer Valley Resort Executive Sous Chef, Chris Gibson. Gibson, formerly Silver Lake Lodge’s Executive Chef, was promoted to his new role as the resort recently welcomed Chef Peter Meneer as the new Executive Chef.
“When the seasons change and all the new fruits and vegetables come in, that’s my favorite part about cooking—that and fusing different cultures together and fresh farm-to-table ingredients. When the team comes together and we work really hard and the customer is really happy, that’s what I live for,” said Meneer.
Guests were certainly happy and undoubtedly very full following the event’s fabulous feasts, as evident at Sunday’s brunch when fresh juices and baked pastries, a beet trio salad and two generous helpings of Chef Cerea’s Paccheri were all followed by an espresso panna cotta tiramisu dessert.
Cerea brought with him a jar full of Italian tomatoes to add to locally sourced ones for the paccheri pasta sauce—just another one of Chef Cerea’s special touches made from the Deer Valley kitchen.
As many chefs do, Cerea learned much of his craft from his parents who dedicated their lives to culinary excellence. The family restaurant, Da Vittorio, just outside of Milan opened in the 1960s and has since earned three Michelin stars.
Cerea wasn’t the only award-winner sharing, celebrating and educating guests at Taste of Luxury.
The team from DAOU Family Estates, home to some of California’s most noteworthy wines, paired several varietals of Rose, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon with the fine food meal after meal. DAOU wines hail from the untapped world-class Adelaida District of Paso Robles.
“For me, it’s from one mountain, DAOU Mountain, to another here in Park City but really it’s all about creating an experience for our guests. For us, we get to do that through the lens of wine here at Deer Valley and at Park City, working with the team here. It’s just all-encompassing and all-immersive and we are thrilled to be a part of that because, at the end of the day, life really is about connection,” says Maeve Pesquera, DAOU Senior Vice President.
Forever Gourmet and KJUS premium ski, golf and lifestyle apparel also sponsored Taste of Luxury’s inaugural event. The Taste of Luxury Series will continue later this year with two more weekends of premier wine, food and festivities at Deer Valley Resort. For more information about upcoming Taste of Luxury Series events, visit Deer Valley’s website.
See more of our food and drink coverage here.
Mansion of Heartbreak, the sophomore release by , presents 12 worried songs for worried times. Recorded directly to tape at Orchard Studios with production by Jay William Henderson and Ryan Tanner, Mansion of Heartbreak builds on the band’s 2012 album (Long Nights, Short Lives and Spilled Chances) by introducing a bit more grit into the grain, guiding a dark thread through a silver needle.
Sisters Marie Bradshaw (guitar) and Kiki Jane Sieger (bass) knit their voices in the long tradition of harmonizing sisters, with instrumental backing befitting the house band at the Cosmic American Barroom—Dylan Schorer on guitars and M. Horton Smith on mandolin and guitar, Daniel Young on drums, and help from guests Ryan Tanner (piano) and Billy Contreras (fiddle). The band unfolds their sonic map on this record, with nudges from Hi Records-style horns and a new set of textures. Mansions of Heartbreak confirms the Hollering Pines’ place as a high desert rock ’n’ roll outfit committed to tracing the outer contours of Americana.
See more Small Lake City Concerts here. Salt Lake Magazine’s Small Lake City Concerts were produced by Natalie Simpson of Beehive Photography and Video.
In the wake of a worldwide pandemic shutdown, an earthquake that shook Salt Lake City and sudden isolation from others, Teah (Estephani Cerros), a single, LDS woman, goes to see a therapist and instead finds herself on a dating show. Aftershock, by Utah playwright Iris Salazar, will premiere next week at Plan-B Theatre, following the story of Teah as she, prompted by her therapist/game show host (Yolanda Stange), takes a step back to inspect not just life and dating, but also herself and her loneliness.
Salazar took the inspiration for this play from both her own experience as a single woman in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and from others’ experiences around her. “It’s 50% things I’ve actually seen or experienced and 50% made up,” she says.
