The owners of Silver Star Café start fresh with a new Mediterranean bistro: Fenice.
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Celebrate the moms in your life with a damn-near universal love language—food. Whether you’re looking for an upscale brunch at one of Utah’s finest hotels, a few casual drinks or a foolproof dinner to serve at home, we’ve got you covered.
The Copper Onion and Copper Common
Move quickly to get Mother’s Day brunch or dinner reservations at The Copper Onion, one of SLC’s most acclaimed restaurants. For an adults-only affair, The Copper Onion’s sister bar Copper Common is serving a new brunch menu including roasted mushroom toast, Wagyu beef hash and beignets with whiskey caramel and berry compote.
The Copper Onion: 111 E. Broadway #170, SLC, 801-355-3282
Copper Common: 111 E. Broadway #190, SLC, 801-355-0543
Cucina
Celebrate Mother’s Day—and (hopefully) pleasant spring weather—with Cucina’s first live outdoor music of the season. Utah Americana band Lucky Find will be performing outside this favorite Avenues wine bar from 6-9 p.m. on May 7.
1026 2nd Ave., SLC, 801-322-3055
Flanker
Flanker is serving their signature brunch menu this Mother’s Day, with highlights like lobster fritters, smoked salmon bagel board and huevos rancheros tacos. Don’t forget the $5 mimosas, or go for a whole bottle of Veuve Clicquet for $100 instead. Live music by DJ Bangarang.
6 N. Rio Grande St., SLC, 801-683-7070
Franck’s
Franck’s four course Mother’s Day brunch is reappearing this year, priced at $115 for adults and $60 for kids 12 and under. The dining experience begins with their amuse—a marinated local egg with smoked tomato, celeriac and lemon-hollandaise. Choose two courses between chilled apricot gazpacho, 110 degree Scottish salmon, prime beef tenderloin tataki and burnt marshmallow tart.
6263 S. Holladay Blvd., SLC, 801-274-6264
Goldener Hirsch
Goldener Hirsch’s Mother’s Day brunch is a mixture of cold offerings and hot meals cooked right at your table. Menu highlights include smoked salmon blinis, homemade tagliatelle, white and green asparagus with ham and parsley potatoes, and parmesan loaf with truffle foam. $79 per person, including a glass of champagne.
7520 Royal St., Park City , 800-252-3373
Gourmandise
Take the guesswork out of Mother’s Day dinner with a ready-to-eat feast from Gourmandise. Menu items include baked glazed ham, potatoes gratin with gruyere and fresh herbs, roasted spring vegetables with honey citrus glaze, cheddar chive scones and fresh fruit salad. Each take-home kit is $130 and feeds 6-8, only available May 7.
250 S. 300 East, SLC, 801-328-3330
The Grand America and Little America
An elegant Mother’s Day Tea is a holiday tradition at Utah’s flagship hotel. Brunch reservations are already sold out at Laurel Brasserie & Bar and at Little America’s Grand Ballroom, but a first-come-first-served buffet at Little America is still available.
The Grand America: 555 S. Main St., SLC, 801-258-6000
Little America: 500 S. Main St., SLC, 801-596-5700
Hearth and Hill
Reserve your table for a Mother’s Day brunch feast at Park City’s Hearth and Hill, with a full menu of snacks, main courses, savory sides and dessert. Adults are $70, kids 5-12 are $35 and kids under 4 eat free.
1153 Center Dr., Park City, 435-200-8840
Homestead Resort
Give your mom the gift of both great food and a relaxing staycation. Simon’s, the restaurant at Midway’s Homestead Resort, is open for reservations-only brunch—with a menu including made-to-order omelets and a build-your-own dessert waffle—on May 8. Adults are $55 and children under 12 are $25.
700 Homestead Dr., Midway, 435-654-1102
Hub and Spoke
The popular brunch spot will not be disappointing with their Mother’s Day brunch buffet. Menu items include chicken and waffles, vegan grit skillet, classic French toast and assorted desserts. Adults dine for $44.90, kids under 12 $22.49.
1291 S. 1100 East, SLC, 801-487-0698
La Caille
Reservations are open for La Caille’s Mother’s Day brunch with dishes like crème brulée French toast, slow roasted prime rib and a Creole seafood boil. Young kids are welcome—they can even pot a plant for mom while the grown-ups eat.
