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SLCEateryFeatured

Eli Larson Hays/SLC Eatery: 2021 Salt Lake Magazine Cocktail Contest

By After Dark, Dining Awards, Eat & Drink

Each year, we ask a selection of Utah’s best bartenders to use local spirits and local ingredients and hit us with their best shot (or shots). So last Sept. 12, bartenders bravely gathered on a Sunday morning after the Saturday night late shift to swizzle up some hair of the dog and present their entries into the 2021 Salt Lake magazine Cocktail Contest. They didn’t disappoint. Through Nov. 30, we invite you to drop in to their bars and try their creations (or mix them up yourself at home). Pick your favorites and click the image below to cast your vote.

The Alta Peruvian, the 2021 Salt Lake Magazine Cocktail Contest entry from SLC Eatery, includes a handmade syrup that took months to perfect.

How long behind the bar? Five years, depending on how you count 2020.

What’s your favorite after-shift drink? Nothing too fancy. I’m usually reaching for a cheap, clean lager—anything from a High Life or Pabst to a nice craft beer like SaltFire’s NZed Pilsner or TF’s Kellerbier.

What is the “star ingredient” of your CC entry? I carefully picked out each ingredient to shine in its own way, but I put a lot of time into hand making my almond and sesame orgeat syrup. I spent months perfecting it. 

What’s your favorite drink to make? Daiquiri. There are countless ways to make it, and they are almost all delicious. 

What’s a drink that makes you cringe? Long Island iced tea—there’s not even any tea in it, and none of the ingredients seemed to be picked with any intention. 

Best hangover cure? Ironically, probably a Long Island iced tea! But for me, it’s usually takeout brunch and a homemade spritz on the couch. 

Got a bar joke? I’ve been told by many tourists that Utah’s liquor laws read like a joke. 

Why do you love bar work? I love the creativity and the fast pace, and I love putting a drink in front of someone and seeing the look on their face when they are pleasantly surprised or intrigued by something they haven’t tried before.

What is a cocktail/spirit you used to hate but now you love? Why?  When I was first discovering cocktails, I had a few too many Negronis in one night and it made it hard for me to enjoy Campari. But after a trip to Italy, there was no way I couldn’t fall in love with that bitter red devil. Now I especially love it when it is simply topped off with soda. I think I had one yesterday at brunch, actually. 

Eli Larson Hayes, bartender at SLC Eatery, with his cocktail The Alta Peruvian
Eli Larson Hays/SLC Eatery; Photo by Austen Diamond

The Alta Peruvian

1½ oz Peruvian Pisco Logia
¼ oz Benedictine and Brandy Liqueur
½ oz Yuzu juice
¼ oz house-made almond and sesame orgeat syrup 
2 dashes of chocolate bitters

Shake and double strain into a Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with sesame gastrique and sesame seeds on the glass, candied squash and micro greens on a pick.

GearLegendsFeatured

Gear Legends: Stars of the Utah Outdoor Industry

By Adventures, Outdoors

Over the years, Utah has become an outdoor industry hub, acting as mission control while providing pristine backdrops that bring gear to life with the ultimate field test—from backcountry boots to climbing quickdraws. Hosting everyone from ski junkies in search of that powdery white stuff to cyclopaths hunting red rock playgrounds, it’s no wonder—though often a surprise—that our state has birthed some brag-worthy companies. 

We talked to four founders who’ve stuck around to watch their trailblazing ideas disrupt the industry. With dogged determination, they’ve busied themselves crafting snowboards with more pop, mountain bikes with more grit, pants that won’t ride up and packs that don’t sink down. They live by credos worth contemplating—whether it’s sticking to one’s roots, combating world poverty, cleaning up the planet or making gear affordable for amateurs, these founders have maintained course and refused to compromise their vision.