Salazar had been wanting to write a play about single LDS people, and before the pandemic had written another story about a group of single LDS women that she described as more “cutesy.” But that wasn’t what she was aiming for with this play—she wanted to write more honestly and not sugarcoat the often painful experiences of single people in a religion that strongly emphasizes marriage. After shelving this previous play for a while, Salazar drew inspiration for Aftershock from social media posts she saw from other women openly describing the loneliness, depression and isolation they were experiencing in the pandemic. Salazar says this seemed to especially impact single LDS people, since they do not commonly move in with their partners without being married.
She says it was a challenge to write about therapy and living alone—she herself lives with her mom and brother. To create the character of Teah, she relied on her own interpretations of social media posts about others’ experiences. “I couldn’t relate to that loneliness that I would see people post about on Facebook, so I really had to explore that,” Salazar says.
That doesn’t mean Salazar avoided writing about her own emotions—there are still aspects to Teah that Salazar relates with. She says this personal connection makes this play unique compared to previous plays she has written. Salazar says she typically resists sharing her personal life onstage, but Aftershock required her to be a lot more vulnerable and open about her own emotions.
“I’m more hesitant to share personal things,” Salazar says. “But with this play, that 50% that I did put in there, I was like ‘Oof, this is a lot and people who know me are going to know what’s me.’”
Working a full-time job, Salazar hasn’t had much time to see her play comes to life in rehearsals. However, she has seen enough to feel excited about the play’s premiere next week. She particularly noted the natural flow of the actors, remarking that the actors appeared like they had been together forever.
For the viewers, Salazar noted that “the pandemic has really damaged connections” between people and their friends and family, resulting in some of the loneliness that Aftershock will explore, and she hopes that this play inspires people to find ways to reconnect.
“I hope that they take a step back and try to find those connections again or get help if they need help,” she says.
Aftershock will be performed at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center April 7-17, and will stream virtually April 13-17. For more information, visit Plan-B Theatre’s website. Read more Utah theater stories from Salt Lake magazine.
Mindy Gledhill refuses to take no for an answer. “I was really drawn to singing when I was a young teenager,” she says. “I tried out for the school musical and the chamber choir. I didn’t get into anything.” But that wasn’t the end of the story for the Provo-based singer-songwriter. “I’m a really driven person by nature, so rather than letting that determine my path, I decided to create my own path.” Gledhill got an internship at a recording studio, formed her own band that played at open mic nights and school assemblies and then went to BYU where she majored in commercial music. “I got the ball rolling myself,” she says matter-of-factly.
“I would say at one point I was a poster child for the LDS church,” says Gledhill, explaining that her songs and voice were featured in Especially For Youth (commonly called EFY) albums released by the church and her first album was on a church-owned label. “I started my career playing church music but 10 years ago it evolved into the indie-music scene,” she says. But when she left her LDS-owned label she turned to the web to release music with the help of sites like YouTube and MySpace. “The internet made it possible for me to reach people on the other side of the world. It was a really exciting time. It still is,” Gledhill says.
The move away from her label wasn’t her only transition with the church—Gledhill left the LDS church as well. “I would say that all of my upbringing and beliefs unraveled over the last couple of years,” she says. “I became an activist for LBGT rights and women’s rights—that’s been my personal journey. I started to find my power as a woman and find my voice as a woman and that was an incredible thing for me. ”
Her album Rabbit Hole is heavily influenced by her experiences leaving the church behind and the new beginning it has created. Says Gledhill, “This new album goes through what it’s meant for me to have an existential crisis and the journey that has been painful and beautiful.” — Christie Marcy
See more Small Lake City Concerts here. Salt Lake Magazine’s Small Lake City Concerts were produced by Natalie Simpson of Beehive Photography and Video.
