Cucina Deli in Salt Lake City’s Avenues neighborhood has always been a favorite spot for breakfast and lunch. Now, it’s a place to enjoy dinner.

Owner Dean Pierose recently updated the building at 1026 E. 2nd Ave., and added an evening menu filled with Mediterranean comfort foods such as country-style pork ribs with beans, slow-cooked beef stew, fresh pasta and a rotating chicken specials. Prices average $12.

High West Distillery & Saloon, in Park City, and its chef James Dumas, are semifinalists for the 2013 James Beard Foundation Awards, according to an announcement made on Monday morning.

The Park City Distillery is among 25 establishments selected for the “Outstanding Bar Program,” while Dumas is one of 22 selected for the “Best Chef: Southwest” honor. Viet Pham and Bowman Brown, co-owners/chefs at Forage, in Salt Lake City, join Dumas in the best Southwest chef category.

The Ja...

Chef Kyle Lore can no longer be called “that pasta guy” from the Downtown Farmers Market. The former owner of Nu Nooz Artisan Pasta company is now the executive chef at Jasoh! Prime and Pub, in Ogden.

Last May, Lore shuttered his 2-year-old pasta company and took a job as the Executive Chef for Ridley’s Family Markets in Twin Falls, Idaho. The break may have been just what he needed.

On his Nu Nooz Facebook page he said he had lost 35 pounds and by coming back to Utah is ...

Don Shula’s first Utah restaurant — a high-end steakhouse in Salt Lake City — closed several years ago. But the NFL Hall-of-Fame-coach-turned-restaurant-owner has decided to give the state another try.

On Tuesday, he was in West Valley City for the grand opening of Shula’s 347 Grill, located inside the new Embassy Suites Hotel near Valley Fair Mall. The casual eatery, named for the number of Shula’s career coaching wins, serves salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, fresh fish, ri...

Celebrate Chinese New Year at the Mandarin in Bountiful. The 2013 event, which will ring in the year of the snake, kicks off Monday, Feb. 11, and continues through Saturday, Feb. 23.

In addition to the regular menu, the Bountiful restaurant is offering a special menu for parties for four or more for $20 per person. It includes crab cream cheese wonton, mini egg roll, choice of soup, Hunan beef, satay pork noodle, honey walnut chicken, coconut Thai shrimp, rice and a trio of homemade ice creams in passion fruit, ...

Looking for some something sweet for your honey? Buzz over to The Honey Stop, a new Salt Lake City store that sells raw honey from around the country.

The 2-month-old business, located at 159 E. 800 South, will hold a grand opening celebration Saturday, Feb. 9 from 9 a.m.- 6 p.m.

The owner, a former pilot, sells wildflower honeys from Utah, Oregon, Hawaii and Canada; orange blossom honey from California, buckwheat honey from Pennsylvania...

“Chocolate and Cheese” is the theme for February’s “Pop Up” Winter Market, sponsored by the Downtown Alliance. It’s happening Saturday, Feb. 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Caputo’s Market and Deli, 314 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City.

Shoppers can stock up on local chocolates, cheeses and other treats for their Valentine. Utah farmers and producers also will be selling winter root vegetables, potatoes, kale, micro-greens, herbs, squash, spinach and garlic. There also will be lo...

Lindsay S. Nixon, author of the Happy Herbivore Cookbook Series and the award-winning happyherbivore.com blog, is holding a meet-up tonight at Frisch eatery, 779 S. 500 East, in Salt Lake City.

From 6 to 8 p.m., fans can meet Nixon, ask questions about vegetarian and healthy eating as well as get cookbooks signed.

Nixon has sold more than 100,000 cookbooks including The Happy Herbivore Cookbook, Everyd...

The next time you think something you ate may have made you sick, report it to the new “I Got Sick” website launched by The Utah Department of Health.

The online system, which can be found at igotsick.health.utah.gov, allows the general public to report illnesses that may be related to food they consumed at home, in a restaurant, or at a group gathering.

The system was developed to make it faster and easier for the general public to securel...

“Create What You Crave,” a new series of classes offered at The Leonardo, kicks off on Friday, Feb. 1 with a class on sous vide.

