Page 230 • Salt Lake Magazine

Feb 18

Jim Brewer Head of School, The McGillis School

By Mary Brown Malouf Community

How are Utah schools faring in the constantly changing world of modern education? This new world includes school violence, more pupils than most other states (we still have the largest households in the country), multicultural classrooms and very little money.

Jim Brewer looks young, but has worked in schools all over the country. “I’ve worked in rural and urban schools in five different states,” he says. “I was looking for the best experience for me and for my kids.”

He believes he found that at The McGillis School, a brick building that could be the setting for any ’50s film about a classic American elementary school. Our Miss Brooks would be right at home in the book-lined room where we’re talking. But according to Brewer, McGillis is built on a very different foundation from the basic 3Rs curriculum of that too-idealized time.

“A school is a culture,” he says. “We start with values and base our curriculum on building good human beings.” McGillis is non-profit, funded by that anxiety-inducing word “development” as well as tuition. But, Brewer says, “The big question is, what is our why? How are we intending to shape the school according to our mission? Our board has a visionary position as well as fiduciary responsibility.”

Unlike public schools, he says, McGillis doesn’t have much of a problem with teacher attrition; he attributes that to the teacher-pupil ratio of around 9 to 1. A class of 20–24 students has two teachers. Those are pretty luxurious numbers for someone who loves to teach and McGillis tries to allow its teachers to flourish.

“We know every kid,” says Brewer, “and we have an inclusion and diversity committee.”

Although the student population is primarily white upper middle-class, Brewer says “Diversity makes any organization stronger—22 to 25 percent of our students are students of color, 14 percent are Jewish (McGillis was founded as a Jewish school and still gathers for Shabbat on Fridays). Students come from all over the valley and 25 percent receive some kind of assistance.

“Society’s ills exist everywhere,” says Brewer, although it’s hard to believe in this sun-filled room with windows looking out on leafy trees. McGillis has a full time school psychologist to deal with student problems. McGillis’ philosophy allows experiments, like integrated studies, where English, science and history are taught together. Children have regularly scheduled hikes and outdoor education programs. “We want to be a light,” says Brewer. “Let us be a way to show how it can work.”

Feb 17

Love0

Can you fix it? The Bicycle Collective

By Jen Hill Community

Yes, you most certainly can. Getting around the city on two wheels is a healthy choice that goes beyond fitness. Taking your bike instead of a fossil-fueled vehicle helps to reduce greenhouse emissions such as CO₂ which right along with deforestation, is one of the leading contributors to global warming. For those who are already taking bikes or ready to take the next step to bicycle commuting, just a little south of town, on West Temple, The Bicycle Collective is definitely a resource you should be aware of if you aren’t already.

The Bicycle Collective: Tell me more…

Not only can you repair a bike or purchase a used bike at the Collective, as a non-profit, they supply hundreds of bikes to adults and kids in need each year and teach free repair classes.

2312 S. West Temple. SLC
801-FAT-BIKE (328-2453)

My bicycle is a road bike, which has very thin high-pressure tires. Versus a mountain bike with thicker more sturdy tires makes them much more susceptible to damage and requires frequent maintenance. The advantage of road bikes is that they are lightweight and clip along at a nice speed on smooth bike paths and roads.

Having the confidence and the equipment to repair bike tires has been an ongoing dilemma, and when they act up, often run over to a local bike shop and have them do the work. Last Saturday evening, headed out to meet friends and within minutes, noticed that something was up with my front tire. On closer inspection, the wheel was bulging out—not good—having one blow up before, which is not only dangerous but incredibly loud.

Before retreating back home on foot, realized that I was only a short distance away from the Bicycle Collective. And within minutes, my bike was up on a repair stand with a table of tools at the ready. With the help of a staff member Cole, he diagnosed the issue (a bum wheel) and gave me the needed replacement, tools and taught by demonstration, placing the actual hands-on work back in my court.

Wow!! With slightly blackened hands from stretching the new tire onto the wheel hub, I left the Bicycle Collective with not only a workable bike, like a right of passage, felt empowered with my tire-repair knowledge and was on my merry way.

Need another excuse to get riding? Our weather is perfect, the new Parley’s Trail is dope and smiles come to bicyclists a lot more than you’ll ever get inside a vehicle. So, attach on some reflector lights (most needed at dusk), wear your flipping helmet and get out there.

To read more SLC community-related posts like these, visit here.

Feb 12

Love0

Trail-running-Bonneville-Shoreline-Trail-8305_Large-scaled-e1581457186921

Salt Lake City Council Reviewing Foothills Trail System Master Plan

By Tony Gill Adventures, Outdoors

The Salt Lake City Council is reviewing an updated master plan for the Foothills Trail System. The Mayor’s Administration spent nearly two years gathering public input between 2016 and 2018, which was used to guide plan development. If approved, the master plan will provide a development outline including layouts and timelines for the next ten years. The Council is currently accepting comments on the master plan, and will be holding a public hearing on Tuesday, February 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the City and County Building. If you want your priorities to be considered during the process for determining the future of this area, it’s time to speak or forever hold your peace.