Cotopaxi
The Do-gooder

Creating the first venture capital-backed Benefit Corporation and Certified B Corp, Davis Smith not only admits there’s profit in this digitally-driven new age of activism but preaches that mission-based companies build trust and value. He says his (modest) raison d’etre is to change the face of capitalism. “Right now, it’s fashionable to fix things,” he says. “I hope it stays that way. We’re making money and we’re helping to alleviate poverty. It shows other companies what’s doable.

Read more about Cotopaxi.

Niche Snowboards
Getting On Board

Niche Snowboard founders Ana Van Pelt and Kirsten Kolter shared a grievance regarding the industry’s harmful environmental practices, describing the toxic resins and non-recyclable plastics that make up a typical board. They thought it ironic that, while celebrating the outdoor lifestyle, most snowboard companies seemed to care little for their impact on the planet.  “We knew our boarding community was made up of many like-minded people who were passionate about the environment and the outdoors,” says Van Pelt. The plan for Niche over a decade ago was simple: make boards that perform, look beautiful and love the planet.

Read more about Niche Snowboards.

Chris Washburn founded Fezzari Bicycles

Fezzari Bicycles
The Ride of a Lifetime 

In 2005, Chris Washburn went to work creating Fezzari Bicycles, a web-based company specializing in custom-designed, high-end bikes for both road and mountain riders. “We won’t enter a category unless we can make the best-in-class in a product,” Washburn says. “We knew we were going to be competing against behemoths, so we decided we’d offer really good products that make that elite, custom experience accessible to even the weekend warrior.”  

Read more about Fezzari Bicycles.

The team at KÜHL

KÜHL
KÜHL Runnings

while everyone wants in on KÜHL’s “technical sportswear”—high-performance casual clothing that moves effortlessly from ski runs to sales meetings—KÜHL remains purposely small-staffed, locally-run and committed to doing business with outdoor retailers over mega-companies. That it’s still independently owned and operated is due to one simple fact: it’s not for sale. But what else would you expect from a fiercely independent powderhound who found salvation on a pair of skis?

Read more about KÜHL.

Who’s missing from the outdoor industry? 

Researching outdoor companies both in and outside of Utah, we noticed it too—a glaring lack of representation where people of color are concerned. This is true not only in the boardrooms but also on the bike trails and among the boulders. Research shows people of color are far less likely to engage in nature-based activities thanks to a history that locked them out of national parks and structural deficits that keep many feeling out of place. Pushing back takes many forms, including Utah-based Backcountry.com’s new “Breaking Trail” program, a commitment to supporting organizations like Latino Outdoors and Native Women’s Wilderness that improve access and promote exposure to the outdoors for the underrepresented.

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Gear Legends: Niche Snowboards

By Adventures, Outdoors

Even though Kirsten Kolter and Ana Van Pelt met while working for a company to develop a new type of horse harness—Kolter in product development and Van Pelt in design—neither of them actually rode horses. They discovered, however, they both rode powder. 

“Snowboarding was our community,” Kolter says of their meeting 15 years ago. “There weren’t as many female boarders out there, so we became fast friends.” That chance meeting would forge not only a friendship but later a business partnership pioneering hand-crafted, environmentally-friendly, zero-waste snowboards bearing the name Niche

As a New York transplant who came out west a few years before attending the University of Utah, Kolter says she found solace on the slopes. For Van Pelt, who grew up in California and moved to Idaho as a teenager, she credits snowboarding with saving her life. 

“I was suffering from a severe eating disorder when I first strapped on a board and realized, ‘Whoa, I love this…I really love this,’” says Van Pelt. It struck her that great snowboarders were strong, athletic and took care of their bodies. “That motivation just changed me. I knew I needed to get healthy—and after a lot of hard work, I did.” 

After their first foray working together, an acquaintance looking to invest in a custom-graphics snowboard company asked the two women to sit in on the pitch. “We came out of that meeting and said to ourselves, ‘We could do this better. We both know the industry and each of us has a set of expertise it needs right now,” says Kolter. “More importantly, we felt we could bring something new to the table that existing board companies were overlooking.” 

