SPECIAL VENUESMoving Monuments

SMERFSMERFing Lessons

JUNE 2015 | MEETINGSFOCUS.COM

NEW JERSEY ■ GRAND RAPIDS ■ BIRMINGHAM ■ INLAND EMPIRE ■ GERMANY

THE DESTINATION EXPERTS

BalancingF&B events juggle tight

budgets and high hopesAct

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84 MEETINGS FOCUS JUNE 2015

CALIFORNIAThe repositioned Bernardus Lodge & Spa, set on 28 acres in Carmel Valley, debuted in April following a four-month, multi-million-dollar transformation. Highlights include the new Lucia Restaurant & Bar, a redesign of all guest rooms, reconfigured public spaces and expanded event spaces. The Spa at Ber-nardus now features a curated wellness component, including boot camps and moonlight yoga. Amenities include 4,300 square feet of meeting space. www.bernarduslodge.com.

Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort on the San Diego coast changed its name to Cape Rey in April. The 215-room hotel, which offers about 25,000 square feet of meeting and function space, features a re-styled pool area that includes new private cabanas. Outdoor dining and gathering areas have been expanded and debuting in the fall will be several luxury suites. The resort’s events team will emphasize sustainable offerings and amenities. http://caperey.com

The Hyatt Place Emeryville/San Francisco Bay Area recently broke ground. The 175-room hotel will be integrated into the Bay Street Emeryville retail center. The hotel’s ground floor will be dedicated to public use, including a spacious lobby and dining area, with five levels of guest rooms above. The hotel will offer complimentary Wi-Fi, as well as meeting/function space and a 24-hour gym. www.hyattplace.com.

The Scarlet Huntington in San Francisco introduced The Spa Suite this spring as a new intimate gathering venue for groups. The spa includes the main suite space for events of up to 15 people and a separate treatment room for spa services. Meals in the meeting room are catered by the Big 4 Restaurant, buffet-style. www.the scarlethotels.com

COLORADOThe Hyatt Place Boulder-Pearl Street recently opened at Depot Square, a 160-acre, pedestri-an-friendly mixed-use devel-opment. The hotel offers 150 guest rooms, complimentary Wi-Fi and approximately 5,000 square feet of meeting/func-tion space. There is an indoor swimming pool and 24-hour gym. http://boulder pearlstreet.place.hyatt.com

HAWAIIThe Hilton Garden Inn Kauai/Wailua Bay, formerly the Aston Aloha Beach Hotel, is slated to open in early 2016 following a renovation. The 216-room beachfront hotel will be situated on one of the area’s only swim-mable beaches. This hotel will offer complimentary Wi-Fi, a 24-hour business center, fitness center and an indoor pool. The hotel will also feature approx-imately 5,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. http://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com

Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort recently complet-ed a six-month, $21 million ren-ovation of its 17-story Diamond Head Tower. The transformation

includes the refurbish-ment of all 380

guest rooms and suites,

corridors and a refreshed lobby. Hilton’s Diamond Head Tower

offers both sweeping views

of the Pacific Ocean and resort

views overlooking the village’s 22 acres of tropical gardens. www.hawaiianvillage.hilton.com.

Upgrades [&] Openings

Bernardus Lodge & Spa

EYEWEST

ON THE

Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort

It’s been 21 years since you moved to Salt Lake City from Northern California to revive the Log Haven. What is so special about this treasured, event-ready institution?Consistently named one of the top 100 Romantic Restaurants in the U.S. by Open Table and Conde Nast, our log building, dating to 1920, was given as an anniversary present by a member of the NYC

Metropolitan Opera to his beloved wife. There’s also magic in our unique location. Just 20 minutes from Salt Lake City and the airport, we sit amid thousands of acres of wilderness, including three waterfalls, tow-ering old-growth firs, hik-ing and biking trails, and ever-present wildlife.