This effort represents the first master plan for the Foothills Natural Area, which covers the area between Salt Lake City’s northern boundary and Emigration Canyon. Due to an ongoing recreation boom and steadily rising user demand, the current trail system faces increased pressure that isn’t sustainable into the future. Resource management, trail maintenance and user conflict issues are especially acute during the spring and fall as snowbound higher elevation trails force users from disparate trail systems into a single area.

The Foothills Trail System currently contains 41 miles of existing trails, to which the master plan aims to add 65 miles of new trails. These new trails would include a mixture of multi-directional and one-way trails in addition to multi-use and dedicated single-use trails. Providing designated trails for specific user groups has historically helped reduce the user conflict and maintenance issues that often threaten access and development. Additionally, the plan would provide for a growing network of improved trailheads, information kiosks and wayfinding signage at trail intersections. Currently, the dearth of this basic infrastructure in the Foothills Trail System can’t meet the needs of a growing user base, and doesn’t meet the standard set by comparable trail systems in other places.

Master planning may not sound like the most exciting process, but it’s an essential starting point to creating a sustainable trail system. Substantial time and resources are committed to trail system development, so it’s crucial to get things right with a holistic vision. Take a look at the complete details of the Foothills Trail System Master Plan here, and click here to submit your comments to the Salt Lake City Council and for further information about the Council’s public hearing next week.

See all our outdoors coverage here.

Feb 12

Love0

‘Singing to the Brine Shrimp’ is a Local Love Letter (With Puppets!)

By Josh Petersen Arts & Culture

In the Great Salt Lake, brine shrimp are tiny but mighty parts of the ecosystem. At just under a half-inch long, brine shrimp manage to thrive in the inhospitable Salt Lake waters, eating microscopic algae and acting as a food source for millions of birds.

Singing to the Brine Shrimp

Plan-B Theatre Company

Feb. 13-23, with a preview on Feb. 12

Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Tickets and info here.

In the new play Singing to the Brine Shrimp, these small creatures serve an important role in a new ecosystem — the competitive, egotistical world of theatre. This idiosyncratic comedy, written by local playwright and Weber State theater professor Jenny Kokai, turns brine shrimp into a sort of Greek chorus, played by an ensemble of actors with hand puppets. Oh, and there are musical numbers.

Allison (Latoya Cameron) is a playwright from Utah who might have gotten her big break. One of her plays will be produced in New York, but Allison is feeling increasingly uneasy. The actors are difficult, she misses her wife, and she feels lost away from home. As the brine shrimp (helpfully?) sing, “You’re thousands of miles from all you know/ So who the heck will you be?”

The play is a perfect fit for Plan B, a company that produces works from local playwrights. Singing to the Brine Shrimp is not just from Utah’s art scene — it’s about Utah’s art scene. A celebration of creative expression, this play will be relatable to anyone who has been torn between the comforts of home and the pull of new opportunities.

The United States of Utah

By Mary Brown Malouf Eat & Drink

Restaurant chains have yet obliterated regional cuisine—every state in the country still prides itself on certain foods that define its culture. Our super-mobile society means we have a lot of displaced people craving a taste of home so regional food has spread across the nation. Here we take a look—a taste, really—of some foods that used to be far away and are now right here in Utah. Of course, we took a little license where we had to.

Maine
The great State O’ Maine has always been famous for lobstah rolls—vertically split and buttered rolls crammed with fresh lobster meat. Years ago, Freshies opened, flying in the ornery crustaceans and bringing lobster rolls to Utah. Now Freshies has a location in Salt Lake City as well and, by the way, Freshies was voted Best Lobster Roll in the country in TKTK. Just sayin’, Maine. 356 E 900 South, SLC, 801-829-1032

Georgia
Georgia is “the peach state” and besides eating one straight from the tree still warm from the southern sun, there’s not better way to eat a peach than in a pie. Utah, of course, has its own famous peaches—Brigham City started celebrating Peach Days in 1904—and Tradition puts them in a pie to die for. Only in season, and only until they run out. 501 E 900 South, SLC, 385-202-7167

Maryland
The Chesapeake Bay is home to the beautiful swimmers, blue crabs, and crab cakes are on most Maryland menus. The best in the universe are at Faidley’s in Baltimore’s Lexington Market. Where you stand and eat them at a long bar. Here we have a white tablecloth version at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. There are a few more breadcrumbs in these, but they are still mostly lumps of crabmeat held together by a crust and fried. 275 S W Temple, SLC, 801-363-2000

Texas
Texas is famous for chili, barbecue and Tex-Mex, none of which are reproducible outside the state’s wide borders. Texans love to talk, by which we mean argue, about chili ad nauseam. To get a taste of the controversy, read Bowl of Red. The main feature of Texas chili is the absence of beans and the best approximation we’ve had here is the elk and pork chili at Liberty Tap House. 850 900 South, SLC, 801-441-2845