That “something” was environmental responsibility. Both women shared a grievance regarding the industry’s harmful environmental practices, describing the toxic resins and non-recyclable plastics that make up a typical board. They thought it ironic that, while celebrating the outdoor lifestyle, most snowboard companies seemed to care little for their impact on the planet. 

Niche Snowboards founders Ana Van Pelt and Kirsten Kolter
Niche Snowboards founders Ana Van Pelt and Kirsten Kolter; Photo by Adam Finkle/Salt Lake magazine

“We knew our boarding community was made up of many like-minded people who were passionate about the environment and the outdoors,” says Van Pelt. “So why were big-name snowboard companies unapologetic about the war they waged on the environment and why was no one looking to do it differently?” 

They went back to the investor with their own proposal, and in 2010, Niche Snowboards was born. With help from Van Pelt’s husband Todd Robertson, creating zero-waste prototypes of an eco-friendly snowboard became “a real family affair,” says Van Pelt. They used recycled bases and sidewalls and edges. They replaced carbon fiber with basalt fiber, created sustainably sourced wood cores, applied bio-resins and used hemp composite instead of carbon fiber stringers for reinforcement, springiness and pop. The final touch was lacquer-free, beautiful graphics made from non-toxic, water-based inks and environmentally friendly printing methods. 

“Our initial aim was to ensure performance every bit as good as the competition without the waste and toxins,” says Van Pelt. “We weren’t expecting the alternative materials to actually feel superior and outperform—but that’s exactly what happened. They’re lighter, snappier and more durable than most traditionally-constructed decks.” She admits to skepticism, confusion and “more than a few side-eyes’’ from folks when Niche was starting out. The sustainability “trend,” as she calls it, wasn’t yet in full swing. Thankfully, their silent investor wasn’t among the skeptics. 

Eleven years later, Kolter and Van Pelt are thrilled at the success of Niche Snowboards. As the world’s first and only completely zero-waste snowboard company, it has gained serious traction, selling globally through a network of retailers from REI to backcountry.com to specialty boutique shops like Milosport, with a list of big-name riders like current Freeride World Tour athlete Erika Vikander. 

The plan for Niche over a decade ago was simple: make boards that perform, look beautiful and love the planet. Niche has never graced the Olympics or sponsored XGames, yet this Salt Lake City company has carved up the snowboarding industry by setting the standard and forcing even the giants to answer for—and improve—their practices. 

“Some of the response is, of course, greenwashing,” says Van Pelt, who adds that despite this, she sees it as a “win” any time a beneficial technology becomes trendy and inspires change.

“Ultimately, it’s a great thing. Even if it’s driven by money, it doesn’t matter where their heart is. If the demand for more transparency in manufacturing is there,” Van Pelt says, “we are making a difference.”

Gear Guide

Available at nichesnowboards.com

Minx

The super lightweight and poppy Minx is the perfect freestyle board for all-day sessions on and off the park. It floats well in powder, is soft enough to press, yet stable enough to hit jumps. Plus, the flat camber makes it virtually impossible for you to catch your edge. 

Fathom

Not bound by resort operating hours, the classic all-mountain shape of this splitboard works for any conditions and every rider. Plus, it’s the only zero-waste splitboard on Earth.

Maelstrom

Taking snowboarding back to its roots with traditional edge control and a tapered, directional, camber, this board features new-school twists like edge-tracing traction bumps and a hybrid directional camber profile. Cruise, carve, float and charge with ease. 


Read about other stars of Utah’s outdoor industry.

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Gear Legends: Fezzari Bicycles

By Adventures, Outdoors

Chris Washburn remembers a singular, clarifying moment that led to the birth of his company, Fezzari Bicycles. With degrees in both business and law from Brigham Young University, he seemed destined for corporate life, working in the newly-emerging electric bike industry with such giants as famed businessman Lee Iacocca and the U.S. military. But a decade into the drill, commuting to the east coast nearly every week, a niggling sense that life was passing him by crystallized as he boarded yet another plane. 