Sammy Brue is making quite a name for himself in Utah’s music scene right now, but that’s not always where he figured he would end up. “Before I became a musician, I was super into tennis and had a dream of becoming a professional,” says Brue. This long-haired, hippie-lost-in-time seems the opposite of a tennis pro in crisp whites but we’re lucky that he never made it pro. Brue has innumerable, often unexpected interests that infuse his music with a transcendent quality some singer-songwriters only wish they could harness.
Brue unabashedly credits fusing those perfect notes and lyrics to his superpower of constant observation. “I’ve always been an observer. I like watching things happen around me and thinking about them,” he says. “Every week or so, I make a list of things that have either inspired me or just make me feel good to set the vibe for the week.” His desire to experience every facet of what life has to offer gives him a fascinating eye for the strange—especially in one so young—that imbues his music with the raw appeal of Johnny Cash or Gillian Welch.
Brue credits the folk/Americana/rock scene in Utah with giving him everything from role models in his youth to connecting him with incredible musicians he is proud to call friends today. But being a young (read: under 21) musician in this state has some unique challenges.
“It really has been challenging for me here. It’s time to change the liquor laws so that young performers can work when they have the opportunity,” he says. “A year or so ago, I was on tour with my label mate, Justin Townes Earle, and we went to almost every corner of the country playing in all kinds of venues, but the one place I couldn’t play with him was here in Utah, my home state.”
Utah should take note because Brue is blowing up (we’re pretty grateful he wanted to do a Small Lake City Concert for us). Heck, this kid was dubbed an “Americana Prodigy” by no less than Rolling Stone magazine. Through it all, he focuses intently on his music and continues his self-described search to find the words and sounds to take him on the next step in his journey. Whatever Sammy Brue encounters next, he’s definitely up for it: “I want to live a fantasy. I want to live the weirdest paragraph known to man.” —Ashley Szanter
See more Small Lake City Concerts here. Salt Lake Magazine’s Small Lake City Concerts were produced by Natalie Simpson of Beehive Photography.
I called Steph Darland to talk about his music. The first thing he said to me was, “Let me put you on speaker so I can talk with my hands.” Steph, guitarist, and Amber Pearson, cellist, form the duo Fur Foxen, a group that started out playing small gigs at coffeehouses like Alchemy and is now a favorite in Salt Lake clubs.
The first thing I asked Steph about was the band’s name: Fur Foxen. Why? I couldn’t see what his hands were saying, but his unexpected answer was, “I love alliteration.” “Our previous band was a trio called Harold Henry. And I’m obsessed with foxes—my house is filled with images of foxes. Foxen is the old English plural for fox.”
Finally, we talked about the music.
Steph started playing the guitar when he was 23, but even more than gaining facility with the instrument, he’s interested in writing songs. “I write about six to ten songs a month,” he says. “They’re not all good, but they are a kind of therapy.”
Raised in Amarillo, Texas, he moved to Dallas but had a tough time breaking into the music scene there. His day job at Whole Foods is what brought him to Utah, where he found a more open and yet tightly knit musical community. He and Amber host the Foxhole Sessions, a podcast of local bands for small, intimate audiences that foster community as well as sharing music.
“I don’t come from a musical family,” says Steph. “I don’t listen to a lot of music and what I do listen to is all over the board. Of course, I like singer-songwriters.” And he says, “The more raw the capture the better. Authenticity is something you can’t hide in music. It’s not about proficiency. You love it because it’s real.” — Mary Brown Malouf
See more Small Lake City Concerts here. Salt Lake Magazine’s Small Lake City Concerts were produced by Natalie Simpson of Beehive Photography and Video.
We’ve been watching carefully with a cynical eye the places and spaces the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (RHOSLC) go to as locations and backdrops for the show’s main purpose: shade-throwing fights. Thus far, we’ve seen a lot of fast-food pit stops from Lisa Barlow who calls herself #fastfood queen, been underwhelmed by the unglamorous home of Whitney Rose in Day Break and nodded approvingly at a few local restaurants stops, like Handle and Table X. (We also suggested places that Lisa could find good local food instead of Taco Bell.) Along the way though, we kind of started losing track of the and spaces so we started this map so we could all play along at home.
Read More: Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
Morning at the Rabbit Hole might as well be midnight: The gas lamps flicker, barely lighting the dim corners. It seems an apt atmosphere for Utah jazzman Alan Michael, who cradles his gleaming saxophone as he talks about the jazz that is his life.
Of course, he’s from New York City. But he moved from that jazz habitat to Utah in the mid-nineties at the urging of his wife, Shannon. “She wanted out of the city and loves the mountains,” he says.
He loves them too, so he exchanged the jazz scene for the natural scenery. But, “I still get back there,” he says. In fact, he recently returned from the city where he went to have the mouthpiece of his sax reshaped.
He has a whole other life and a different name in New York. There, he uses his real name, Alan Michael Braufman. “Here, I was always calling up and talking to a receptionist who couldn’t understand “Braufman.’ So I dropped that and changed it to Alan Michael a year ago.” He also plays a different kind of music in New York—still jazz, but more experimental, edgier. It’s the kind of music he made his name with, ever since playing with the Psychedelic Furs, among other bands.
That sound doesn’t play well with audiences here, but he loves the music he does play with his quartet, Friday and Saturday nights at the Bayou and as often as possible at the Rabbit Hole, a space downstairs from Lake Effect where Kelly Samonds books jazz. “It’s a listening room, not a loud jazz room,” says Michael. “I’ve learned not to mind talking; if the music is good enough, they’ll be quiet and listen, unless they’re drunk. Kelly won’t allow a synthesizer here. He’s a purist, so there’s no amplification. Michael also plays at the Garage, Jazz Vespers at First Unitarian Church and Jazz at the Gallivan but Rabbit Hole is one of the only places in Salt Lake City where he plays his own music.
Indian Navigation Company put out an album in 1975, Valley of Search, that focused on Michael’s avant-garde jazz. Out of print now, copies sell on eBay for $150. There are plans to reissue the album, but, remember, jazz (like most music) is always best live. —Mary Brown Malouf
See more Small Lake City Concerts here. Salt Lake Magazine’s Small Lake City Concerts were produced by Natalie Simpson of Beehive Photography and Video.
Ben Weiss invited some musician friends he knew, Zach Downes and Andrew Nelson, to jam at a party for a few hours with a musician he’d never really played with, Katia Racine. “Three hours flew by,” Weiss says, “So at the end, we all looked at each other and said ‘Well, we should start a band.’” And that’s how the Salt Lake-based band Pixie and the Partygrass Boys was born four years ago.
Since being joined by Amanda Grapes on fiddle, the band has been an important part of the Salt Lake music scene. On any given night you might find Pixie and the Partygrass Boys as the opener at The Commonwealth Room, playing a regular gig at the Hog Wallow or at their once-weekly bluegrass jam at Gracie’s.
Part of the band’s popularity is their genre-busting style—Weiss describes the band as “non-traditional bluegrass with heavy jazz and funk influences. “The crossover of playing Stevie Wonder with a bluegrass band seemed like a no-brainer for us,” says Weiss. “People who love bluegrass get to see something they might not usually see at a bluegrass show, and people who don’t normally like bluegrass might find something that they do like because we’re playing something familiar with a bluegrass style.”
And while the band started with a lot of covers, these days they play more and more of their own music. “Every member of the band is a composer,” says Weiss, “We all write songs then get together as a band to arrange them.” The fans are happy with the transition, too, he says, “It’s a really special thing to watch our fans come because we are fun and we play songs we write and now they come and sing along to songs we’ve written.”
Ultimately, Weiss says the goal of the group has always been the same, “When we started this band we wanted to have fun. We wanted to play music people could dance to and we wanted to have a creative outlet to express ourselves freely. We always try to have the most fun in the room, and you know, sometimes we do. It’s not traditional but we always keep it ’grassy.” —Christie Marcey
See more Small Lake City Concerts here. Salt Lake Magazine’s Small Lake City Concerts were produced by Natalie Simpson of Beehive Photography and Video.