New Mexico
Green chilies from Hatch, New Mexico are now celebrated nationally—come fall, every specialty grocer in the land has a wire chile roaster out front. And green chile stew made with the peppers (Hatch or not) and chunks of pork is pure New Mexico. Eat it by itself with tortillas, put it over enchiladas or top it with an egg like they do at Maria’s Mexican Grill.
3336 S 2300 East, SLC, 801-883-9774

Arizona
Supposedly, the now ubiquitous chimichanga was invented by a guy named Woody Johnson when he impulsively dunked burritos into the deep fryer his El Nido restaurant in Phoenix. That was back in 1946 and now chimichangas are a staple like tacos and enchiladas. We like the ones at Chile-tepin, stuffed with your choice of beef, chicken or pork. 307 W 200 South, SLC, 801-883-9255

Mississippi
Fried pickles don’t sound like a good idea and yet…The story is they were invented in Arkansas, but the town that’s most associated with them is Vicksburg, Mississippi where the old riverfront restaurants used to serve them before your fried catfish. And many claim the best are still to be had in the old Southern town. Here, oddly, they’re a specialty at The Garden, one of the restaurants in Temple Square. 15 E. South Temple, SLC, 801-539-3170

Connecticut
White clam pizza is the food that dazzles Connecticut. As near as we can tell, we don’t have any in Utah. What we DO have is REPLACE 126 S. Regent St., SLC, 801-359-4011

Florida
It’s those little-bitty limes that make the pie so special—smaller, yellower, with more intense flavor and aromatics than the big green Persian limes, key limes are scarcer, too. A hurricane in 1924 wiped out Florida’s crop and though it’s rebounded some, another storm could do the same thing and we’ve been having hella hurricane seasons the last few years. Fortunately, some other places grow them, but our advice is, eat as much key lime pie now as you possibly can. Here, June Pie makes a good one, but this is also surprisingly easy to make at home. 133 N. Main, Heber, 435-503-6950

Idaho
Tater Tots were invented by potato farmers Nephi and Golden Griggs at the Ore-Ida labs in 1954 as a way to use the scraps left over from the making french fries. The machine that cut the potatoes into uniform slices also produced irregular scraps. For years, the scraps were fed to livestock, until another machine was invented to produce the tot. Most tots still come frozen from Ore-Ida but at least one place in Salt Lake makes their own: Chedda-Burger. And they’re excellent. The Gateway, 190 400 West, SLC

Oregon
Marionberries are pretty much an exclusively Oregonian thing—a cross between two kinds of blackberry, they were invented in Oregon and 90 percent are grown near Salem. So, we can’t really have marionberry pie here in Utah. BUT, we have our own terrific berry pie, one that mixes the berries right in the pie instead of on the plant. The Mountain Berry Pie in Veyo, Utah, at Veyo Pies is filled with blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. 24 S. Main St, Veyo, 435-574-2132

Pennsylvania

Philadelphians, Pennsylvanians and the world, have been debating who makes the best Philly cheese steak for decades. The contenders are Pat’s King of Steaks and Geno’s, both in South Philly, and to most of us, the question is moot. Cheesesteak, a sandwich made of very thin slices of frizzled beef topped with cheese (now usually Cheez Whiz and served on a hoagie roll, seems to us a very simple concoction to cause so much controversy. In Utah, you can get a good version at Moochie’s. But of course, it’s up for debate.

South Carolina
South Carolina Low Country is a culture unto itself; like Louisiana’s Cajun country or the
Pennsylvania Dutch area, the cuisine is different from the rest of the state’s. The kitchen signature is shrimp and grits, known for years as “breakfast shrimp.” Creamy, nubbly sweet corn grits with firm sweet shellfish the combination is a natural and is also a natural canvas for adventurous chefs who add everything from bacon to chiles to change up the basic. Copper Kitchen’s version uses Anson mills grits, and adds a flourish of candied bacon and a poached egg. 4640 S. 2300 East #102, Holladay, 385-237-3159

Tennessee The origin of Nashville’s famous hot chicken sandwich is debated, well, hotly—it’s as hard a tug-of-war as that between Geno and Pat (see Philly steak.)but whether you’re a Hattie-B’s loyalist or regard Prince’s as the King of Hot chicken, the sandos are similar—chicken fried in a very (very) spicy batter, served on a bun with pickles, slaw and sauce. In Salt Lake City, former fine dining star Viet Pham worked years to perfect his version at Pretty Bird and the lines attest to its popularity. 146 Regent St, SLC, no phone

Vermont
Cheese, like wine, is dependent on terroir. The grass the cow eats directly affects the milk and that’s what cheese is made from. So Vermont cheddar, with its sharp, almost bitter bite, is unique to Vermont. But cheddar, a hard, smooth cow’s milk cheese (named after Cheddar, England) can be made lots of places and Utah is one. Beehive Cheese specializes in cheddar cheese, especially ones with a custom rub, like Barely Buzzed, with its coffee-lavender coating and Seahive with sea salt and honey. 2440 E 6600 South #8, Uintah, 801-476-0900

