Rouser
“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.
Jorge grew up in Lima, Peru, on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific, surfing in the mornings, and returning home to a kitchen where food carried memory and meaning. His father ran a corporate events business, producing large-scale gatherings that demanded precision and coordination. His mother cooked with an ease that made people linger at the table. Between them, Jorge absorbed both sides of hospitality early on - the choreography behind the scenes and the emotional pull of food prepared with care. “Food in Peru, it’s a big deal,” he said. “There’s always a story behind each dish.”
That sense of story followed Jorge to the United States in 2016 when he began traveling here on a work program while still earning his business degree in Peru. His life moved in seasons. Summers were spent working in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Winters took him back home to finish school. Jackson Hole became his proving ground. He worked across restaurants and hotels, learning the pace and demands of hospitality from the ground up, and it was there that he found his place in the dining room. “My career truly began with my passion for wine - selling it in restaurants.”
Wine, for Jorge, was never about labels or prestige. It was about connection - understanding why something tastes the way it does and how it fits into the moment at the table. That curiosity led him to formal study. He became a sommelier and later attended school in Napa Valley, adding structure and language to instincts he had already developed through years of service.
Those years shaped his personal life as well. In Jackson Hole, Jorge met his wife, who is from Moldova and now works as a preschool teacher for children of the University of Utah staff. Over time, the seasonal rhythm gave way to something more rooted. Jorge graduated from university in Peru in 2020, returned to the U.S. full time in 2022, and soon after, married and started a family. Today, he and his wife are raising three children.
Professionally, Jorge's path continued to unfold. After working in several restaurants and hotels, Jorge joined The Cloudveil, part of the Autograph Collection, in Jackson Hole. It was there that a colleague mentioned an opening in Salt Lake City. He interviewed through multiple rounds before deciding to move his family. He arrived in September 2025 stepping into a restaurant still finding its footing and a city in the midst of growth.
Rouser opened in November 2024 inside the newly restored Asher Adams Hotel, housed in the historic Union Pacific Railroad Depot at The Gateway. The dining room feels expansive, with brick walls, high ceilings, and generous space between tables. “The restaurant is designed for a Michelin-star experience,” Jorge said. Guests are not rushed. Meals are meant to unfold. Conversation is meant to linger.
Hospitality, for Jorge, should feel natural, not rehearsed. “I don’t like the robot style of service." He tells his staff, “Just be yourself. We need to bring the human element.” His goal is to create a dining room where people feel comfortable the moment they arrive. Inside a building that once served as a crossroads for travelers, that idea feels especially fitting. “Back in the day, this used to be a place where people would travel from all over. Now we’re trying to achieve that same gathering space.”
Even the name Rouser is rooted in that history. A rouser was responsible for “waking sleeping passengers.” Awakening the senses runs through the restaurant’s identity. At the heart of the kitchen is a Josper suite - a Spanish-made charcoal oven, grill, and rotisserie. Everything on the menu touches the fire in some way before it is served, creating a subtle smokiness that ties the food back to the building’s past.
At Rouser, the food reflects the same care that shapes the room. Parker House rolls arrive warm with ash butter and local honey. From there, the menu leans into delectable and colorful dishes. Red and golden beets are paired with whipped burrata and spiced pistachios. A baby gem salad arrives crisp and bright, dressed with green goddess and avocado, accented by sunflower purée, tender herbs, teardrop peppers, and a subtle crunch of sunflower dukkah. The beef tartare, which is finished with bone marrow and served with locally baked sourdough from Leavity Bread, has become a favorite among regulars.
From there, dishes move confidently across cultures, always anchored by charcoal. Mains include tenderloin steak served with a house-made sauce and can be ordered with a side of silky puréed potatoes. Other dishes include pappardelle with braised rabbit and Pollo Brasa, a Peruvian-inspired rotisserie half chicken served with fried rice, kimchi, and a fried egg. The short rib is cooked slowly for two days and cuts effortlessly.
Even the desserts continue the charcoal story in quieter ways; a chocolate ash cake is served with vanilla ice cream, strawberries are touched with a bit of subtle smoke layered with meringue and dulce de leche, and the banana cream pie is baked on top of a crisp churro dough. Every dish, be it an appetizer, main dish or dessert is beautifully presented and consistently amazing.
Wine remains central to Jorge’s role. One of his first projects at Rouser was rebuilding the wine program entirely. “I created the wine list from zero,” he said. His goal was clarity and approachability, not intimidation. Old world and new world wines sit side by side, guided by conversation rather than hierarchy. “The wine, for me, is a tool to have impact. There’s a lot of people involved in creating one single product, and when you tell that story, it makes it special.”
In the end, everything comes back to people for Jorge - developing staff, building leaders, and creating a place where guests feel seen. “It’s not just about making money,” Jorge said. “It’s about how you impact people’s lives.” Rouser is not simply a restaurant inside a historic building. It is a place shaped by movement, fire, and care, guided by someone who still speaks about his work with gratitude. “And for me, here I am in Salt Lake City, doing what I love.”
