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Salt Lake City Chef's Table: Extraordinary Recipes from The Crossroads of the West
Though the West was won years and years ago, the pioneer spirit lives on in Salt Lake City
(SLC). The local food scene is ripe with opportunity and alive with food entrepreneurs filled with
ideas that many thought would never take off in Salt Lake City?let alone fly.
Salt Lake City may be known for a world-renowned choir and the Transcontinental Railroad’s Golden Spike, but it’s a modern, vibrant city that has held on to its pioneer spirit. And nowhere is that force stronger than in the local food scene, ripe with opportunity and ingenuity. The foodie community embraces collaboration and generosity, so local restaurants, bars, and suppliers—pardon the pun—feed on each other to reach greater heights. Entrepreneurs are serving everything from bone marrow to tumbleweed, while foraging for mushrooms and new ideas to elevate SLC and its culture.
With 76 recipes for the home cook from the area's most celebrated eateries and showcasing over 200 full-color photos featuring mouth-watering dishes, famous chefs, and lots of local flavor, Salt Lake City Chef's Table is the ultimate gift and keepsake cookbook for both tourists and residents alike.
(SLC). The local food scene is ripe with opportunity and alive with food entrepreneurs filled with
ideas that many thought would never take off in Salt Lake City?let alone fly.
Salt Lake City may be known for a world-renowned choir and the Transcontinental Railroad’s Golden Spike, but it’s a modern, vibrant city that has held on to its pioneer spirit. And nowhere is that force stronger than in the local food scene, ripe with opportunity and ingenuity. The foodie community embraces collaboration and generosity, so local restaurants, bars, and suppliers—pardon the pun—feed on each other to reach greater heights. Entrepreneurs are serving everything from bone marrow to tumbleweed, while foraging for mushrooms and new ideas to elevate SLC and its culture.
With 76 recipes for the home cook from the area's most celebrated eateries and showcasing over 200 full-color photos featuring mouth-watering dishes, famous chefs, and lots of local flavor, Salt Lake City Chef's Table is the ultimate gift and keepsake cookbook for both tourists and residents alike.
224 pages, Paperback
First published December 2, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 16, 2021
I didn't realize this was part of a franchise at first. There are books on other cities, (e.g. Houston, Minneapolis, Baltimore) in this franchise. I assume the publisher gets someone in the area's food industry to write them. Sort of like those Images of (Place Name) books. Once I realized what I was reading seemed very formulaic, I went to the publisher's website and stopped counting at 25 in the series. This explains a lot. None of it particularly good.
In any event, it reads very much like a blog crossed with a Chamber of Commerce magazine. That shouldn't be surprising since one of the author is a blogger and marketer -- and the other owns a food-related business that they manage to mention about two dozen times throughout the book, but not telling you that he is the owner until the very last page. I'd call "foul" on that lack of disclosure except that it's probably now called "leveraging your brand" instead of "not being upfront." At the point of learning that connection, though, I just assumed they went through his wholesale accounts (or the ones he'd like to have) and that's how they selected who to include in the book. Yes, I'm cynical like that. (I also know that the food industry is as incestuous as Europe in the Imperial Age. )
I think the problem with books like this is that they can't help but be generic and repetitive. Ever place is a "gem" or a "treasure" and every chef is "innovative" and "gifted." Too much praise for everyone and everything starts to ring shallow fast, and one place starts to sound just like all the others just like I can easily imagine this book sounds a lot like the one for Atlanta or Austin or...well, pick a city. The fault isn't really with the writers -- although it does read very bloggy -- but with the franchise's concept. When you try advertise for everyone at the same time, no one stands out. And when there is so much of the same crammed into one place, nothing stands out. If you read only one entry a week, it might not be so bad.
If I had just moved to a town and wanted to get the lay of the food land and this was a gift from a realtor (or in the local Chamber's "Look How Awesome We Are" package), I might use it to get a feel for restaurants to explore. As for cooking from it, I didn't really see anything tempting of which I don't already make a very close version. Also, I don't really trust the recipes for a couple of reasons. !. They are not always clearly written. 2. Having worked in enough restaurants to know that converting restaurant recipes to something one can duplicate in a home kitchen is not just a math problem.
Published in 2015, it's a bit date. On the plus side, the ebook contains links to each restaurant's website, and it was nice to see how many are still around. (Or, I should say, their websites are still around.) Sometimes it's fun to just read the menus and websites. All the information without all the exaggerated metaphors and superlatives.
I hope we can all soon look forward to a nice sit-down dinner in good restaurants without risking someone's health. Until then, this was kind of like reading a travelogue through a city's foodscape. It was a distraction.
In any event, it reads very much like a blog crossed with a Chamber of Commerce magazine. That shouldn't be surprising since one of the author is a blogger and marketer -- and the other owns a food-related business that they manage to mention about two dozen times throughout the book, but not telling you that he is the owner until the very last page. I'd call "foul" on that lack of disclosure except that it's probably now called "leveraging your brand" instead of "not being upfront." At the point of learning that connection, though, I just assumed they went through his wholesale accounts (or the ones he'd like to have) and that's how they selected who to include in the book. Yes, I'm cynical like that. (I also know that the food industry is as incestuous as Europe in the Imperial Age. )
I think the problem with books like this is that they can't help but be generic and repetitive. Ever place is a "gem" or a "treasure" and every chef is "innovative" and "gifted." Too much praise for everyone and everything starts to ring shallow fast, and one place starts to sound just like all the others just like I can easily imagine this book sounds a lot like the one for Atlanta or Austin or...well, pick a city. The fault isn't really with the writers -- although it does read very bloggy -- but with the franchise's concept. When you try advertise for everyone at the same time, no one stands out. And when there is so much of the same crammed into one place, nothing stands out. If you read only one entry a week, it might not be so bad.
If I had just moved to a town and wanted to get the lay of the food land and this was a gift from a realtor (or in the local Chamber's "Look How Awesome We Are" package), I might use it to get a feel for restaurants to explore. As for cooking from it, I didn't really see anything tempting of which I don't already make a very close version. Also, I don't really trust the recipes for a couple of reasons. !. They are not always clearly written. 2. Having worked in enough restaurants to know that converting restaurant recipes to something one can duplicate in a home kitchen is not just a math problem.
Published in 2015, it's a bit date. On the plus side, the ebook contains links to each restaurant's website, and it was nice to see how many are still around. (Or, I should say, their websites are still around.) Sometimes it's fun to just read the menus and websites. All the information without all the exaggerated metaphors and superlatives.
I hope we can all soon look forward to a nice sit-down dinner in good restaurants without risking someone's health. Until then, this was kind of like reading a travelogue through a city's foodscape. It was a distraction.
June 24, 2016
Delicious!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews