“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 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.

“There’s been a store like this on Main Street Midvale since 1933, since the end of Prohibition.” Rob Flygare says it simply, standing behind the counter of the Midvale Liquor Agency, helping customers one after another while trying to answer questions between sales. The interruptions never seem to bother him. In fact, they tell part of the story. After more than twenty-five years of running the shop, this steady rhythm of conversation, regulars, deliveries, and familiar faces has become deeply woven into his life. “It’s my business, it’s my baby,” he says. “I try to stay on top of it all.”

“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 like to be behind the scenes and let the shop be our voice.” Meeting Scott Lyttle, one understands immediately that Tea Zaanti is an extension of who he is: calm, thoughtful, and quietly joyful. Scott's story begins far from Salt Lake City, in a Canadian household where food and conversation were the heartbeat of family life. He was born in Kingston, Ontario, while his father was earning a PhD, and grew up in Philadelphia after a series of moves that eventually settled the family there.