“The entrepreneur in me was saying, get into it and make it better.” For Brian Coleman, owner of 2 Row Brewing in Midvale, that instinct has guided nearly every chapter of his life. Long before he was brewing beer, building a bar, and filling a sixteen-thousand-square-foot space with customers, games, and food, Brian was a kid from Los Angeles who loved cars, tools, and figuring out how things worked.

“I did this because I love it. I love my community. This is my passion. It’s my life.” Chad Hopkins, owner of Hopkins Brewing Company, was born and raised in Sugar House, long before it became one of Salt Lake City’s busiest and most rapidly changing neighborhoods. The Sugar House of his childhood was defined by local shop owners, modest storefronts, and the freedom that came with growing up in a close-knit neighborhood.

“This place kind of saved my life in a lot of ways.” For Candice Pulli, the warm, welcoming, and unpretentious Lazy Day Cafe has never been only a restaurant. Tucked back from the road in Millcreek, it became a source of stability, family, reinvention, and community for Candice and her children during some of the most difficult and transformative years of their lives.

“People ask me all the time, ‘Dean, what is your secret?’ I always say, ‘You wake up every day afraid to fail.’” For Dean Pierose, owner of Cucina Wine Bar, the joke carries more truth than he first lets on. He moves through the restaurant with the ease of a man who knows half the room, greeting regulars, teasing friends, telling stories from Croatia, Chile, Spain, or Wyoming.

“Making business work, in a way where it can impact people’s lives, is what drives me every day.” For Jorge Brios, the general manager at Rouser, hospitality does not begin when a guest is seated. It starts much earlier, shaped by place and rhythm, by observation and instinct.

“Back in seventh grade, I told the teacher I was going to be either a Marine Corps scout sniper or a bartender.” Rob Dutton grinned when he said it, sitting inside Lucky 13. This is the bar he has owned since 2009, the bar people travel hours for, the bar with walls covered in awards and firefighter patches and stories. It is not lost on him that the kid who made that prediction had no idea what was coming: the moves, the upheavals, the loneliness, the grit, and ultimately the community he would build in a tight, lively room a stone’s throw from the ballpark.

“We’re all in the Soup Kitchen together. My kids, my family, my customers, we feed one another, not just with food but with heart. This isn’t just soup. It’s love, handmade every day.” Roberta “Robi” Sasse has kept the heart of the fifty-two-year-old Soup Kitchen beating through faith, handmade soup, and community, and now she is determined to make it her own.

“This was always the goal, owning our own place,” said Andrew Fuller. “I just had to be patient enough to wait for the right moment.” For Andrew Fuller and his wife, Angelena, that moment arrived in February 2019 with the opening of Oquirrh, a refined yet welcoming American restaurant nestled in downtown Salt Lake City. At once personal and quietly romantic, Oquirrh reflects their shared story: a love for good food, deep respect for craft, and an unshakable partnership that spans both life and work.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“Edison House is not your grandfather’s social club,” explains George Cardon-Bystry, one of the co-founders and visionaries behind this dynamic, upscale social club in Salt Lake City. With deep roots in the area as an eighth-generation Utahn, George returned home to create a space that reflects the changing nature of the city and its community. Opened in late 2022, Edison House stands out as a modern reimagining of traditional social clubs, offering an inclusive, vibrant atmosphere that attracts a diverse membership.

“It was really difficult to choose a name for the restaurant,” Milo Carrier confided when we sat down one summer afternoon. “It’s so permanent.” He went on to say that he did not want it to be associated with a particular cuisine. “I didn’t want people to have a preconceived idea of what they would find when they got here.” Milo then admitted that he did have a dog named Arlo years ago, and, yes, he did listen to Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant,” growing up. In addition, his sister’s name happens to be Alice. But in the end, he simply liked how Arlo sounded. “It rolls off the tongue easily without offering any hint of what is inside the front door.”