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Ogden River Brewing opened this week at 358 Park Blvd. — about a block from where Utah’s historic Becker Brewing and Malting Co. was founded in 1890.
It’s the state’s 35th brewery and includes a beer production facility and a 250-seat gastropub for dining. It also has two patios — including a rooftop bar with views of the Ogden River and Wasatch Mountains. It’s open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.
Head brewer Pat Winslow was the original founder, launching the business with $30,000 from a successful Kickstarter campaign. Later, he partnered with Lotus Co. — a Salt Lake City real estate and development firm — to finish the project.
Lotus also plans a second brewery — called Fife Brewing Co. — at 61 E. 700 South in Salt Lake City. The company has hired Patrick Bourque, formerly of Uinta Brewing, as the director of brewing for both operations.
Ogden River’s assistant brewer is Landon Jeffery — the 2019 Homebrewer of the Year.
— Kathy Stephenson
(Photo courtesy of A Mano Artisan Pastsa) A Mano Artisan pasta sells regular and gluten-free pastas in various shapes from long spaghetti and short farfalle to several versions of filled raviolis.
New ghost kitchen offers handmade pasta
Maria Lara never liked the texture of dry supermarket pasta. It was too heavy, too grainy. It wasn’t until she made her own fresh version of the Italian staple that her pasta perspective changed. “I loved it,” said Lara, who grew up in Ecuador. “It’s just way different — like day and night.”
In August, Lara launched A Mano Artisan Pasta as a way to fight quarantine boredom. It is one of several new ghost kitchens in Salt Lake City.
A Mano — which means “by hand” in Italian — sells regular and gluten-free pastas in various shapes from long spaghetti and short farfalle to several versions of filled raviolis.
The five-cheese ravioli, filled with Parmesan, provolone, mozzarella, ricotta and cream cheese, has become a customer favorite.
The 8-, 16- or 32-ounce packages cost $8 to $25; gluten-free pasta is $15 to $32.
Order online Wednesdays before noon for pickup Thursday-Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Square Kitchen on 751 W. 800 South, in Salt Lake City.
— Alixel Cabrera
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Chef Noor Eddin Abdul Bari, owner of Noor Al Sham, specializes in shawarma and Syrian cuisine, in his booth at the Gallivan Center, as Salt Lake City's Spice Kitchen Incubator program serves a variety of international cuisine at the welcome party for the United Nations Civil Society Conference, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019.
Citizenship for Noor
Congratulations to chef Noor Eddin Abdul Bari, his wife and their five children — all of whom studied and passed the test to become U.S. citizens recently.
Noor, the owner of Noor Al Sham, a catering business that he started with the support from the Spice Kitchen Incubator, says one of the first things he plans to do as a citizen is vote in Tuesday’s presidential election.
The 45-year-old worked as a chef in Damascus before leaving Syria in 2011 — about six months after civil war erupted.
— Kathy Stephenson
Apollo Burger founder dies
John Ziouras, the founder of Utah’s Apollo Burger group of restaurants died this week at age 76.
Ziouras was one of the state’s many Greek immigrant success stories — arriving in the U.S. when he was just 12 years old and working as a young man in his parents’ Chicago restaurant, where he met his wife Stella.
He moved his family to Utah in 1982 and opened the state’s first Apollo Burger two years later. The restaurant menu followed other popular Greek-owned establishments serving American hamburgers with piles of pastrami or feta cheese.
The model endures today at Apollo Burger’s 13 locations across the Wasatch Front.
— Kathy Stephenson
A new Monday market
Outdoor events are continuing into November with the launch of Mom’s Monday Market, featuring food trucks and arts and crafts.
The weekday market will be held Nov. 2, 9 and 16 from 4 to 7:30 p.m at Pioneer Park. It fills the gap between the closure of the Saturday market and the opening of the Winter Market at The Gateway.
The event is free, but attendance is limited to meet coronavirus safety restrictions. Participants need to RSVP at Eventbrite to reserve a spot. Face coverings will be required.
— Kathy Stephenson