“I was missing every soccer game, dance recital, birthday—I was missing life,” the father of five children and husband to wife, Nancy, says. “I remember this one particular day—I was in turmoil, wondering what to do. At the moment my feet crossed that divide from the jetway into the airplane, it was like a light turned on and I knew I was crossing a threshold in my own life.” 

Washburn decided to quit his job, and in 2005, he went to work creating Fezzari Bicycles, a web-based company specializing in custom-designed, high-end bikes for both road and mountain riders. 

“I’ve always loved biking. I’m not a former Tour de France rider or anything. I just have a passion for it,” he says. “I’m a bike junkie, and I’m always looking for a high-quality setup.” But walking into a bike shop to explore custom bike options sometimes felt like sneaking into the country club. “There can often be an elitist mentality and a take-it-as-it-is attitude. Sometimes I was made to feel like I should be content with what was in the showroom.” 

“You don’t have to be a world-class runner to want a running shoe that fits. You can buy the nicest set of golf clubs but they don’t do you any good if they’re not the right size. So why is it that getting a bike built and fitted to your specifications seemed so outlandish—not to mention obscenely expensive?” 

Washburn set about hiring a team of designers, mechanics and engineers. He then secured partnerships with top-of-the-line component manufacturers, and they began building high-end bikes with dozens of customizable options. “We won’t enter a category unless we can make the best-in-class in a product,” Washburn says. “We knew we were going to be competing against behemoths, so we decided we’d offer really good products that make that elite, custom experience accessible to even the weekend warrior.” 

Chris Washburn founded Fezzari Bicycles
Chris Washburn founded Fezzari Bicycles; Photo by Adam Finkle/Salt Lake magazine

Fifteen years later, Utah’s biggest bike company still operates almost entirely online, but it does have a factory showroom in its brand new Lindon, Utah headquarters, allowing locals to test ride, get custom fittings and order a bike. 

Washburn says Fezzari’s direct-to-consumer online model allows its bike builders to fit bikes, including frames, handlebars, forks, stems and seatposts to each rider’s measurements. A deeper dive can even amount to custom components from gear ratios to derailleurs all for about 40% less than similarly-specced competitor models. As a result, they have received three Bike of the Year awards and currently have a six-month backorder. Critics have likened Fezzari bikes to “a machine gun in a knife fight” and eager customers seem content to wait months for that big box delivered to their doorstep. “People are willing to wait. They see the value in getting it just how they want it,” he says. 

Fezzari allows customers 30 days to test ride it and send it back for free if they’re not satisfied. “It was originally seen as a risky model, and what we’ve found is that the only way we can offer that guarantee is to be 100 percent confident in our product and believe customers will love it, too.” 

Washburn says jumping from the mundanity of corporate life to a creative venture came with many questions and few easy answers. “I wondered if I’d made a mistake because the whole point was to be able to spend more time with my family and enjoy my passions,” he says. In reality, he didn’t even get on his bike during his first year creating a bike company. 16 years later, however, life has settled into a rhythm of not just calls to suppliers and meetings with designers, but family dinners, graduations and daily canyon rides with Nancy on bikes that represent a passion built from the ground up.

Gear Guide

Available at fezzari.com

The Delano Peak

Fezzari’s newest premiere full carbon all-mountain/trail bike does it all, equally adept at climbing and descending. 

The Empire

When “Iron Cowboy” James Lawrence looked for the right bike to help him complete 100 full-distance triathlons in 100 consecutive days, he turned to this full carbon disc brake road bike. Named “Bike of the Year” by BikeRumor it’s light, fast and remarkably comfortable. 

The Wire Peak

With this high-performance pedal-assist e-bike, mountain bikers get a great workout while taking their adventures faster and farther. 


Read about other stars of Utah’s outdoor industry.

KuhlFeatured

Gear Legends: KÜHL

By Adventures, Outdoors

When a teenaged Kevin Boyle left his home in Pennsylvania to chase after Utah’s powdery slopes, he says he was reborn. “You gotta do what you love,” he says simply—and he did. Determined to ski 100 days that year even when his savings dried up, Boyle waited tables, sold ski hats in the Snowbird parking lot and sometimes even took shelter in a snow cave he’d dug with his ski buddies. 

