“I see potential in people and in places.” Lavanya Mahate has been doing exactly that for much of her life. She has seen possibility in neglected buildings, in fledgling businesses, in women beginning again, and in herself. Over more than fifteen years, she has opened restaurants, cafés, and culinary ventures across Utah and even as far away as London. Today, she owns Central by Saffron Valley, Saffron Valley in Sugar House and Bix at Kiln Gateway, while continuing her work with RISE Culinary Institute.

“My grandma taught me, ‘Don’t throw away anything.’” Long before Martin Babio became the chef and owner of Monte, before tasting menus, wine pairings and meticulously composed plates, there was his grandmother’s kitchen on a remote farm in Uruguay. It was an enormous room that served as kitchen, dining room, and living room all at once. There was no finished flooring - only the earth beneath their feet - and it was where Martin spent much of a childhood he still describes as one of the happiest times of his life.

“When I go to markets in other places, it gives me a snapshot of the culture of that town.” For Scott Evans, that idea became the inspiration for Sugar House Station, which opened in March 2025, the newest venture in a restaurant career that has taken him from Pago and Finca to Casot and Emigration Cafe. This time, however, Scott was not setting out simply to create another restaurant. Along with his partners, he wanted to build a place that could showcase a collection of Utah’s independent food and drink businesses under one roof.

I am most happy serving the same people over and over and being able to be a part of the community.” After introducing Salt Lake City to farm-to-table dining at Pago and later celebrating Spain through Finca and Casot, Scott Evans turned his attention to something quieter – creating Emigration Cafe, the neighborhood cafe he wished existed. “I lived across the street. What was missing was an all-day place with elevated food that was a little more casual.”

“I wanted Casot to feel like a neighborhood tavern rather than a prestigious wine bar.” First came Pago where Scott Evans initially put his philosophy into practice, introducing Salt Lake City diners to his vision of seasonal, farm-to-table food served without unnecessary formality. Finca followed and became his love letter to Spain, and then Casot, the intimate wine bar beside it, which feels more personal - almost like Scott’s living room.

“What I fell in love with was tapas culture - sharing dishes, smaller plates, lots more food, cocktails, wine, gin tonics.” For Scott Evans, Finca began with Spain. Long before opening the restaurant, Scott spent a month traveling through Spain during a four-month backpacking journey across Europe.

“It became really clear to me that there were enough local agriculture and enough local artisans to build a restaurant around them.” For Scott Evans, that realization became the beginning of Pago, but the journey started decades earlier.

“When someone chooses to walk into my restaurant, that is someone who came to visit me in my house, and I need to feed them and entertain them.” Ricci Rondinelli, owner of Villaggio, does not speak quietly, move slowly, or tell a story in a straight line. He is Bronx through and through - funny, blunt, generous, opinionated, sentimental, and full of memories that seem to tumble out faster than he can sort them. He has lived many lives, worn many hats, and worked more jobs than most people could imagine fitting into one lifetime. But behind the stories, the humor, and the unmistakable New York rhythm is a man who has returned, again and again, to the thing he knows best - feeding people.

“My dad has a very helping nature. He is always telling us, ‘The point is not for someone to show it back to us. It is always doing what we can for others.’ That is what we learn from him - to always give and never expect.” For Ramu Lakireddy, owner of Ganesh Indian Cuisine, those words from his daughter Nithya say as much about the man as they do about the restaurant he has built. Sitting beside her fourteen-year-old brother, Pranav, she helped translate and fill in pieces of their father’s story, not only because his accented English can sometimes be difficult to understand, but because both children wanted his journey to be clearly comprehended and appreciated. Their pride in him filled the room.

“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.

“We are very proud of our heritage and very proud of our food and very proud of our culture.” Lucy Cardenas, owner of Red Iguana, says those words thoughtfully, not as a rehearsed sentiment, but as the clearest explanation of what has driven her family for generations. Long before Red Iguana became one of Salt Lake City’s most beloved restaurants, before the pink walls, the legendary moles, the lines out the door, and the national attention, there was simply a Mexican family trying to build a life through food.

“Sometimes the fear of not being successful brings you back to the safe zone.” For Felipe Oliveira, co-owner, Junah was never meant to be safe. It was meant to be thoughtful, beautiful, and a little unexpected - the kind of restaurant that asks people to trust the people behind it and then rewards that trust with something they have not quite seen before in Salt Lake City.

“It blew my mind. I found it empowering.” Giro Messeri still remembers what struck him most during his earliest days working in hospitality in the United States - the realization that genuine care, warmth, precision, and attention to detail could completely transform someone’s experience. At only twenty-eight years old, Giro has already spent nearly a decade learning every layer of the restaurant and hospitality world, steadily working his way upward while absorbing lessons from luxury hotels, restaurants, private clubs, wine programs, mentors, chefs, artists, and perhaps most importantly, friends along the way. The result is ‘mina, which opened in the spring of 2026.

“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.

“I grew up eating pizza like this,” Marco said. “You walk in, you see what is coming out of the oven, and you take a slice and keep going.” With Via Veneto Pizzarium, Marco and Amy Stevanoni have created something that feels rooted in that memory. Just down the street from VENETO Ristorante Italiano, their new space is a more casual expression of the same values that have always guided them - a focus on quality ingredients, a respect for tradition, and a genuine enjoyment in sharing food.

“Main Street in Midvale is on the verge of becoming something really special,” said David Gardiner, co-owner of The Bambino, the wood-fired pizza spot tucked beside Cactus & Tropicals. “The city has been so committed to reviving it without ruining it.”

“I was the first college graduate in the family.” That single sentence says a great deal about Lillian Vergin and the life that eventually led her to Veggie House. Long before she became the owner of one of Salt Lake City’s beloved vegetarian restaurants, she was growing up in Orani, Bataan, in the Philippines, one of twelve children in a hardworking family.

“Life is hard enough that sometimes you just have to wake up and smile.” Giuseppe Mirenda says it easily, the words carried by the same warmth that greets guests walking through the doors of Antica Sicilia in Millcreek. For him, the restaurant business has never simply been about food. It is about people, family, and the quiet joy that comes from serving others well.

“Once we opened, I gave every minute, every second of my life to the restaurant to make sure that it would succeed.” For Giuseppe Mirenda, Sicilia Mia was never simply the opening of a restaurant. It was the realization of a family dream that began long before Salt Lake City, and long before he was old enough to sign a lease or speak English. The roots of that dream stretch back to Palermo, Sicily, where food was woven into daily life so completely that family, work, and cooking were inseparable.

“We found the building before we knew what we were going to do in it.” Andrea Tree and Nate Silverstein like to tell the story that way, because it captures how Taverna came to life in Salt Lake City’s Marmalade neighborhood. They wanted a place where their children could actually be present, where families could gather, and where a well-made cocktail and a great slice of pizza could exist in the same room without anyone feeling shut out. When a motorcycle shop close to home appeared with a hand painted “For Rent” sign and a phone number scrawled across the fence, they called, stepped inside, and started imagining what it could become.