Whiskey Street
“My family has been in the business since 1959 when my grandfather opened his first restaurant.” Today, Matt Crandall is the head chef and partner of three of Salt Lake City's most celebrated restaurants - Whiskey Street, White Horse Spirits & Kitchen, and Franklin Avenue Cocktails & Kitchen - all of which he created and runs alongside his longtime friend and business partner, Jason LeCates.
From weeding the grass and picking up cigarette butts in the parking lot, to washing dishes and learning the flow of the kitchen, Matt grew up immersed in the behind-the-scenes reality of the industry. His family opened Hires Big H in 1959 and Litza Pizza in 1965. Both establishments are still family-owned today. After raising five children, Matt’s mother returned to work as a server at Hires and stayed for two decades. “She loved interacting with people,” he said warmly.
As a teenager, Matt began working the line, but he realized early on that to truly grow in the field, he needed formal training. In 1994, he enrolled at Western Culinary School in Portland, Oregon. After graduating in 1995, he spent time in Aspen, Colorado, working at the renowned Caribou Club, one of the country’s top private dining destinations at the time.
A desire to be closer to family brought Matt back to Utah. He worked in Park City between 1997 and 1998, and then landed at Green Street, a well-known Salt Lake City bar where in 1999, he met Jason LeCates. Jason managed the front of house while Matt led the kitchen, beginning a working relationship that would evolve into a thriving partnership. Over the next decade, Matt continued working at various bars and restaurants across the city. “I was bouncing around Salt Lake,” he recalled. Then in 2013, Jason reached out with a proposition: he was opening a bar and wanted Matt to come on board as chef.
That bar became Whiskey Street, and it struck a chord with diners from the start. Named for the stretch of Main Street that Brigham Young famously dubbed "Whiskey Street" for its abundance of saloons and brothels, the name held historical weight. “It is on record that Brigham Young owned a distillery called Deseret Manufacturing Company in 1851,” Matt shared.
From the beginning, Matt had full creative control over the kitchen. “We were going to be a whiskey bar with Americana food, and I wanted the food to work in tandem with the bar program,” he said. The result was both daring and comforting: high-end ingredients woven into a menu that elevated the bar food experience. Everything was made in-house, from smoked and cured meats to scratch-made ketchup. Whiskey and bourbon appeared not only on the shelves, but also in the food - infused into popcorn, burgers, pork belly lettuce wraps, and the now-signature Jack and Coke bread pudding.
Whiskey Street was not only popular but critically celebrated, earning multiple awards and a feature on the Cooking Channel. Its bar remains one of the most visually striking in the city - a sixty-foot expanse stretching to the ceiling, flanked by library ladders and lined with top-shelf spirits. With the largest whiskey and bourbon selection in the state, some of their barrels are unique to the restaurant, sourced directly and available nowhere else.
With momentum behind them, Matt and Jason considered their next step. When the café next door shuttered, they said, “Let’s take a look at the space.” They dove in, gutted the building down to the dirt floor, and rebuilt it from the ground up.
The result was White Horse, a sleek American brasserie with European flair and an emphasis on finely crafted cocktails. This time, the culinary inspiration leaned even more cosmopolitan. Oysters are flown in two to three times a week directly from a trusted purveyor in Seattle. “We visited the farms in person. There’s no middleman, which guarantees freshness,” Matt noted. The menu includes croque monsieurs, roast chicken, and seasonal vegetables, all paired with an impressive beverage list. “We have the largest cider selection in Salt Lake,” he added. The cocktails focus on aperitifs, digestifs, and the classics.
Intent on differentiating White Horse from its predecessor, Matt emphasized its distinct character. “We didn’t want it to feel like Whiskey II,” he said. The strategy paid off: White Horse attracted a diverse clientele of locals, professionals, and travelers, and quickly became another mainstay in the city’s culinary landscape.
In 2022, the pair took on their most ambitious project yet. A storied space off the beaten path on Edison Street became available. Matt and Jason were drawn to its layered past - secret wine rooms, a stint as a brothel, and a neighborhood once home to a rich mix of Asian and African residents. “It was a gritty part of town that has seen everything,” he reflected. Wanting to honor its history, they named the new restaurant Franklin Avenue, after the street’s original name before Salt Lake restructured its grid.
Unlike its predecessors, Franklin Avenue was never tied to a single concept. “I just wanted to cook food that I love,” Matt said. The resulting menu is new American with global influences: Italian, Mediterranean, Asian, and beyond. It is veggie-forward and flavor-focused, featuring fresh pastas, house-made cheeses, ice creams, and sauces.
The space spans two levels, with a downstairs that exudes a moody speakeasy charm. Original exposed beams, weathered brick walls, antique furnishings, and polished concrete floors lend warmth and character. The bar, like those in the other restaurants, is a showpiece - dramatic, towering, and fully stocked, accessed by a rolling ladder.
Though Franklin Avenue had a slower start due to its tucked-away location, it has already received accolades from Salt Lake Magazine and City Weekly. For the past three years, Matt has dedicated himself to nurturing this newest endeavor, all while continuing to oversee the other two kitchens. He creates the menus but relies on a strong and trusted staff to bring them to life. “I want the chefs to feel ownership. Collaboration is key,” he said.
The energy Matt once spent on bouncing between kitchens is now focused on thoughtful leadership. He is confident in the teams he and Jason have built - especially after weathering the challenges of COVID. “We came out the other side stronger,” he said. “I’m always learning and growing from the people I work with.” In fact, of all the milestones and accolades, it is the growth of his employees that gives Matt the greatest satisfaction. “It’s not about the food or the recognition,” he said. “It’s about seeing someone go from dishwasher to head chef or helping someone land a job at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Chicago. That’s what matters most.”
Matt has built a life he loves - a balance of creativity, leadership, and time spent with family and friends. “I still love what I do. This industry takes a lot, but it gives a lot too.”