Fast-forward almost four decades, and he’s still writing his own playbook—being outside as often as he can—although now residing in an actual house. When he’s not on the trails, he’s at KÜHL headquarters in Salt Lake City, bouncing ideas around with a handful of his 140 employees for shirts with additional vents, pants with smoother stretch, and warm jackets that feel like a second skin.

Boyle’s long-ago move out west for the daily snow-worship eventually drew his brother, Jay, to join him on the Snowbird slopes. There, they made fast friends with mountaineer Conrad Anker and fellow skier John “Alf” Engwall. When Engwall designed a Peruvian-style ski hat with a fleece lining, it caught the attention of the other three, and together, they began producing and selling the “Alf Hats” out of the trunk of Engwall’s car. They called their company Alfwear, and soon the multicolor, must-have ski hat of the 1980s dotted the powdery slopes of most Utah mountain resorts. 

After a tragic car accident that resulted in the death of Engwall, the three remaining partners eventually set out to pursue individual passions. Conrad Anker received sponsorship for his climbing endeavors, Jay Boyle moved to Phoenix to earn an MBA and Kevin Boyle bought the business, renaming it “KÜHL” (cool in German) and pursuing new designs while expanding the product line. Today, it is the second-largest privately-owned business in the outdoor industry, growing at 30% year over year with 500 different products this season alone.

Kevin Boyle, founder of KÜHL
Kevin Boyle, founder of KÜHL

And while everyone wants in on KÜHL’s “technical sportswear”—high-performance casual clothing that moves effortlessly from ski runs to sales meetings—KÜHL remains purposely small-staffed, locally-run and committed to doing business with outdoor retailers over mega-companies. That it’s still independently owned and operated is due to one simple fact: it’s not for sale. But what else would you expect from a fiercely independent powderhound who found salvation on a pair of skis?

KÜHL tends to capture like-minded customers who are obsessed with performance and have come to trust its inventive design features and super comfy fabrics with special weaves and stitching that can withstand repeated blows. The company’s employees—who live and breathe the outdoors as well—field-test everything so nothing is left to chance. 

“We have bikers, skiers, boarders, trail-runners. You name it. People that tend to work here seek balance and feel centered in the outdoors.” says Boyle, who has worked to make the headquarters homey by offering daily, chef-made meals for employees, ski passes for their use and an open-door policy for families and four-legged friends. “I owe the success of this company to a loyal, rainmaking team and I know we’re all happier and perform better when we have the space to pursue our passions.” 

Not only has Boyle rebuffed potential buyers, but major retail giants who wanted KÜHL in their store. “You don’t walk away from people who have supported you,” he says of the specialty retail shops and outdoor companies that once took a chance on him. He adds that working with businesses compatible with the culture of his company keeps the brand from getting watered down—and Boyle is obsessed with keeping the brand as authentic as its origins. 

“I want a life of quality, not quantity,” the founder says, adding that safeguarding KÜHL’s “born in the mountains” authenticity is akin to breathing. “Our team is all about doing the right thing the right way rather than just focusing on the bottom line. This company has deep roots, and I couldn’t watch it get watered down into something unrecognizable.”  

Gear Guide

Available at kuhl.com

Eskape Duffel Bag

Eskape Duffel Bag from KÜHL

While typical adventure-duffels are made to hold everything, most require a complete dump-out to find anything. The Eskape carries like a comfy padded backpack but features easy organizational features and stow-away shoulder straps for checked luggage. Made of durable, waterproof, TPU-laminated nylon fabric.

The One Jacket

The One Jacket from KÜHL

An enigma of seeming opposites, The One is lightweight, breathable, stretchy and features heat-releasing underarms while managing to keep out wind and water. Its synthetic insulation keeps you moving fast, feeling light and staying warm. In men’s and women’s sizes. 