Participants will learn the science behind this unique cooking method that involves vacuum-packing food and cooking it at a low temperature for a long period of time, similar to poaching. (See the accompanying photo.)

Sous vide cooking changes the internal structure of meats, poultry, fish and even fruits and v...

Mark Pyne, of Lehi — and his over-the-top grilled green tomato burger — is one of 10 finalists in Sutter Home Winery’s “Build a Better Burger” recipe contest.

Pyne’s burger, which was inspired by his love of Southern food, includes grilled green tomatoes, bacon, a garlic lemon mayonnaise, homemade barbecue sauce and shoestring fries.

“My burger has crunch, sour tang, slight saltiness, and sweet goodness. Southern comfort all the way!,” h...

Jen Castle and Blake Spalding, owners of the award-winning Hell’s Backbone Grill and authors of “With a Measure of Grace” are the guest speakers at the Jan. 30 edition of “Social Soup.” Castle and Spalding will explain how their restaurant is helping residents in Boulder find new ways to improve the local food system.

The free discussion begins at noon in the auditorium of the University of Utah’s Marriott Library, 295 S. 1500 East, Salt Lake City. Besides the discussion, guests will get vegetarian soup made wi...

Grilla Bites, a California-based restaurant that emphasizes healthy eating, is expected to open its first Utah location in February near the Gallivan Center in downtown Salt Lake City.

The restaurant serves soups, salads, sandwiches and hamburgers using organic and sustainable ingredients whenever possible, according to the company website. The menu has many vegetarian or vegan options.

Fred Marken star...

Main Street in Salt Lake City gets a touch of Paris with the recent opening of Eva’s Bakery and Cafe at 155 S. Main.

Owner Charlie Perry — who also operates Eva, a small plates restaurant down the street — has remodeled the spot where Vasuvio’s used to be. You can’t miss this “Parisian-style boulangerie,” with its bright blue exterior and yellow canopy.

Inside, there are artisan breads and a glass case with more than a dozen delicious-loo...

For an exclusive, gourmet dinner — that’s not in Park City — there’s SLC POP.

Utah chefs Katie Weinner and Mike Burtis have scheduled two special dinners next week to introduce Utahns to their new “pop up” restaurant business that hosts private, multi-course dining experiences at homes, businesses, coffee shops or gardens.

These 10-course “modernist chef” dinners will Friday and Saturday, Jan. 25 and 26, at Salt Lake City’s Nata Gallery, ...

When David Cole and Peter Erickson launched Epic Brewing Co. in May of 2010, they boasted about being the only Utah operation to make “big” beers, or those with an alcohol content higher than 4 percent by volume. (In Utah speak, that’s the same as 3.2 percent by weight).

That is changing this month as the owners of Epic will soon start selling lower alcohol beers under the name Unsacred Brewing. Cole and Erickson would rather not let fans know that Unsacred’s low-alcohol beers are connected to Epic. In a news rel...

The owners of Utah’s newest brewing company, Unsacred Brewing, wish to remain anonymous considering the shameful act they have just committed — brewing a line of 3.2 percent low-alcohol beers.

In a news release issued Monday, the owners — with tongue planted in cheek — said they were forced to make the low-alcohol beers because of Utah’s stringent alcohol restrictions. According to state law, only beer with 4 percent alcohol by volume (which is 3.2 percent to you and me) can be sold in grocery stores or on tap at...

A Utah resident is one of 10 national finalist in Baskin-Robbins “Next Favorite Flavor Contest.”

Heather Gayler, of Herriman, suggested a red, white and blue ice cream called “Thank You Troops” that is made with vanilla ice cream and mixed with blueberries, cherries and strawberries.

Gayler wrote in her contest application that the flavor is meant to honor the troops and is dedicated to her grandfather, a World War II veteran, who would ...

Several celebrity chefs will be in Park City this weekend, preparing private dinners for the actors, directors and producers attending the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

Award-winning Los Angeles chef Susan Feniger, the owner of STREET and Border Grills, will be in town for a filmmakers dinner. Feniger, who competed on Season 2 of “Top Chef Masters,” is one half of the popular female cooking team known as the “Too Hot Tamales” with longtime business partner Mary Sue Milliken.

