Provisions is one of my favorite restaurants in Utah. And one of the main reasons for this is the ever-changing, seasonal menu. Chef Tyler Stokes presents some of the best dishes in the city, and I am always excited to see what interesting, fresh ingredients he is showcasing each time I dine there.
Tyler Stokes understands that what makes a dish exceptional, above all, are seasonal, sustainable, easily-sourced ingredients. “Cooking with the farm to table approach is just the way cooking makes sense to me. It’s the only way to cook—with the seasons as nature intended.”
Tyler is a self-taught chef and started cooking at the age of 17. He learned through years of experience, apprenticing under incredibly talented chefs in Park City and Salt Lake, and eventually opened his own restaurant in Sun Valley Idaho in 2011, called Dashi.
Dashi focused on modern Asian food with a strong relationship to the local farms there, and this seems to be where Tyler really decided that “farm to table” was not just a philosophy for him, but rather, the entire basis for how he cooks. He doesn’t cook any other way; sourcing local ingredients is just as important to him as how those ingredients come together on a plate. After several years in Sun Valley, Tyler decided to bring his sustainable cooking back to Salt Lake City, and opened the well-beloved Provisions soon after.
Provisions and Tyler are making sustainable food an important part of our foodie community. For Tyler, the most important thing that they can do at Provisions is provide the experience of what farm to table dining can be, at its very best. Peak products, in their peak season, provided by people who love what they do. Tyler believes that this comes through in the product, and I can definitely attest to that. It is obvious that Tyler, and his entire staff, are passionate not just about food, but the highest-quality food, created with passion, dedication, and sustainability in mind.
While the Salt Lake consumer is becoming increasingly more aware of farm to table cooking, Tyler says we still have a way to go. “I think sustainable food is very important to a certain part of the Salt Lake consumer base, but is has a way to go in order to be on the same level as other major cities. Chain restaurants and unsustainable, low-price driven food still dominates the business in Utah. However, this is changing, and I think Salt Lake City will emerge a fantastic food city on a national level. It already is getting there on a local level, with so many great chefs taking the sustainable approach and helping to educate consumers and move the scene forward.”
We are lucky to have Chef Tyler and Provisions leading the way.
Provisions is located at 3364 S 2300 E, Salt Lake City.