9565 Wasatch Blvd., Sandy, 801-942-1752
Les Madeleines
Here’s a sweet gift idea. Les Madeleines is best known for its signature kouign-amann, a buttery cake made from layers of laminated bread dough. If your mom is out-of-state but still craves this France-via-Utah treat, Les Madeleines ships the pastry nationwide.
216 E. 500 South, SLC, 801-673-8340
The Lodge at Blue Sky
Yuta, at The Lodge at Blue Sky, is serving a three-course brunch menu on both Saturday and Sunday for $68. For something more casual, The Lodge will also serve an a la carte mimosa menu with games and a live performance from Utah musician Angie Petty.
27649 Old Lincoln Hwy., Wanship, 866-296-8998
Log Haven
Log Haven is offering a three course Mother’s Day dinner on May 8. With menu items such as grilled duroc pork chop, Manhattan cut New York steak, and parmesan reggiano risotto, your mother is sure to feel the love. $75 for adults, $45 for children, space is limited.
6451 E. Millcreek Canyon Road, SLC, 801-272-8255
Manoli’s
For breakfast with a Greek twist, try Manoli’s, which was named one of the state’s best restaurants in our 2022 Dining Awards. The restaurant’s fresh, flavorful Mediterranean cuisine is served for both brunch and dinner on Saturdays and Sundays.
402 E. 900 South, #2, SLC, 801-532-3760
Oquirrh
The inventive New American eatery Oquirrh is another 2022 Salt Lake Magazine Dining Award winner. On weekends, Oquirrh serves both brunch—the menu has sweet and savory versions of bread pudding French toast and hearty “hangover pasta”—and their regular dinner menu.
368 E. 100 South, SLC, 801- 359-0426
Pago on Main
Spoil your mother with upscale American fare at Pago’s newest Main Street location. For $42 per person, their brunch buffet includes pumpkin bread burrata appetizers, cauliflower carbonara, smoked trout kedgeree and more.
341 S. Main St., SLC, 801-441-2955
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
Celebrate your mother with a three-course menu at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse for just $57. Menu highlights include steak & shrimp, twin tail lobster and caesar salad. If a take-home meal is more your style, consider their Celebration Feast which includes roast tenderloin, choice of salad, two signature sides and dessert. Feeds four at $195.
275 W. South Temple, SLC, 801-363-2000
2001 Park Ave., Park City, 435-940-5070
Stanza
The Italian restaurant is offering a special brunch and cocktail menu for Mother’s Day this year. Small plates include stonefruit burrata and mascarpone polenta. Their brunch menu features Wagyu New York strip and eggs, duck confit hash, peach French toast and jumbo gulf shrimp and grits. Don’t forget about Stanza’s standout pasta dishes like bucatini alla carbonara and yukon gold and chive gnocchi.
454 E. 300 South, SLC, 801-746-4441
Tulie Bakery
Treat your mom to a delectable creation by Tulie Bakery—a dark chocolate orange olive oil cake with mascarpone frosting. Place orders by May 4 to receive by Mother’s Day.
863 E. 700 South, SLC, 801-883-9741
1510 S. 1500 East, SLC, 801-410-4217
Read more about the best food and drink in Utah.
The 2022-23 season of Broadway at the Eccles includes "Les Misérables" and the Utah debuts of "Moulin Rouge!" and "Ain't Too Proud."
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A selection of prominent Utah writers from the Utah@125 project—a collection of 125-word essays and poems to celebrate Utah—will present eight simultaneous readings (plus a ninth virtual reading) at independent book stores around the state on Saturday, April 30, 2022 (Independent Bookstore Day, duh). The event is (we think) the first-ever simultaneous series of readings at multiple bookstores across the state. Among the readers will be former Utah poet laureates, national award-winning slam poets, prominent Utah journalists (including Salt Lake magazine’s editor Jeremy Pugh), award-winning fiction writers, poets, and essayists.
More than 45 writers, five or more in each location, will read their 125-word pieces at seven Utah bookstores at 3 p.m. The readings will take place on Saturday, April 30 in Logan, Ogden, Salt Lake City, Sandy, and Provo bookstores. Plus: There will be a virtual Zoom reading (link here) at 3 p.m. hosted by Torrey House Press, and an additional Salt Lake City reading at 5 p.m. at Weller Book Works.
“The cool thing about these readings is the idea of Utah stories being told by writers across the state—at the same time,” said Anne Holman, co-owner of The King’s English Bookshop, who partnered with the Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement to schedule the events. “I can’t think of a better way to represent the diversity of Utah’s literary voices, as well as the strength of our bookstores.”