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Sub Zero Ice Cream & Yogurt, a Utah company that uses liquid nitrogen to freeze ice cream in front of customers, will be one of the businesses seeking an investor on ABC’s “Shark Tank.”

The episode airs Friday, Jan. 11, at 8 p.m. and will feature Jerry Hancock, CEO and founder of Sub Zero. Hancock said it took more than two years of research to develop the company’s unique ice cream freezing process. The company currently has 24 locations in the U.S., including 12 in Utah. But Hancock needs an infusion of cash ...

Two popular Salt Lake City restaurants — Bayleaf Bar and Grub and The Sugarhouse Barbecue Company — are on the move.

Bayleaf owners announced earlier this week that the last day of operation at 159 S. Main Street will be Sunday, Jan. 20. However, they are planning to reopen a new bar, called Campfire Lounge, in Sugarhouse in a few months.

“We will not have chicken ‘n waffles but we will have a wide selection of beer, great cocktails and win...

Salt Lake City restaurant owner Viet Pham took down an Iron Chef on Sunday with a Utah secret weapon — ice cream. Make that beef fat ice cream.

On Sunday night’s episode of “Iron Chef America” Pham, co-owner of Salt Lake City’s Forage restaurant, defeated Iron Chef — and Food Network darling – Bobby Flay in what was dubbed: Battle Ground Meat. The two chefs had one hour to create five dishes using a combination of ground beef, pork, veal, turkey and lamb.

The early decision by ...

The newest dining darling in Salt Lake City is Caterina, a French-themed restaurant that opened a few days ago in Sugar House.

This restaurant, which pays homage to Caterina de Medici, is located inside the old Post Office at 2155 S. Highland Dr. The executive chef is Jean-Louis Montecot, who previously owned Jean Louis restaurant in Park City and before that was the executive chef at Deer Valley’s Goldener Hirsch.

Caterina’s menu feature...

Utah chef Viet Pham, the runner-up on the second season of “Extreme Chef,” is once again competing on the Food Network. This time Pham, the co-owner of Forage in Salt Lake City, will be going knife-to-knife with celebrity chef Bobby Flay on “Iron Chef America.”

The “Flay vs. Pham” episode airs this Sunday, Jan. 6, at 8 p.m. and will repeat Monday, Jan. 7 and Saturday, Jan. 12. (Check local listings). The competition was filmed last July.

In September, Pham came close to winni...

Time is running out to vote for City Dogs as the Best Vegan Food Truck in the country. Fans have until 1 p.m. today, Monday, Dec. 17, to cast their ballot at peta2.com

The Salt Lake City cart is one of four finalists in the Best Vegan Food Truck category along with trucks from Los Angeles, Austin and Chicago. Winners will be chosen based on several factors, including the public vote.

Best Vegan Food Truck is just one of 22 Libby Awards — s...

Confession time: I love fruit cake. Laugh if you must.

But I’m not alone. Last week, Salt Lake Tribune reader Scott Ford asked if there was a local bakery where he could buy a homemade — not processed — fruitcake for his wife who is ill.

I quickly went on a fruitcake finding mission and discovered several Utah bakeries that made German stollen and Italian panettone. While these are definitely delicious, they are not the moist brown loaf fil...

Forget about “Chopped,” and “Iron Chef,” America’s next culinary competition show could be “Dining with the Chief.”

LENZ-Works, a Utah-based production company, is pitching this reality cooking show where firefighters battle flames in their city and in the kitchen. The pilot features two Salt Lake City fire crews, one from Station 8, at 15 W. 1300 South and another from Station 5 at 1023 E. 900 South.

During the show, each team of firefighters i...

Congratulations to gardener extraordinaire, Dale K. Thurber, of West Valley City, who broke the state record last week for growing the heaviest tomato.

This uniquely shaped fruit came in at 3.486 pounds, during an official weigh-in at the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. That’s just a few ounces more than the previous state record. Of course, Thurber won’t be eating the giant tomato which had started to mold.

Thurber said big tomat...

Here are few new things “brewing” in the Utah beer world.