Early on, you worked with the legendary French chef Jean Louis Palladin. How does that experience continue to influence your work?Jean Louis Palladin was an early mentor and inspiration, along with Wolfgang Puck, Nancy

Silverton and Mark Peale. My training at the Cali-fornia Culinary Institute was in classical European techniques—strictly by the books—but these ex-traordinary chefs taught me how to soar and have fun in the kitchen.

How would you describe the Salt Lake City re-gion’s appeal today as a culinary destination? Consumers are open to a “culinary evolution” that

humbly, I’ve been instru-mental in developing and maturing. There was no local sourcing when I arrived, but for more than a decade now, I’ve foraged and used native plants in my recipes. Two years ago, I began cultivating plants from Log Haven’s ecosystem, from which I make sauces, shrubs for spe-cialty cocktails, sorbets, ice creams and other delicacies. Today, I see tremendous growth in small acreage farming, artisanal cheese making, free-range poultry and game meats, and local distilleries.

—Jeff Heilman

ZOOMiN Q&A with Dave Jones,

Chef/Owner, Log Haven Restaurant (www.log-haven.com), Salt Lake City

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“collaboration, experimentation and creativity that is attracting top culinary talent, artisans and innovators who are completely redefin-ing the scene.”

Following the relaxing of liquor laws several years ago, it’s now time for groups to make a beeline for the culinary excitement hap-pening in Salt Lake City and Park City.

SALT LAKE CITYVeteran local restaurateurs and enterprising outsiders alike are rewriting the rules of dining in Utah’s always-evolving, ever-surpris-ing capital city.

Chef-owner Mikel Trapp has been on the Utah culinary scene for more than 30 years, with roles including director of food and bever-age at the acclaimed Stein Eriksen Lodge in Deer Valley; managing

Savory surprises are in store for groups heading to Salt Lake City and Park City

In April’s issue, we focused on how venture capitalists, academic institutions and governmental agencies are supporting and nurturing Utah’s high-growth technolo-gy sector. Buzzing with its own entrepreneurial energy is the food and beverage scene, which has steadily evolved since the 2002 Winter Olympics and is now in accelera-tion mode.

Next month, Salt Lake City celebrates its “coming of age as a culinary hotspot” with the inaugural Eat Drink SLC (www.eatdrinkslc.com), a festival featuring leading area restau-rants, food purveyors, wineries, small batch distillers and award-winning Utah craft brewers.

Lesley Christoph, whose creative marketing agency is among the event’s sponsors, describes a hotbed culture of

BY JEFF HEILMAN

ConnectionsCulinary

Park City Culinary Institute

PCCI

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director of food and beverage and executive chef at Snowbird, overseeing 13 restaurants; and chef-consultant for three Olympic Games.

In partnership with the La-Salle Restaurant Group, which operates a quartet of Salt Lake City eateries, including the event-capable Faustina (www.faustinaslc.com), Trapp’s latest venture, Current Fish & Oyster (www.currentfishandoyster.com) opened in March. Housed in a remodeled historic build-ing from 1906, the 150-seat seafood restaurant comes with an outdoor patio and can host around 40 people for private events.

Another winning heritage re-use is the AAA Four Dia-mond, 225-room Hotel Monaco (www.monaco-saltlakecity.com). Housed in the historic Continental Bank building, the meetings-capable boutique features award-winning New American bistro fare at Bam-bara (www.bambara-slc.com). The open kitchen restaurant includes the 35-seat Vault Bar, and seating up to 20 people, the stately Chairman’s Office for private dining.

Utah’s craft beer scene con-tinues to soar, with Squatters (www.squatters.com), founded in 1989, among the top brew pubs. With locations in Park City and at Salt Lake Interna-tional Airport, the downtown venue offers the upstairs Loft and colorful outdoor Potting Shed for private events.

Drawing locals and con-vention attendees alike, Bar X (www.barxsaltlake.com) is a Prohibition-era (1933) dive upgraded to dynamic cocktail lounge. Owned by Ty Burrell of TV’s Modern Family and part-

ners, the venue is connected via doorway to sibling Beer Bar, of-fering some 130 different brews, communal outdoor seating and food including gourmet sausag-es from Austrian-born Salt Lake City chef Frody Volgger.