Wisconsin
They’re supposed to squeak—it’s an indication of freshness. Cheese curds, the bits of cheese that form from the curdled milk, before they’re pressed into a wheel, are a favorite snack in the dairy state, where once upon a time margarine was more expensive than butter. And it’s a fave here in Utah, too, a road food staple. Heber Valley curds come from the cows grazing around the dairy. The squeakiest. And they come infused with seasonings like garlic and hot pepper. 920 River Road, Heber, 435-654-0291

Alaska
Few foods are as dramatic looking—well, downright scary looking—as a king crab leg. They’re like the Wolverine of seafood—crab-eaters at places like Tracy’s Crab Shack in Juneau Alaska look almost savage as they tear apart the bright red shells. Meyer lemon hollandaise and brioche toast make these broiled legs split down the middle and broiled tame the ones at Current Fish and Oyster and make them a standout, one that requires fewer napkins. 279 E 300 South, SLC, 801-326-3474

Missouri
You can’t get Gooey Butter Cake here. But you’ll wish you could—it’s delicious. And you can make one. Find a recipe at saltlakemagazine.com

New York
It’s the water. We know that. New York water is the reason there can be no bagel equal to the ones in the City. Given that, we should all just give up. But we have damn good water here in Utah and while bagels made here may not be worthy of New York-bred palates, the bagels at The Bagel Project are great Utah bagels. 779 S. 500 East, SLC, 801-906-0698

Rhode Island
Rhode Islanders love coffee milk—coffee-flavored syrup mixed in milk, but despite all the sweet beverage and coffee shops in Utah, we can’t find coffee milk. It’s easy to make your own coffee syrup, though. Then just stir it into milk, cold or hot. Here’s the recipe at saltlakemagazine.com

Illinois
Utah seems to be woefully bereft of authentic or even reminiscent dishes from the Land o’ Lincoln. No deep dish pizza (like a bread dough pie crust filled with tomato sauce), no Chicago dogs with that glow-in-the-dark green relish. What we DO have is J. Dawgs, a hot dog place with a Jesuitically strict menu: Hot dogs, period. Choice of five toppings, period. Mr. Dawg wants you to relish (pun intended) the pure taste of a tube steak. J. Dawg’s, 341 S. Main St., SLC, 801-373-DAWG (Other locations; go to jdawgs.com)

Alabama
Alabama food is southern food so frankly, we’re picking from a Dixie grab-bag and saying fried green tomatoes are Alabaman. (Please correct us if we’re wrong.) The trick to fried green tomatoes is the cornmeal in the crust—that’s what gives them the crunch that makes the dish worth it. Here in Salt Lake City, Tradition’s tomatoes travel outside the South with a chili jam, chipotle aioli and cilantro and a crunch that’s as loud as the best we’ve had.
501 E 900 South, SLC, 385) 202-7167

North Carolina
There’s a line down the middle of the south—on the western side, barbecue means beef, on the eastern side, it means pork. Long and slow-cooked pulled pork, served with a thin vinegary mustardy sauce. Here in Salt Lake, Pat’s does the pork, although like most BBQ joints here, the kitchen also does beef, ribs and even chicken.

Kentucky
You can get a version of a Kentucky Hot Brown at Hub & Spoke, but the state is mostly known for the Mint Julep, drunk by thousands during the Kentucky Derby, but classically refreshing anytime it’s warm. (It’s winter? So turn up the heat.) It’s supposed to be served over crushed ice in a silver cup, but most people at the Derby drink it out of plastic. In Utah, it’s been refined at High West Saloon, which holds a Derby Day celebration every year, complete with hats, and makes the drink with their Rendezvous Rye. 703 Park Ave., Park City, 435-649-8300

California
Lots of great food comes from California but we pick avocado toast because it exemplifies the state’s insistent trendiness. Like many things Californian, avocado toast sounds silly and is trendy, but is actually an excellent idea. We like the version served at Publik Kitchen on Red Bicycle peasant bread 931 E 900 South, SLC, 385- 229-4205

Massachusetts
It’s not a pie at all. But then, the Boston Tea Party wasn’t a tea party, either. But Boston cream pie was invented in Boston at the Parker House Hotel, the one that’s famous for its dinner rolls. A split layer of butter cake filled with creamy custard and topped with chocolate, Boston Cream Pie is somewhat old-fashioned now—it’s hard to find on menus. But Rovali’s Ristorante Italiano, a family-owned Italian restaurant in Ogden, has a full-on bakery attached to it, run by the bakery- besotted daughter of the family, Andrea. And she makes Boston Cream Pie. Thank god. 174 25th St., Ogden, 801-394-1070

Delaware
Yes, Dolle’s salt water taffy started in Ocean City, Maryland. But it wasn’t long—1927—before an entrepreneur opened an outpost on another boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. There it’s become an institution and many consider it the best. Here, of course, you get salt water taffy from Taffy Town, family-owned for 100 years. 55 West 800 South, SLC, 801-355-4637

Minnesota
Cranberries grow in bogs. which are nonexistent in our desert state but plentiful in soggy Minnesota. But because of their vaunted health benefits, we all eat cranberries and not just at Thanksgiving anymore. Pig and A Jelly Jar uses dried cranberries in their house granola (along with toasted rolled oats, walnuts, coconut, strawberries and local milk or yogurt) even though crans are about as far from Southern food as you can get. 401 E. 900 South, SLC, 385-202-7366. Other locations: pigandajellyjar.com