All of the Utah@125 readings—commissioned as part of the state’s Thrive125 celebration—are free.
PARTICIPATING INDEPENDENT BOOK STORES:
- 3 p.m. — Logan’s The Book Table, 29 S. Main St.
Writers: Shawn Bliss, Ben Gunsberg, Kimberly Ence, Willy Palomo and Chadd VanZanten - 3 p.m. — Ogden’s Queen Bee Giftery, 270 25th St.
Writers: Tyler Chadwick, Jayrod Garrett, Michael Gross, Joel Long and Sydney Salter - 3 p.m. — Salt Lake City’s Ken Sanders Rare Books at The Leo, 209 E. 500 South
Writers: Rob Carney, Stephen Dark, Lance Larsen, Jeremy Pugh and Kathryn Knight Sonntag - 3 p.m. — Salt Lake City’s The King’s English Bookshop, 1511 S. 1500 East
Writers: Bill Dunford, Dawn Houghton, Lynn Kilpatrick, Elaine Jarvik, Julie Jensen and Kimberly Johnson - 3 p.m. — Sandy’s The Printed Garden, 9445 S. Union Square, Ste. A
Writers: Karin Anderson, Jai Bashir, Lisa Bickmore, Reb Cuevas and Lindsay Eagar - 3 p.m. — Park City’s Dolly’s Bookstore, 510 Main St.
Writers: Lee Benson, Phyllis Barber, Lyn McCarter and Teri Orr - 3 p.m. — Provo’s Pioneer Book, 450 W. Center St.
James Goldberg, Julie Nichols, Tiana Smith, Tim Slover, Larkin Weyand and Maleah Day Warner - 5 p.m. — Salt Lake City’s Weller Book Works, 607 Trolley Square
Writers: Lisa Carricaburu, Amy Donaldson, David Pace, Rosie Gochnour Serago, Sylvia Torti, RJ Walker and Bryan Young - Virtual event at 3 p.m. — On Zoom, hosted by Torrey House Press
Writers: Marilyn Abildskov, Danielle Beazer Dubrasky, Taylor Fang, Todd Robert Peterson, Erica Soon Olsen, Natasha Saje, and Brooke Williams
From his dad's hotel in Idaho to big names in Utah, Bruce Fery has spent his whole career in the hotel scene. Meet the man behind Salt Lake's landmark hotel.
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No Utahns were harmed in the writing of this article. The Beehive State's film resumé boasts both John Ford’s iconic Westerns and campy cult horror flicks. Here are our 10…
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Whether seriously scary, laughably campy, or just plain cringey, many horror movies and splatter flicks are filmed in Utah.
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While 2021 saw a small rebound from an abysmal 2020, growth in Utah's film industry has leveled off over the last 15 years. Could it be time for a second…
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Andrew Garfield stars in new FX/Hulu series adapting Jon Krakauer’s ‘Under The Banner Of Heaven’
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Preaching Evil: A Wife on the Run with Warren Jeffs is the latest documentary to tell the story of Warren Jeffs, the now-imprisoned leader of the Fundamental Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), an off-shoot of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (widely recognized as the Mormon Church) that still practices polygamy. The mainstream LDS Church officially gave up polygamy in 1890, then actually gave it up in 1904. Peacock’s Preaching Evil uses audio recordings of Jeffs, photos and interviews to tell the story of his rise and fall from power. What sets it apart from previous documentaries are new interviews from some of Jeffs’ former wives and children, including his once-favorite wife and personal scribe, Naomie Jessop. Jessop proves to be a vexing figure, neither wholly sympathetic nor wholly villainous.
Jessop has never given such an interview before Preaching Evil, and she has the unique perspective of having been with Jeffs while he was on the run from law enforcement. Between 2004 and 2006, multiple charges were brought against Jeffs, including child sex abuse and rape as an accomplice, and he made the FBI’s Most Wanted list. While he criss-crossed the country evading arrest, Jessop traveled with him and continued her duties as Jeffs’ scribe.
While on the run, Jeffs visited 48 states and went on trips to the Grand Canyon, St. Louis Arch and New Orleans. But Jessop maintains in Preaching Evil that this wasn’t a vacation for her or Jeffs and that he believed he was being guided by the hand of God the entire time. Jessop shares some insight into what it was like wearing mainstream fashion and clothing for the first time in her life, but she insists that she never doubted, during this time, that Jeffs was anything other than what he said he was: a prophet of God being unduly persecuted by the outside world, which all of his followers had been taught to fear.