For culinary experiences, Caputo’s Market & Deli (www.caputosdeli.com) offers classes in chocolate and cheese, both staples of the Utah culinary scene, plus custom programs for groups. Another surprising standout is Utah grocery chain Harmon’s (www.harmons grocery.com/classes), which offers immensely popular cook-ing classes in its stellar display kitchens. With a brand-new location close to the Salt Palace Convention Center, groups are exposed to diverse international cuisines and techniques.

Located in a remarkable wilderness setting just 20 miles from downtown, historic Log Haven (see “Zoom In” Q&A on page 84 of this issue) is an enchanting choice for events, functions and weddings.

PARK CITYWith more than 100 restaurants and a diverse set of food and beverage tours, festivals and education opportunities, this celebrated four-season resort just 30 minutes from Salt Lake City also has its culinary chops down.

“Park City offers a plethora of dining options,” says Carolyn Creek-McCallister, meetings and conventions national sales manager for the Park City Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. “For groups, a dine-around at four or five well-established restaurants on our iconic Main Street is especially popular. From casual cafes to fine-dining restaurants, there is something to please every palate.”

Continuing with the theme of innovation, one of the city’s most foremost brands, High West Distillery (www.highwest.com), was founded by biochem-ist David Perkins, who spent his

entire prior career working for pharma giants Pfizer, Amgen and Genentech.

Housed in a historic livery stable, this nationally acclaimed operation has done much to put Park City on the visitor map. Groups will have a second option for tours, tastings and private events when High West opens its new facility this sum-mer at the Ranch at Blue Sky (www.bluesky-adventures.com), a 3,500-acre working ranch just outside of town.

With a high-powered banking background, transplanted New Yorker Laurie Moldawer is an-other entrepreneur enhancing the local scene. Enchanted by her discovery of Park City on a cross-country drive, she moved here in 2012 and soon found a new opportunity.

“The local government was focused on bringing culinary programming and education to town to help build our economy off-season and provide a visitor resource for the non-winter months,” Moldawer says. “Ear-lier in my career, I had attended le Cordon Blue in Paris while on sabbatical. Passionate about food and with that as my model, I decided to create a culinary school.”

Launched in 2012, her Park City Culinary Institute (www.pcculinary.com) has since become a premier destination for culinary events, classes and teambuilders. Located at the Deer Valley Club, in Silver Lake Village, the venue’s combination of exclusive private space, unique menus, mixology classes and interactive culinary programs directed by leading executive chefs is winning raves from groups.

Mixing history with a “culi-nary twist” for up to 12 guests,

Park City Food Tours (www.parkcityfoodtours.com) is a popular small group option, along with buyouts of the rustic Silver Star Cafe (www.the silverstarcafe.com), its outdoor space overlooking the Park City Golf Club.

Celebrating its 11th edition next month, the annual Park City Food & Wine Classic (www.parkcityfoodandwine classic.com) is a great group tie-in, featuring the state’s largest wine festival and more than 100 food artisans, breweries and distilleries.

Upscale options for private dining and events include the renowned Riverhorse on Main (www.riverhorseparkcity.com), while Canyons Resort’s Lookout Cabin (www.canyonsresort.com), accessed via gondola, offers intimate dining and event space with knockout mountain views. mf

Longtime Meetings Focus contributor JEFF HEILMAN has a real taste for all things Utah.

CONNECTPARK CITY COC/CVB435.649.6100www.visitparkcity.com

VISIT SALT LAKE801.534.4900www.visitsaltlake.com

For more Salt Lake City and Park City content, visit MeetingsFocus.com/Utah.❯

EXTRA, EXTRA! Check out the Eye on the West section on page 84 for a Q&A with Dave Jones, chef/owner of Log Haven Restaurant in Salt Lake City. Head to the Salt Lake City/Park City section of MeetingsFocus.com for a sidebar on new developments.

Bambara, Hotel Monaco, Salt Lake City

Log Haven, Wasatch Room, Salt Lake City

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