Men’s Resistor Lite Chino

Men's Resistor Lite Chino from KÜHL

Designed to feel weightless with moisture-wicking fabric even on the hottest, most humid summer days, these pants move seamlessly between a trek to an alpine lake, kayaking through the wetlands or closing a deal in the boardroom. Timeless chino styling masks performance patterning, rebound and a tough-as-nails weave.


Read about other stars of Utah’s outdoor industry.

AbeSmithFeatured-1

Ogden’s Poet Laureate, Professor Abraham Smith

By Arts & Culture

The poet Abe Smith is an otherworldly and uncontainable presence.  He thinks the label “hick” suits him just fine. For Smith, hick is a term of endearment, motivated by rural slang; he embodies and relishes the designation, wearing it like well-loved overalls.

When you ask Smith a question, his body rocks back and forth as if to keep the words from crawling out of his throat all at once. His performances have been likened to a display of demonic possession, which you can understand once you’ve met him. The tremoring, vibrato of his delivery is motivated by his rural background. His poetry performances are percussive and unpretty, a dirty Pentecostal revival, paired with spouting and spitting.

Smith doesn’t skirt the tragedies of rural America. His poetry and music bare all, without beautification. He speaks plainly about parts of the country dying at record rates from opioids, meth and suicide, “It’s a rough time for rural America.” 

Raised between Wisconsin and Texas, Smith has a deep connection to the land of his youth, returning as often as he can to recharge the spirit. “Revisiting the sites of home and listening to the sounds and phrases of overheard conversations, then letting it ferment in my mind, percolate and then release in the kind of delirious way only poetry can do at some later day.” 

Smith describes writers as “sweetly haunted people.” Though he now has a deep community responsible for healing much of his past sorrow, there’s a lingering melancholy from the isolation he experienced in his youth, living in the country without many kids nearby. 

Poet Abraham Smith
Poet Abraham Smith; Photo by Adam Finkle/Salt Lake magazine

“All those feelings are places we often go back to, that place where trauma remains, writing from everly-afraid haunted places, bringing some pizazz to some older rusty times. A beautiful conundrum about life is that we’re alone, and we miss. Then we get into the hubbub of life; sometimes, we yearn for that older, pining, aching place.” 

Smith has an impressive gallery of accomplices to both his poetry and music. His most recent book, Destruction of Man, was edited by Chet Weise and published by Jack White’s Third Man Books. He sees Weise as an incredible poet and a musician, who Jack White used to open for, but, he states, that people don’t seem to like to talk about that any longer. One fateful night, Smith was invited to Third Man Records literary deathmatch and Weise was in the audience. The two would reunite at a Tuskaloosa party, reminisce and swap stories, eventually leading to a publication.

In the last few years, Smith has transposed his poetic skills to his other love, music, with his band, The Snarlin’ Yarns, alongside other musicians, several of whom are also Weber State professors. “Sure, there’s been ups and downs; a band is a family, creating a beautiful opportunity for empathy, listening and compromise. It’s been a great thing.” The band is getting ready to record their second album, heading back to Mississippi to Matt Patton’s (of the Drive-By Truckers) recording studio.

When Smith isn’t traveling back to his rural home or practicing with his band, one is likely to find him conducting a poetry class in a tree. His classes at Weber State University approach poetry from a place of play and irreverence. He’s always been someone to encourage poets, particularly his students, to get outside and “catch the poetry.” “We’d stare at the tree and write a poem as an attempt to remind us that poetry doesn’t have to always come from our wounds or joys. Now, our wounds and joys might infiltrate the tree and be a part of the poem they created, but it’s fun to get out and use your eye, taking what is and learning about your community.”

As Ogden’s poet laureate, Smith helps create a community for poets to share their work at Water Witch’s poetry nights in Salt Lake, where you can also see him perform.  


Destruction of Man by Abraham Smith (Third Man Books, 2018) available for purchase on Amazon. The Snarlin’ Yarns’ debut LP Break Your Heart is available in vinyl, CD and digital download on their website. Subscribe to Salt Lake magazine.