Vermont
Of course, maple syrup. Even though the Vermont maid’s brand is mostly corn syrup. Well, most commercial “maple” syrup is only flavored corn syrup. You can’t mistake the real thing. (Hint: You don’t need to buy grade A; grade B is just as good, maybe better.) Rye improves on the original by adding just a smidge of whiskey. It makes the morning go down just a little easier. 239 500 East, SLC, 801-364-4655

Indiana
There’s actually a town in Indiana called Popcorn. So, although fried pork tenderloin sandwiches and sugar cream pie are statewide darlings, one of Indiana’s two top crops is corn and Orville Redenbacher himself was born in Indiana, we’re calling popcorn the state’s signature food. Here in Utah, although alfalfa is our main agri-crop, we make some popular popcorn, too. PopArt, in particular, with its way beyond butter and salt flavorings—rosemary & truffle, parmesan & white pepper, Thai coconut curry—makes our mouths water. For sale in most groceries. Popartsnacks.com

Louisiana
In New Orleans, at Morning Call or Cafe du Monde, beignets are rushed out from the kitchen fryer, hot and covered with so much powdered sugar that a shower on your shirt, beard, mouth is inevitable. No place in Utah that we know of reproduces this experience. But beignets are basically pieces of dough that puff when they’re fried. Yes, like what Utahns call scones. So if you go to Mom’s in Salina, pack your own sugar shaker and forego the ersatz honey butter, you get close to a beignet. That’s the best we can do. 10 E Main St, Salina, 435-529-3921

Montana
Where the buffalo roam, bison is a favorite on the menu. That means Montana and Utah, too. Chef Dave Jones at Log Haven has a way with the big beast and if you want to cook your own, The Store sells it alongside beef. 6451 Millcreek Canyon Rd., 801-272-8255

West Virginia
A chain of biscuit-based restaurants and a taste for biscuit sandwiches prove the point—West Virginians love great big biscuits. So do we and we get them at Woodland Biscuit Company in Woodland or at The Daily in downtown SLC. 222 Main St Suite 140, SLC, 385-322-1270; 2734 E State Hwy 35, Woodland, 435) 783-4202

North Dakota

When you look up North Dakota cuisine, you find mysteriously vague references to “hot dish.” Apparently, this refers to some kind of casserole. The closest Utah comes to a universal casserole is our famous funeral potatoes and you ought to know how to make them already. If not, here’s a recipe from a Bountiful cookbook: saltlakemagazine.com

Michigan
Michigan’s Northwest Lower Peninsula is the largest producer of tart cherries in the United States and cherry everything, especially pie, is typical Michiganders treat. But cherries also thrive in Utah and while no pies come especially to mind, Squatters new Grandeur Peak spiked sparkling water, flavored with Utah cherries, floats immediately to top of mind. 147 Broadway, SLC, 801- 363-2739

New Hampshire
Apple cider is New Hampshire’s official state beverage as of 2010. The state has dozens of cideries. Utah only has one, but Mountain West Cider is taking up more and more shelf space and the cidery itself is a treasured spot to sit and sip. Live free or die. 425 N 400 West, SLC, 801-935-4147

Oklahoma
Judging from living next door to the Sooner state for decades and from extensive online research, it’s safe to say that the favorite Oklahoma foods are fried—chicken, steak and slippery, slimy okra, which is really at its best fried, in a stiff, cornmeal-reinforced batter. Most places order it frozen and dunk it in the hot oil but R&R hand-breads the nasty little chunks, which come out sublime. 307 W 600 South, SLC, 801-364-0443

Virginia
Ham (country aged) and biscuits is a Virginia favorite, but to get something that simple on Sweet Lake Biscuit and Limeade (or any Utah breakfast menu, you’ll hve have to make like Jack Nicholson in Five Easy Pieces: “Hold the egg, hold the hollandaise, hold the tomato, hold the green onion, hold the garnish.” Just the ham and the biscuit. Better make it two biscuits. 54 W 1700 South, SLC, 801-953-1978

Iowa
Just to clear one thing up, an elephant’s eye is around ten feet from the ground; corn grows to an average of eight feet, but has been known to reach 30 feet. But no matter how high it is, most of it grows in Iowa, so obviously Iowans eat a lot of it. The sugar in corn starts converting as soon as you pick it, so it’s best to go from stalk to pot ASAP. But we’re not in Iowa. So corn here has to be doctored a little and we think it’s best as Mexican elotes, with queso fresco and chile molito, like it’s served at Alamexo Mexican Kitchen. 268 State St., SLC, 801-779-4747

Arkansas
Chocolate gravy. On biscuits. Yes, this is an Arkansas thing, although it’s served elsewhere in the South but no place we could find in Utah has it on the menu. If you want to try it at home, find a recipe at saltlakemagazine.com. And, um, let us know how that works out for you. saltlakemagazine.com.