1. The new Bonneville Brewery in Tooele (formerly Tracks) is still being remodeled, but customers don’t have to wait to taste the beer that head brewer David Watson is making. It’s available now at the All-Star bowling and fun centers in Sandy, West Jordan and Tooele. A bowling alley may be a strange place for micro-brewed beer, until you learn that All Star lanes owner Brad Shepherd, is the new owner of Bonneville Brewing.

After 10 years in business, The Mikado Cottonwood will close. According to an email from Watkins Restaurant Group, Saturday, Dec. 8 will be its last day in operation at 6572 S. Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd.

The announcement comes the same week that former Mikado owner Gene Kwon, pleaded guilty to theft, securities fraud and a pattern of unlawful activity for misleading his friends to obtain loans.

One of t...

Vermont has maple syrup, Alaska has birch tree syrup and now Utah has its own distinctive offering — pine syrup made from the sap of the Blue spruce, the official state tree.

The eco-friendly pine syrup is being produced by Edible Wilds, a small company based in Eden. Owner Steve Golieb said to make the all-natural syrup, the company collects just the bottom branches of blue spruce trees and then boils the sap. The process leaves the tree intact, he said. “No tapping or drilling holes into the tree.”

Seats are still available for Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill’s tequila dinner on Thursday, Dec. 6.

The dinner begins at 7 p.m. and will include three courses, each one paired with a different tequila cocktail. Cost is $60 per person. Call the restaurant to make a required reservation.

Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill •18 N. Rio Grande St., (Gateway Mall) Salt Lake City; 801-456-0450

For anyone who has always dreamed of watching “Cupcake Wars” live, here’s your chance.

Westminster College will host a student “Cupcake Wars” competition on Wednesday, Dec. 5 from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Shaw Center, 1840 S. 1300 East, Salt Lake City. Admission is free.

Four student teams will beat, whip, and frost cupcake concoctions based on a surprise theme and mystery ingredient. The cupcakes will be judged on creativity, taste and appearan...

Amano Artisan Chocolate, Orem, and High West Distillery, Park City, are finalists in this year’s Good Food Awards, which recognizes artisan food producers for creating top-quality products that meet high environmental and socially responsible standards.

Amano’s Chuao 70 percent Dark Chocolate is one of 14 finalists in the chocolate category; while High West’s OMG Pure Rye whiskey is one of 18 finalists in the spirits category. Awards also are given in seven other categories including beer, charcuterie, cheese, co...

Out-of-town guests — and curious locals — can get a taste of the Utah food scene through a walking tour of local food establishments.

Christa Reid said she and a partner decided to start their Savor Salt Lake walking tour business, after taking culinary tours in other cities. “We decided that our own home town need to be showcased,”she said.

Savor Salt Lake’s initial walking tour includes stops in seven downtown shops: The Lion House, Maxwe...

I spent the morning at one of Salt Lake City’s newest foodie corners — 400 South and 400 West. First, I ran into Jerry Leitke, chef/owner at Tin Angel Cafe, at 365 W. 400 South.

Then I walked around back to SugarDaddy Sweet Shoppe — which is open by appointment only — and talked to owner Redge Johnson. He shared a holiday cookie recipe that you’ll see next week in The Tribune.

Finally, I stopped in to see Mele Tua’one, owner of Mololo Gard...

Kick off the holidays on Tuesday, Nov. 20, at the “Lights On” party at La Caille in Sandy.

From 5 to 7 p.m., guests can enjoy complementary beignets and hot chocolate while enjoying holiday lights in the gardens. Guests who want to eat dinner can stay and order the three-course Commonwealth meal for $36, which is served from 4 to 9 p.m. Regular menu also available.

La Caille • 9565 Wasatch Blvd., Little Cottonwood Canyon; 801-942-1751.

Summer may be over, but Utahns can still get fresh food straight from the source on Saturday, Nov. 17, at the kick-off of the new Downtown “pop up” market.

Sponsored by the Downtown Alliance, the market runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Rico Warehouse, 545 W. 700 South, Salt Lake City. This winter market will “pop up” once each month through April at a different Salt Lake City location. (This week’s vendor list is posted below)

Can’t make it to this market? There are two othe...

Heeeee’s baaaaaack! Last night, Salt Lake City’s larger-than-life food personality, Valter Nassi, was welcoming guests into his new restaurant, Valter’s Osteria.

