“We wanted to build a place where people felt comfortable coming in, even if they did not know exactly what they were getting,” Mike Blocher says. “The idea was always to take care of people and let the food speak.” Table X did not appear overnight. It grew slowly and deliberately, shaped by years of work and a belief that food could be thoughtful without being intimidating. From the beginning, it was built on trust: trust between three chefs who believed in one another, trust in cooking seasonally and locally, and trust that guests would be willing to follow them on a culinary journey.

“I would like to say it is a temple to food.” Omar Abou-Ismail says it simply, but everything about Rawtopia Living Cuisine and Beyond is built to support that one idea - a space that nourishes. Not only through what is presented on the table, but through what the food represents to him, and why this restaurant has become his life’s work.

“I was born in Georgia but came here when I was two. So, this is all I know.” John Feldman’s parents were pulled west by the Olympics and became anchored, unexpectedly, by the mountains. “We came here in 2000. My dad has a PhD in medicinal chemistry. He worked for the Olympics in their drug wing, going from Atlanta for the summer games to Utah for the winter games.”

“If you could do anything, what would you do?” This was the question posed to Heather Santi years ago, and her answer was quite simple. “Breakfast.” Long before Eggs in the City became a Salt Lake City institution, she knew this was her favorite meal of the day and one she wanted to share with others. It was not about food trends or culinary ego. It was about people.

“I would have thought you were a little crazy if you told me a year before this that I would be running a cleaning company.” For Steven Connors, owner of Maid Brigade in Salt Lake City, this chapter was never part of the original plan. He grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, one of four children in a swim-tennis community where days were spent outside riding bikes, playing sports, and roaming the neighborhood. At the University of Georgia, he studied finance, ran track and cross country, and graduated in 2007 with a clear, conventional path ahead of him.

“I grew up around horses - riding horses - you know, the whole little farm thing.” In this Rocky Mountain Bully Chews profile, Sue Steel’s story begins in rural Idaho, the oldest of seven on a farm where there were a couple of milk cows, pigs at times, a dog or two, cats, and always horses. Her father taught FFA and agriculture at the local high school, leasing their sixty acres to neighboring farmers until, in retirement, he became an agronomist, the kind of practical advisor who helps growers choose what they need to make their crops thrive. Country days shaped Sue: chores before school, rides at dusk, and an easy love of animals that never left.

“I just love food. I love everything about it. I love cooking it, baking, eating, looking at it, watching people make it. Traveling for food is my favorite thing.” For Monet Clough, Catering and Events Director of Beaumont Bakery & Café, that love has never been abstract. She grew up just down the road from the Olympus Hills Shopping Center, with Mount Olympus and Grandeur Peak filling the windows of her childhood. As a teenager, she was constantly in motion, playing basketball, volleyball, and running track. Between practices she came up the hill to work in the place that would quietly become her second home. She was seventeen, in 2021, when she walked into Beaumont Bakery for the first time.

“Your past does not define you. You are capable of healing, and you are capable of change.” For Ronda Davis, the founder of Healing Feathers, those words are not a slogan but the compass that has guided every step of her life.

“Utah is my eighth state,” Joe Bott admitted laughing as if even he still finds it hard to believe. “We moved constantly for my mom’s job. But somehow this ended up being the place that made the most sense to come back to.” Joe’s journey is as winding as the story behind Second Summit Hard Cider Co., which he owns in partnership with his mother, Vicki.

“I literally woke up and thought, you need to do something with cupcakes for [my daughter] Celina.” Natalie Jensen never imagined that one day she would own So Cupcake. She grew up in Salt Lake City’s Millcreek area, graduated from the University of Utah with a master’s degree in social work, and spent her early career helping children at the Children’s Center. “I never, ever thought I would own a bakery,” she said. “My mom was a really good cook, and I learned from her, but I was never into baking.”

“Food is my language. I bring my spices from Peru, I cook with my heart, and I believe everything will turn out well.” Rubi’s Peruvian Taste is Rubi Gutierrez’s life’s work and love letter to two homes. She grew up in Lima as the youngest of six, the daughter who stayed closest to her mother and the one who loved the kitchen most. Her mother ran a small restaurant three blocks from their house, and by eight years old Rubi was chopping onions and tomatoes, learning that the pot only tastes right when the cook cares.

"I did not create a business. I created an art project. Something that is living, breathing, giving artists the opportunity to pursue it as a career, and having them work in a safe place where they can feel fulfilled. It’s taken on a life of its own, and it keeps evolving. I could not be prouder of what I was able to create.” For Mason Atlas, the founder of The Hive SLC Tattoo & Aftercare, tattooing has always been more than ink on skin. It is a dialogue between art, culture, and the human experience - a collaboration that changes both the artist and the client.

“Food brings people together," Jason Hess shared. "It was something I could do that felt meaningful and connected everyone around me.” At Millcreek Olive Oil, that same sense of connection fills the air. The shop is warm and welcoming, with rows of shelves lined with enticing pantry goods and gifts. Along one wall, gleaming stainless-steel canisters invite customers to taste from dozens of olive oils, and bottles of balsamic vinegars sit on tables.

“It is my own little playground with really good pizza.” Stacy House grew up just south of Chicago in Coal City, a small town where pizza ruled the restaurant scene. “The only restaurant, to be honest, that I ever wanted to own was a pizza place,” she said. “Because I grew up south of Chicago, and I have a very specific pizza type and flavor that I love, and I’ve had a very hard time finding it in the West.” That dream finally became a reality with Millcreek Pizza House, the restaurant she and her family opened in 2024.

“People have wondered how we could work together for forty years. But since we kind of do different things - even though they overlap - I have mIne and he has his. Some days are easier than others, but we have found a way to make it work.” Kelly and Majid Omana have built a life together in every sense - married since 1983, partners in Evergreen Framing Co. & Gallery since 1985, and still going strong.

“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 feel a sense of responsibility to provide people with the things that are getting harder and harder to find,” Annette Raverino says with a warm smile. “I am really lucky.” Luck may have played a small part in Annette’s journey, but passion, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to tradition have been the true foundations of Mediterranean Market & Deli. Her story stretches back generations, rooted in the northern Italian Alps, a place where her mother was raised and where Annette spent time cooking with family.