Washington
Salmon is so emblematic of Washington it almost goes without saying, and salmon is the standard fish on restaurant menus. Who doesn’t love it? BUT, there’s salmon and salmon—farmed (ask how), Atlantic (ask what that means), silver, pink…At Harbor Seafood & Steak, they’re careful about salmon, where it comes from and how it’s caught. No need for questions. 2302 Parley’s Way, SLC, 801-466-9827

Hawaii
Salt Lakers seem to have an insatiable appetite for sushi so of course, when Hawaiian poke arrived on the scene, it was instantly craveable. Rice, raw fish and garnishes is poke at its simplest and that’s what you get at Moki’s Hawaiian Grill. 4836 S Redwood Rd, Taylorsville, 801-965-6654

Wyoming

Wyoming without question has some of the best trout fishing in America and without question the bestway to eat it a trout is fresh-caught and slapped in a pan. If you can’t do that—and most restaurants can’t —the next best thing is to smoke it. The smoked trout and Brie appetizer at Silver Fork Lodge could be a light meal and in the rustic setting you can pretend you got a bite. 11332 Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd, Brighton, 801- 533-9977

South Dakota
Indian fry bread is the official bread of SoDak. Controversial because it symbolizes the “Long Walk” of the 1800’s when Indians were relocated onto reservations and rationed American foods like flour, powdered milk and lard instead of native foodstuffs, it represents both oppression and native American ingenuity, and it’s made lots of places besides South Dakota. Utah has its own tradition of fry bread, given a contemporary twist at Black Sheep Cafe in Provo and served traditionally at Twin Rocks Cafe near Bluff. Black Sheep Cafe, 19 N University Ave, Provo, 801-607-2485 Twin Rocks Cafe, 913 East Navajo Twins Dr, Bluff, 435- 672-2341

Kansas
Another state famous for its BBQ, there’s been a long running tug of war between Kansas and Texas about the subject (BBQ seems to inspire dispute) with the great food writer Calvin Trillin trumpeting the virtues of Arthur Bryant’s in Kansas City. We’ll stay out of the fray and just recommend Sugar House Barbecue Company as a one-place-suits all solution. It’s all good, here. But we have to put in a word for the Greek potatoes, which aren’t relevant, really, but are remarkably delicious. 880 E 2100 South, SLC, 801- 463-4800

Ohio
You can’t find Cincinnati 3-way chili here, but perhaps dearer to the stomach of Ohioans is the candy called “Buckeyes” after the distinctive tree nut. Basically a chocolate-peanut butter confection that looks like a buckeye; for a Utah equivalent without the arboreal reference, go to Hatch Family Chocolates and get a hand-dipped peanut butter truffle. Close your eyes and you’ll think you’re in Ohio. So open them. 376 8th Ave., SLC, 801-532-4912

Nebraska
As near as we can tell, something called runzas are the food dearest to the heart of the Cornhuskers. They’re a kind of meat-filled pastry, maybe a little like a Cornish pasty. The closest we can come is a meat pie and Fillings & Emulsions makes those—Cuban-style, chicken, ropa viejo. In fact, on Meat Pie Mondays you get two for the price of one. 1475 Main St., SLC, 385-229-4228

Nevada
It’s a little pitiful, but also true. Our neighboring state doesn’t really have any signature foods. When you look it up, all you find is references to buffets. We have buffets in Utah, too. Just Google.

Feb 09

Love0

City Critters—Raccoons, better learn to love them.

By Jen Hill Adventures, Outdoors

In Salt Lake, while we love our domestic pet population and will go to any length to ensure their health, diet, entertainment and social scene are ideal. There are other woodland creatures, lurking in our backyard shadows, trees and sheds, who have made the city their home.

On any given night, through our neighborhoods are thousands of black-masked, stripy tailed bandits, we call raccoons. Its scientific name Procyon lotor, which points out its lesser relationship is to the dog (did you hear that, fido?) and its tendency to “wash” its food prior to eating (hey, that’s one up on you too). During the cold months, unlike other animals like bears, hedgehogs, snakes and bumblebees—raccoons do not hibernate—so they’ll be wandering around, searching out for neighborhood snacks all year round.

To deter raccoons from hitting your trash can, try adding some spice. Apparently, garlic, cayenne or black pepper will do the trick.

While raccoons are prolific and can take residence in places that may be a nuisance to both homeowners and sanitation engineers, being omnivores allows them to forage a variety of food sources, keeping many unwanted pests, including our rodent populations in check.

With the rise of homesteading, backyard compost piles and chicken coops, raccoons are naturally drawn to these. They do prey on living things and have been known to kill a hen, kitten or a full-grown cat. Raccoons will, of course, rummage through your trash containers, gardens and bird feeders. And, can you blame them? It’s like placing an all-you-can-eat buffet for them, and you keep the supply flowing. It is advisable to lock up your hens in the coop at night and gate-up any other garden or compost spaces for obvious reasons.

