A new food mecca?

Back in Salt Lake City again... Its great to be back in the Beehive State!

After leaving 5 years ago to attend Le Cordon Bleu in Las Vegas,  and working at some notable establishments, I have returned with a new insight on life and a new career path.

So like a busy bee returning to the hive, its time to see what all the buzz is about.  Las Vegas has a lot to offer for a rising chef... Endless choices in cuisine, great chefs celebrity and not, and all levels of food from a diner to Michelin rated restaurants... And most of them backed by multi billion dollar casinos and hotels.  Las Vegas has become a mecca for foodies and chefs alike.

Well, coming from an intense two year stint at Bradley Ogden, a 1 Michelin star restaurant, Salt Lake City does not have most of these opportunities and money to back up the venerable chef arriving fresh out of the big lights and pull of Sin city.  But come on!  Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics, its on the map of the world now.  So what is taking Utah so long to catch up with its more urban counterparts when it comes to noshing?

Truth is, in the time that I've been away from Utah, a revolution in food has taken over not only Utah, but America as a whole.  People have become cognizant of what is available during the year locally, more aware of the way their food has been grown, and are starting to realize that processed foods are detrimental to their health.  Its not just Julia Child on TV any more... you have a whole lineup of programs for foodies now.  Cookbook sales have picked up dramatically, and every chef is jumping on their horse carriage to get a cookbook out there now. 

I visited the Farmer's Market at Pioneer park last Saturday and was really awakened to how far things have progressed in Utah since I left.  People are becoming educated on not only the basics, they are buying heirloom vegetables and seeds, selecting handmade cheeses and meats all produced locally... and let me tell you, these products are phenomenal.  A lot of the local markets that sell these products have booths at the Farmer's Market, so they are available anytime.

So is Salt Lake City really behind the times?  I think not.  Utah is still a great place to live, based strongly in values and family and friends, with an incredibly eclectic and diversified culture.  

In the short time I have been back (about 2 weeks), I have seen a lot of new restaurants and met a few of the chefs who run them, and I can see it coming... I recently visited forage, a newly opened restaurant in an old renovated home with only 34 seats, serving up progressive New American dishes. I was fortunate enough to meet with Viet and Bowman, forage's chef/owners and spent a few nights watching them in the kitchen running their brainchild and I was quite impressed, implementing a lot of sous vide and other more innovative methods of cookery.  New American food has arrived in Salt Lake City, and its just a matter of time before it becomes commonplace in Utah.

The "economic downturn" has certainly had its hands in the progress of cuisine in Salt Lake City as restaurateurs have had to rely on tactics to get diners in the door, but even in the shadow of the downturn, there are new places and new concepts popping up in this beehive.

That is the buzz from a local back in the hive.

Mark M. Benson