“We didn’t start with a business plan or a brand. We started with trust and respect,” said Jorge Rojas. “And a shared belief that artists need each other.” That quiet foundation is what makes Material feel so different. Tucked into a modest building in Salt Lake City, the artist-run space opened with a clear and deliberate mission: to support, exhibit, and elevate other people’s work.

“We’re much better at making beer than marketing. At the end of the day, we just want people to feel like they’re hanging out in our living room, enjoying something we love to create.” Tim Chappell’s path to owning his eponymous Chappell Brewing, one of the smallest breweries in Salt Lake Valley, was anything but linear.

“The recipes are ours,” Mohammad Naim said. “They are what we grew up eating. Now we’re lucky enough to share them.” When he opened Afghan Kitchen in 2016, Mohammad was filling a gap - not just in cuisine, but in culture and connection. Years earlier, Mohammad had launched a small spot downtown called Curry and Kabab, but it was only after recognizing how few Afghan restaurants existed in Salt Lake City that the vision for something deeper took hold. “There were a few back in the 1990s,” he explained, “but they had closed. Since our U.S. soldiers had spent time in Afghanistan, many had become familiar with our food. So, I thought why not?”

“If you can envision it, we’ll make it happen.” Deb Holbrook smiled as she said this, and she meant it. Since 2022, she and her husband Chris have been the proud owners of the Salt Lake Institute of Culinary Education (SLICE), a thriving, hands-on culinary school and event space that has become a haven for aspiring chefs, curious home cooks, and anyone who simply wants to share a great meal and learn something new in the process.

“We believe the world needs more connection. And we built PLUNJ Salt Lake to make that possible.” That vision has guided Brian Brown and his three business partners - Ronnie Withaeger, Michael Bunn, and Jason Blickenstaff - from the earliest conversations about opening a Scandinavian-style bathhouse in Salt Lake City. Though each came from different backgrounds - tech, business, design - they shared a yearning for something more grounded, more communal. When they discovered PLUNJ, everything clicked.

“The two things that bring people together, no matter who they are, are sports and food. And that’s what we built this place on.” Frank and Jovanna Henry, owners of Creole & Sliders Cafe, did not move to Salt Lake City with the intention of opening a restaurant. They came to retire.

"I’m just trying to make the world a little bit better through food.” That has been Ian Brandt’s guiding principle from the start. For over two decades, he has been at the forefront of Salt Lake City’s plant-based dining movement, driven not by profit, but by a deep commitment to the planet, the animals, and the people who share it. Vertical Deli, his newest venture opened in June 2025, is the latest expression of that mission - this time, with a drive-through window and a focus on speed, convenience, and community.

“I got my first set of oil paints when I was five years old. I’ve been making art ever since,” announced Stephen Teuscher, one of the trio that founded Studio-de-Verre (studio of glass). As for the other two, it was the illustrations in the Golden Braid books that got Kerry Transtrum hooked on art at age three. For Dan Cummings, he knew in the second grade, when he received all kinds of accolades for a saber-toothed tiger that he drew, exactly what he was going to do the rest of his life.

“I came to this country with nothing - zero dollars in my pocket, no English - but I came with hope. I knew I could build something if someone just gave me a chance.” When Amir Adabkha arrived in Salt Lake City in 1994, he had left behind not only his home country of Iran but also a life full of responsibility. Years later, through relentless work and an unwavering belief in opportunity, Amir would go on to open Zaferan Café (7835 S Highland Dr.), serving Persian and Mediterranean cuisine in Cottonwood Heights, and then Fresh Chicken Express, a revival of a South Salt Lake favorite.

“I always say, food can make people happy - it brings them together, helps us understand each other. That is what I enjoy doing." Ragda Safah’s journey spans continents, conflicts, and cultures. From Baghdad to Bountiful, she has moved through war and displacement with quiet strength, building a life rooted in purpose, learning, and love. Her warmth is immediate, her determination unmistakable, and every dish she prepares, every item she stocks on the shelves of Sindbad's - her Middle Eastern market - carries the imprint of that remarkable path.

“I called it Define Fitness because I believe health looks different for everyone. You get to decide what it means to you.” From the border city of El Paso, Texas, to the heart of Millcreek, Utah, Valeria Macias has carved out a space that is deeply personal. Define Fitness, her women-centered studio, opened in the spring of 2025, is the culmination of a life journey shaped by hardship, healing, and the belief that fitness is for every kind of body.

“If you walk in and we say hello, and you leave with nothing, that’s still enough for us. That’s the culture we’ve built here.” Zallzo may be a made-up name, but the business behind it is as real and rooted as they come.

“I have been doing this since I was eighteen. I am sixty now. We just keep going because we love it, and because this is our fate.” Anna Tran, owner of Oh Mai, never set out to become a restaurateur, but food has always been central to her family’s story.

“I hope that in some small way, I am keeping alive the memory of the men who wore those helmets during WWII - giving them a fun second run.” Fred Conlon, owner of Sugarpost, did not plan to be a welder. He did not even plan to be a potter. But he always had an openness to life’s unexpected turns and a deep appreciation for pursuing what felt right, even if it did not make perfect sense at the time.

“This has been in my head for thirty years. I just didn’t know I was already in the building I needed.” Charles Thorpe has always been about building things: stages, spaces, and opportunities. A stage manager by trade with a lifelong love of music and the people who make it, Charles has spent decades behind the scenes, ensuring the lights came up and the show went on. But what he truly dreamed of was something bigger - a place where creativity in all its forms could thrive under one roof. That dream became Space & Faders.

“The devil is in the details but that is also where the magic happens. I believe if you marry food, service, and music just right, people can feel the love in the space.” Loren Bell, owner of Contento Cafe, never imagined that grief would be the bridge to his dream.

“There’s never a day I walk into the brewery and do not smile - no matter what’s going on in life, when I walk through those doors, I light up,” beamed Mark Medura, owner of Level Crossing Brewing Company.

“I am not going anywhere. I will grow old right here.” Azar Farajnedad, a warm, sweet woman sat at one of the small tables inside Best Chicken and Ribs Greek Food, her husband Asghar working just a few feet away in the kitchen they have shared for over two decades. The couple opened their South Salt Lake City restaurant in May 2002, and from the very beginning, the support of their community has never wavered.

“Owning a small business is joy and/or terror, depending on the day,” Jacqueline Whitmore said with a laugh. And yet, it is clear to anyone who walks through the doors of Copperhive Vintage that joy has the upper hand. A kaleidoscope of color, texture, and nostalgia, her store is more than a place to shop. It is a personal expression, a gathering space, and a curated love letter to the past.

“We’ve carved out a little niche. It’s not flashy. But it’s ours. And there’s meaning in that.” Phil Sherburne, owner of Signed & Numbered, grew up building things. Raised in the Salt Lake City suburbs when they were still open fields and construction sites, he remembers gathering leftover scraps and hammering them into forts, boxes, and chairs. “I think I was five when I made a little chair for my sisters,” he said. “Building just became a part of who I am.” That instinct, passed down through generations - his family came to Utah to work the railroads around the turn of the last century - has guided Phil’s entire life.