Many of Utah’s top chefs will be cooking up a storm at this fundraiser – Gastronomic Salt Lake City

Second chance dance

August 26, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

First on your August agenda should be this fun food drive at the new Millcreek Commons. Why? The lineup of chefs on display is about as strong as it gets. Each of the restaurants represented will compete to win, hoping to gain approval from both the judges and the attendees. The chefs will each be tasked with creating a small plate of “rescued food.” The full list of names is as follows:

Edison House – Buzz Wiley
Finca – Phelix Gardner
Franklin Avenue – Matt Crandall
Great America – Fernando Soberanis and Tomas Olvera
Saffron Valley – Lavanya Mahate
Table X – Mike Blocher
Urban Hill – Nick Zocco (pictured above)

All proceeds will go to Waste Less Solutions, a local organization focused primarily on reducing food waste. They rescue edible food from commercial settings and deliver it to the food insecure. In addition to the small plates, there will be wine, beer, and NA options from Vive Juicery, all included in the price of admission, organizers tell me. There will also be a DJ and a silent auction at “The Grandview” near MC.

As if that wasn’t enough, I’ll be there as one of the judges; so if you’ve ever wanted a chance to voice your displeasure, or to make a sound (hopefully the latter) – this is your chance. Tickets are $85 until July 31st, going up to $100 after that. Get them online here.

August 9, 6:00 PM

Vegan Fine Wine Friday is the title for this event at Main Street Brewer. Local wineries will be pouring Vine Lore, alongside a menu filled with locally grown produce. The three-course menu is as follows:

• Cashew salad, spiral zucchini, pistachio, charred tomato, crispy sage
• Eggplant “parmesan” baked eggplant, Panko, vegan mozzarella, basil, tomato
  • Chapoutier Bila-Haut Red
• Peaches and cream, golden brown candied peaches, strawberries, vanilla mousse
  • Florensac Poisson PicPoul

The meal costs $25 for the food and $25 for the wine pairings.

The Cottonwood fine-dining goto has two events next month, one with local distiller Holystone and a second later in the month with DAUO Vineyards. Here’s info on both:

August 12, 6:00 PM

First of all, this five-course dinner combined with products from Holystone Distilling:

• Caputo’s burrito, golden raisin mustard, pressed grapes, brown butter radish, buttered brioche, Burgundy vinegar, herbs
• Banana miso roasted scarlet snapper, jasmine rice salad, tamari sauce with black beurre, peanut butter and banana XO, coriander
  • Cocktail: Holystone shochu, fresh strawberry juice cordial, St. Germaine, lemon
• Heirloom carrot, ras el hanout fermented carrot vinaigrette, carrot greens absinthe aromas chimichurri, candied walnut dukkah, chilled fennel fragrant yellowfin
  • Cocktail: absinthe mojito Holystone absinthe, sugar syrup, mint, lime, topo chico
• Apple brandy, pork ribeye, apple cider labneh, poached pork apple, grilled zucchini, burnt onion jam, shallot cider jus
  • Cocktail: Brandy Old Fashioned Holystone Normandy Apple Brandy, Bitters, Sugar Syrup
• Honey vanilla bean cake with lavender buttercream, honey-infused blackberries, crystallized lavender, flaked salt, honeycomb tuille/vanilla bean cultured cream
  • Cocktail: cerula sling Holystone cerula gin, Cointreau, amaro, pineapple juice

The cost is $130 per person, or $110 without beverage packages.

August 25, 6:00 PM

If wine is more your thing, the restaurant will be serving this five-course menu later this month, this time featuring wines from DAOU:

• Watermelon board, rose watermelon leche de tigre, salted olive, prosciutto XO, St Andre triple cream cheese, aromatic herbs
• One-sided baked amberjack/
  vanilla bean & black tea butter, hazelnut “charcoal”, umami leek, red onion condiment, honey-marinated amberjack tartare
• Charred fatty Niman pork ribs, blackberry truffle glaze, Utah oyster mushroom salad, fermented blackberries, crispy spruce tip chili
• 118 degree imperial wagyu beef tail, lots of carrots, wagyu fat espresso jus, carrot top chimichurri, airy savory carrot cake, gorgonzola dulce
• Chocolate cherry mille-feuille, dried Utah cherries, tobacco & vanilla cream
  • DAOU Cabernet Sauvignon Soul of a lion

The cost is $130 per person, or $110 without beverage packages.

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Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer, and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC. I’m a multi-award-winning journalist and have been writing about Salt Lake City’s food scene in myopic detail for seventeen years.

I have worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, and not least have served as a consultant for national TV. Pause those credits, yes, that’s me! I am also a former restaurant critic for over five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. I am largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration, and using big words I don’t understand. What they say about me: “Not incorrect,” “I thought he was older,” “I don’t share his sentiments.”

Want to know more? This is why I am the way I am.