One of the few times Jessop discusses pushing back against something Jeffs’ commanded is when he showed her pornographic videos. Pornography was abhorrent to her, despite having observed and recorded, as his scribe, Jeffs’ “heavenly sessions,” which included sexual acts with multiple wives at once and the sexual abuse of underage girls, inlcuding 12-year-old Merriane Jessop, who Naomie Jessop claims was like a daughter to her. “I just push those things to the back of my mind,” says Naomie in Preaching Evil, something she continues to do even after Jeffs excommunicated her from the FLDS church. She now identifies as a mainstream Mormon, according to the docuseries. Preaching Evil allows the viewer to decide for themselves if Naomie is another indoctrinated victim, an accomplice in horrific crimes or both.
They need to be 100% exposed for what they are. I don’t think there can be too much truth out there.
Wendell Jeffson
Other participants in the documentary include Vicki Thompson, another one of Warren Jeffs’ former wives, and her two children by Warren, Wendell and Sarah, as well as members of Texas and Arizona law enforcement and Nate Carlisle, former reporter for the Salt Lake Tribune. The latter are much less generous toward Jeffs and Naomie herself, some going as far to question why she isn’t in jail.
Vicki’s son Wendell spoke with Salt Lake magazine and categorically disavows his father and condemns his actions. In the documentary, he shares the story of being separated from his mother at least twice on Warren Jeffs’ command and once by law enforcement, throughout his life. “I think it took a while for me to get the courage to share those things,” says Wendell about his participation in the documentary. “The thing that drove me to have that kind of vulnerability was that I have family members still in those situations being controlled by Jeffs. Me being vulnerable could be the voice people need to hear to start changing their own lives,” he says.
Wendell’s mother and sister are all out of the FLDS as well, and he feels pity for his family members that refuse to leave. “I don’t blame them,” he says, but he’s frustrated that they still choose to believe, even after everything that’s been revealed about Warren Jeffs. As such, he says he appreciates the amount of attention the FLDS and Jeffs have received in recent documentaries and other media, saying, “They need to be 100% exposed for what they are. I don’t think there can be too much truth out there.” He hopes the stories of people like him, who have broken free of FLDS, will inspire others to leave abusive relationships and communities and make their own way. Wendell also plans to write a book about his experiences.
I’m moving away from the Jeffs name and agenda. I no longer want that association. I’m blazing my own path.
Wendell Jeffson
Now independent, going to school and no longer under the control of the FLDS, Wendell decided to change his last name from Jeffs to Jeffson. “I wanted to make that statement for myself,” he says. “That I’m moving away from the Jeffs name and agenda. I no longer want that association. I’m blazing my own path.” He’s blazing his own path when it comes to faith as well. “It took me a few years to sort that out. I think I can have a relationship with a greater being without another human being in between us,” says Wendell. “I think that I have the independence and ability to do that for myself, and I don’t need anyone else to control that or manipulate that. Unfortunately, a lot of people are misled, because they rely on another human being to control their relationship with God.”
The freedom found by Wendell and the other participants who have, by one way or another, left the FLDS, gives the docuseries its bittersweet conclusion to the story of Warren Jeffs’ rise and fall as told by those who were once closest to him. “I am so grateful to be where I am, to have the opportunity and freedom to control my own destiny,” says Wendell Jeffson.
Preaching Evil: A Wife on the Run with Warren Jeffs is a 4-episode docuseries that premieres Tuesday, April 26, 2022 on Peacock.
Official synopsis:
PREACHING EVIL: A WIFE ON THE RUN WITH WARREN JEFFS, an eye-opening docuseries that tells the story of polygamist cult leader Warren Jeffs through the lens of his favorite wife Naomie Jessop, will premiere on Peacock on April 26. The 4-episode series gives a unique perspective into one of the most notorious cults featuring an exclusive interview with Jessop, who was Jeffs’ personal scribe and was by his side for every step of his dramatic rise to power and his fall from grace. The series features interviews with Jeffs’ former wife Vicki Thompson and their children Wendell and Sarah, members of law enforcement who were instrumental in the raid on the Zion Ranch and the lawyers involved in Jeffs’ sentencing.
Salt Lake magazine has also covered FLDS documentary KEEP SWEET and Netflix’s Murder Among the Mormons and spoke with a journalist who covered Mark Hofmann’s 1985 Salt Lake City bombings.