Urban raccoons like to make their homes in chimneys and attic spaces. And while raccoons are not protected by the law, in Utah you do not need a trapping or hunting license to kill them. However, you can’t process a nuisance raccoon for table meat or fish bait without one. While it seems there isn’t a huge demand for its meat at the present moment, perhaps trapping and releasing pesky raccoons, or hiring a professional to do so would be a better method for their removal.

Interested in Utah’s incredible and diverse wildlife? Our Outdoors section is the place to go to learn other fun facts about snakes, cougars, spiders and more…

Feb 07

Love0

YOU can help: koalas, kangaroos and coffee at Campos.

By Mary Brown Malouf Community

There are many disasters you personally can do nothing about. (Let’s not talk about Iowa.)

Others, every little bit helps and that’s where you come in. The fires in Australia have been a massive tragedy. For people, yes, but mostly for the continent’s wildlife, animals and birds that are found nowhere else on earth.

Campos Coffee, the Australian specialty coffee company that has made Salt Lake City its American headquarters, is hosting a love-fest for its fire-ravaged homeland: Rebuilding our Roots: To Australia with Love will be February 13, 6—9 p.m. at the downtown location on Edison Street.

Campos is so much more than a coffee bar—this gala night will feature hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, wine, beer, and live music. Special guests Utah Jazz player Joe Ingles and his wife, Renae, a gold medalist netballer and winner of the International Player of the Year Award, will be in attendance. A silent auction will feature exciting offerings including a trip to Australia, coffee brewing equipment, and gear signed by Utah Jazz team members, plus items include coffee brewing equipment, wine classes, whiskey tastings, Jazz tickets, and private chef-catered meals.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to WIRES (Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service, Inc.), an Australian non-profit that has provided wildlife rescue services for more than 30 years.

Our planet is under attack from all sides, but this specific event for a specific cause gives you the opportunity to help directly. Think of it as your valentine to the planet.

Purchase your tickets here

Feb 05

Love0

Valentine’s Day Gifts: You Can Keep Your Heart Shaped Junk

By Kaitlyn Christy Community

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, the last minute frenzy has begun. People are scurrying the streets looking for perfect gifts for their loved ones. Grocery stores all over the city are stocked with pink flower bouquets and heart shaped confections, boutiques are advertising lace intimates and restaurants are preparing for one of the busiest nights of the year. GOOD HEAVENS! I’m so sick of it!

Since when did love become something to capitalize on? And why do we feel the need to run around throwing away money on meaningless things such as unethically sourced chocolates or teddy bears made by underpaid sweatshop workers in China.

Here’s a (not so) crazy idea. Let’s use Valentine’s Day as a day to do good deeds in honor of our loved ones (or in honor of ourselves).

For the adventurer: Support the National Park Service and buy an annual parks pass. Not only does this give you a reason to visit parks and make memories, but the fee keeps the parks running. Don’t have time to hit the road? Donate to the NPS in honor of your adventurous loved one, or any of these local environmental groups:
For the animal lover: Want to help animals in need and bring a smile to your loved ones face? Adopt or foster a furry friend from Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends is hosting a Valentine’s Slumber Party on Thursday, February 13th. You can take home a dog, cat or kitten for a one night foster slumber party before their Valentine’s adoption promotion on Friday, February 14th. Not ready to take that step in your relationship? No sweat. Best Friends accepts loving donations.
For the foodie: 12% of Utahns don’t know where their next meal will come from. Instead of a dinner date, why not go on a grocery store date? Take your loved one out to the grocery store and fight hunger by purchasing and donating non-perishable food items to the Utah Food Bank.
For the artist: Support the arts and art educational programs by donating, volunteering or becoming a member at any of the local art museums such as:
For your Galentine: What better way to spend time with your galentine than spending it standing up for women? According to VIPP, one in three Utah women will experience some type of sexual assault in their lifetime and one in eight will be raped. Together we can reduce these statistics to nothing. Grab your gals, get passionate and volunteer together at any of these incredible women’s organizations:
For anyone: There are those of us less fortunate who deserve all the love we can offer. According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, there were almost 3,000 people experiencing homelessness in Utah in 2018. Organizations like the ones listed below need our help. So grab your loved one, pick a nonprofit and work together.

All in all, remember that Valentine’s Day is a day for giving love. Be sure to express your love through acts of kindness.

And if you want to stay traditional this Valentine’s Day, no problem. Just make sure you shop local and stay sustainable. Here are some of our recommendations:

ANIMALIA: They sell incredibly beautiful handmade jewelry, pottery, locally made cards, sustainable household items and they have a bulk refill dispensary!

Caputo’s: This is your one stop shop for chocolate. Caputo’s offers a wide variety of ethically sourced craft chocolates.

Native Flower Company: Support your local florist. Native Flower Company has a beautiful selection of flower bouquets.