Negroni-1

The One and Negr-only

By Eat & Drink

Fall drinks don’t always have to be toddies and cider. Bartender Mckenzie Foster of Post Office Place shows us that gin pairs well with sweater weather. Using the basic Negroni as reference, Foster reimagines the classic cocktail with a peach aperitif and blanco vermouth. The two play well with Waterpocket’s robust gin without venturing into sweet territory. Foster adds a touch of Chinese Secret Bitters to evoke the flavor of fall, and the spicy undertones are well placed. The mixture is light yet surprisingly hardy and warm. It’s the perfect sipper during the transitional season.

Rinquinquin Negroni 

Cocktail by Mckenzie Foster

What’s Inside 

1.5 oz Waterpocket Gin 
.75 oz La Pivón Blanco Vermouth 
.75 oz Rinquinquin Peach Apertif 
Chinese Secret Bitters

Stir and Sip 

Place a large block of ice in a rocks glass and sprinkle it with bitters to your taste. Then, add the ingredients starting with the Vermouth and Rinquinquin. Once the gin joins the party, stir until all ingredients are blended. Garnish with a fresh lemon twist and enjoy. 

Bartender’s Choice 

Missing a few ingredients in your home bar? Swap out the Waterpocket Gin for something similarly delicate. Just be sure to avoid anything overly floral or peppered. 


Read more on bars and libations in Utah.

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Chop Shop: They’ve Got the Meats

By Eat & Drink

I’ve been a chef on the food side of things for a long time, so I always figured if something was messed up on the butchery side, I could cook my way out of it,” says John Courtney, owner of Chop Shop Park City. Those who haven’t spent the better part of two decades working in high-end restaurants alongside celebrity chefs, like Courtney has, aren’t so lucky. So Courtney opened Chop Shop Park City to lend a hand. 

To catch culinary lightning in a bottle, it helps to start with the best ingredients. Courtney goes to great lengths to source everything at Chop Shop Park City. “It’s a three-headed monster with the butchery, the cheese and charcuterie…I try to get things locally whenever possible. There are so many wonderful artisans producing great craft items in the area, and I love being able to get their product on the shelf,” Courtney says. 

John Courtney, owner of Chop Shop, butchering meat in his store
John Courtney, owner of Chop Shop; Photo by Adam Finkle/Salt Lake magazine

The lamb in the butcher shop always comes from suppliers based in Utah. The beef comes from Creekstone Farms in Kansas. While not in Utah, Creekstone is a highly regarded chef-forward supplier (and the supplier for the famous Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas). “It’s a wonderful facility,” Courtney says. “From a lot of farmers, you get commodity-level products because their animals are treated like food. Creekstone is different. I’ve eaten the grains the animals eat, touched the earth they walk on. They’re cared for, and that comes through in the end product.”

Courtney could wax poetic about the virtues of various high-quality meats all day, but he built Chop Shop Park City to be more than a butchery. “There’s an exciting trend with new blood coming to town with unique expressions and concepts for cuisine. We wanted to be part of that,” Courtney explains. To that end, the dine-in and carry-out options at Chop Shop include sandwiches made from craft ingredients and a Detroit-style, wood-fired pizza. Detroit pizza is typically cheddar-focused, but Courtney had the artisans at Gold Creek Farms in Kamas create a custom mozzarella with an altered hydration content for “a more exacting crunch.” Chop Shop doesn’t skimp on the details. 

John Courtney, owner of Chop Shop, in his store
John Courtney, owner of Chop Shop; Photo by Adam Finkle/Salt Lake magazine

“I couldn’t be more excited to bring this concept to Kimball Junction,” says Courtney. “For both locals and visitors, I think there’s a great energy around changing cuisine here.” Pick up some of the finest ingredients and cook your way out of them—Courtney is always happy to share some tips—or have the pros at Chop Shop take the guesswork out of it.

1177 Center Dr., 435-604-0244


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