The official opening for this much anticipated Italian eatery at 173 W. 300 South (the old Metropolitan) is Friday, Nov. 16, according to the blog at http://www.valtersosteria.com

“But we silently opened last night,” said Nassi during a telephone interview with The Tribune on Thursday. Of course, it wasn’t much of ...

Less than two hours remain to enter The Salt Lake Tribune’s annual Jell-O Haiku Contest.

Readers have until 5 p.m. today to write a silly, funny or sarcastic haiku about their favorite jiggly food creation and submit it to: http://extras.sltrib.com/jellohaiku/

Write your poem in the form provided. Include your first and last name, as well as a telephone number and an e-mail address, so we can contact you if you win. Phone numbers and e-m...

Leslie Fiet, owner of Mini’s Cupcakes in Salt Lake City, along with her assistant Stephanie Deer, won last night’s episode of “Cupcake Wars.”

The episode, which was filmed in July, was especially notable because it introduced Food Network judges Candace Nelson and Florian Bellanger — as well as viewers — to Utah fry sauce.

In the initial round, participants were required to create a cupcake that fit the “All American” theme. The Mini’s tea...

National restaurant chains are saying “thank you” to U.S. veterans and active military by offering them free meals on Nov. 11 and Nov. 12 All the offers require either a current military identification, VA card, discharge papers or other proof of military service. Here are the specials :

Applebees • Free meal on Sunday, Nov. 11. Seven entrees from which to choose. For locations, visit: http://www.applebees.com/

Chili’s • Free meal, Sunday, Nov. 11. Offer good from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m...

Tickets are still available for the Real Food Rising fall celebration and fundraiser on Thursday, Nov. 8. It runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Rico Warehouse, 575 W. 700 South, Salt Lake City.

Real Food Rising is a youth farming program sponsored by Utahns Against Hunger. Guests who attend can enjoy food from Frida Bistro and Rico, participate in a silent auction, meet the youth farmers and learn more about the program.

Tickets are $35 in advan...

Congratulations to Salt Lake City’s Lucky 13 Bar and Grill which won The World Burger Championships and a check for $10,000.

Lucky 13 defeated nine other finalists with its Spicy Candied Bacon Cajun burger. For the finals, each team drew a different “flavor inspiration” that had to be showcased in their burger offering. Lucky 13 drew the Cajun-themed burger. Other options included Southwest spices, Korean and Mexican. All recipes also had to include A1 Steaksauce, the competition sponsor.

Another team of Utah bakers will compete on the popular Food Network show “Cupcake Wars.”

Leslie Fiet, owner of Mini’s Cupcakes in Salt Lake City, along with her assistant Stephanie Deer, are one of four teams who will participate in the “Cheerleader” episode on Sunday, Nov. 11. The winner of the culinary competition gets $10,000 and a chance to serve their cupcakes at a huge celebration honoring the country’s best cheerleaders.

Fiet is inviting customers to a special vi...

The Salt Lake Tribune will publish a free Thanksgiving Day dining list on Wednesday, Nov. 14. Utah restaurants that would like to be included, should email the details to food@sltrib.com.

Please include the restaurant name, address, telephone number, meal cost, meal time and menu highlights. Put “Thanksgiving dining” in the subject line. Hurry, the deadline is 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 9

The summer market season may have ended, but there’s still a way to get fresh Utah foods straight from the source thanks two new winter markets that kick off this weekend.

Saturday market • Runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the The Utah State Fair Park, 155 N. 1000 West, Salt Lake City. The market will be held the first and third Saturdays of each month from Nov. 3 through March 16. (No market on Dec. 15 and 29.) Organizers say there will be more than two dozen vendors selling produce, food products, crafts and holida...

Forget the champagne. Alta Ski Resort will be celebrating 75 years of skiing with its own anniversary beer.

The first batch of Alta’s 75th Anniversary Ale, produced by Wasatch Brewery, was bottled and packaged on Thursday afternoon. Initially, the beer will be available only at Wasatch’s Beer Store, 1763 S. 300 West, in Salt Lake City. However, in a few weeks it should be available in local grocery stores. And when there’s enough snow for skiing, it will be available at the Alta Resort.