Feb 04

Love0

Yalda, A Night of Forgiveness

By Michael Mejia Arts & Culture

The opening shot hovers over a major metropolis at night, illuminated by the evening traffic flowing along a network of freeways leading out to the suburbs. Dominating the foreground are the upper floors of the Milad Tower, one of the tallest in the world, a multi-use structure, sprouting from Tehran’s International Trade and Convention Center, housing a five-star hotel and supporting, at its top, the antenna of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, the state-owned media monopoly. The city, for most American viewers, has such overwhelming rhetorical power—as a metonym for Iran, for a republic governed by religious leaders, a repressive regime, a regional foe—that the name blinds us mostly to the physical reality and individual lives that actually embody it. This shot seems designed to break through that ignorance, as well as to frame what follows as a tale of modernity and media, media with a unified message, rooted in traditions that can address contemporary life and desires, but cannot be allowed to be modified by them. Not exactly.

A succession of shots pares back the traffic to a single police car, lights flashing. Maybe we think it’s heading for the scene of a crime. But it eventually pulls up in front of a television station, and three women in hijabs step out, one in handcuffs. The crime has already been committed by Maryam, a young woman convicted of murdering her husband during an argument over her pregnancy. As a temporary wife, she was not supposed to get pregnant. Though she still claims Zia’s death was an accident, Maryam is now sentenced to death by hanging, in accordance with the reigning law of an eye for an eye. Further, her family owes blood money to Zia’s family, namely his only daughter, Mona, a former friend who apparently has plans to head overseas for a life of luxury. Fortunately for Maryam, and for unknown reasons, her story was chosen to headline a live television show, The Joy of Forgiveness, which is about to start shooting upstairs. All she has to do is beg Mona’s forgiveness over the course of an hour and, if she’s successful, Mona will grant clemency, sparing Maryam the death penalty, while her blood money may be paid in part or in full by the show’s sponsors, depending on how many millions of viewers text in with votes of yay or nay. Maryam doesn’t have to beg the whole time, actually, as The Joy of Forgiveness is actually a variety show, so there will be musical performances and short documentaries to break up the time and the mood, which is necessary, since tonight is the winter solstice, Yalda, when Iranians gather with their families to celebrate and are likely looking for some lighter, more hopeful fare.

“I can say anything?” Maryam asks the show’s director as she arrives in the studio, suggesting not just trouble, an opportunity to reveal lurid details about Zia or Mona, or what she might consider new exculpatory evidence in her favor, but also an element of power and self-determination. Having lost her child, she is resolved to die herself, and it seems she’s equally resolved to use this public opportunity to correct the spectacle that’s been made of her case, which positioned her as a heartless gold digger, and Mona, who stands to inherit the entirety of her father’s PR empire, as a grieving orphan.

But power, Maryam’s and Mona’s, is more limited than it seems. The show is about forgiveness, after all, and there is substantial pressure applied to both women—mostly by men, with a quiet authority that belies their unquestionable cultural and social dominance—to conform to that goal, regardless of the leeway the women are given to express themselves by the seeming unpredictability of live television, and regardless of the case that has preceded the show with all its evidence and arguments. To some extent, then, the human drama between Maryam and Mona is secondary to the larger picture of social control exerted by the show, its medium, its related institutions (namely the legal system), and the underlying ideological forces that create these conditions. If the film feels too orchestrated at times, particularly in its latter third, what might be seen as narrative manipulation elsewhere proves itself to be somewhat futile or moot with respect to the patriarchal power the film is set to critique. Regardless, even on its surface, Yalda is a fast-paced and well-acted drama that remains tense even to its long, final shot.

Feb 04

Love0

Slamdance 2020: Tahara

By Jaime Winston Arts & Culture

The Jewish tradition of tahara, washing/cleansing a body before burial, purifies the body and, like a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on grime, washes away hangups regarding social status. Of course, for the living, status is still a big deal, especially if you’re a teenager.

In Tahara, former Hebrew school classmates gather in a “teen talk-back” session to examine grief through their faith after the funeral of another former classmate who committed suicide. Yet, status rules the day. Before the funeral, Hannah daydreams of impressing her crush. During the funeral, she gossips about attendees with her clearly uncomfortable bestie Carrie. After the service, Hannah continues talking smack/obsessing over Tristan and scoops out the insides of her bagel to avoid the carbs. During the talk-back, we see that Hannah is not the only one concerned with herself. While some teens seem like they “have to be there,” others draw attention by becoming over emotional about a girl they barely knew or brown-nosing to the facilitator, a former Israeli soldier. During breaks from the talk-back, students are most honest with one another, and we learn who actually has interacted with Samantha and how they view her death. But, primarily, we see Hannah and Carrie’s relationship take a new path when Hannah asks Carrie to help her practice kissing and later attempts to use her faithful friend for her own benefit.

Tahara takes a look at popularity, faith, death, selfishness and lust through the eyes of teens. Stop motion scenes interspersed throughout the film help express those ideas.

Working with a poignant and savvy script, leads Rachel Sennott and Madeline Grey DeFreece are earning their chops. While the film isn’t perfect, and some situations feel less like they would actually play out in reality than others, it’s an interesting look at a friendship that morphs into something else. Themes in Tahara honestly could have played out in any setting where teens convene — Catholic school, a student club, summer camp — but it seems director Olivia Peace and/or screenwriter Jess Zeidman may know a few things about what it was like being a self-conscious Hebrew school grad.