I vividly remember the day I realized that people in costume make me uncomfortable. It was Halloween in High School and a friend of mine had dressed up so thoroughly, that he had obscured his identity. Even though I knew it was him, I couldn't visually recognize him underneath the costume. It disturbed me, deeply. As irony would have it, I have spent the last three summers … [Read more...]
The Road Less Traveled: Utah Stories
Next month is a big anniversary. It will be ten years in May since I decided to ditch my lucrative graphic design work, coding work, videography gigs and assorted stints with my former employer and make an attempt to operate Utah Stories full time. I had had enough of programming, and I wanted to spend at least half my time producing journalism. I wanted to talk to people … [Read more...]
Sugar House Fireworks: Independence Day Tradition Coming to an End?
The Sugar House 4th of July fireworks show has been a tradition in our community for decades. Each year it is estimated that the show draws 20,000-30,000 people or more from our community, along with people from nearby cities and counties. Until 2009, the fireworks were paid for by the city, but Salt Lake City pulled funding from the show in 2009, prompting a push from … [Read more...]
Food Not Bombs: More Than an Event, It’s a Lifestyle
When Keith McHenry’s phone rings, it may be people calling the Hunger Hotline. The toll free 800 number assists callers in locating their local Food Not Bombs chapters, offers tips on how to collect and cook food, how to start a local chapter, and what to do if the police try to stop your group from sharing food and other information about Food Not Bombs. “We receive from fiv … [Read more...]
5 Questions Answered by 6 Utah Breweries
We checked in with some of our favorite breweries to see what is happening in 2018. Questions: How many barrels are you brewing annually? What is your flagship/or top selling beer? What is the most unique beer you came up with last year? What is the number one thing you’d like to see changed in Utah liquor laws? Anything else you’d like to update about your bre … [Read more...]
A Utahan Goes on a Bike Trip to Europe and Discovers European Beer
Trip to Europe: In my early twenties, a girl I studied with asked me where I had “traveled.” I replied that most summers we traveled to Lake Powell, and sometimes we had family reunions where I traveled to Saint George. I told her that three times I visited cousins in Oregon, traveling through Idaho to get there. She told me she had traveled to Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, and … [Read more...]
The Dish: Pretty Bird Eatery, Harmons Holladay Market , and screening of Soul Food Junkies
Viet Pham’s much-anticipated and long-awaited Pretty Bird eatery is finally real. It opened just this week at 146 Regent Street in the Eccles Theater building. This seems like quite a departure for Pham, who is best-known for his refined cooking at his previous restaurant, Forage, and for appearances on Iron Chef America (where he slayed Bobby Flay) and Extreme Chef. I say it i … [Read more...]
Beer Issue 2016
West-ward Ho: Cowboy West Taylor
The pursuit of happiness comes in all forms, including how one St. George man made his dreams come true after having his house foreclosed and losing everything. “I remember being in the city and working and the stress, and I was wondering how I was going to just get happy. How am I ever going to achieve happiness?” West Taylor is sitting with us under a leaky outdoor alu … [Read more...]
Survival in the Wild West: One Utah Mountain Man’s Story
Survival in the Wild West once depended on tight-knit communities of skilled people willing to work hard. The value of their currency was in their word and their skills. We set out to central Utah to speak to a mountain man and a cowboy who still live by these values. Wayne County, Utah— there are no major employers or industries. Here there are very few “good jobs” or even c … [Read more...]