Food Festivals & Events
Salt Lake Magazine ’s annual Tastemakers event is a surefire way to kick off the summer festivities. With food and drink vendors from around the state coming together to put on a two-day, food-devouring festival, it never ceases to amaze. For those who have never attended this event, let us break it down for you. With the purchase of a two-day ticket, you are given a “passport” to stop by different food vendor booths and sample a bite off their menus. With over 20 food vendors inside The Gateway , you’re given a rare opportunity to hop from restaurant to restaurant without having to drive several miles. Once you have completed the sampling session at The Gateway , you can head over to the shuttle, which makes routine stops at even more restaurants that are participating in the event. Whether you love the delicious crab cakes being offered at Market Street Grill or want to try some ceviche from Squatters , the options are wide open. VIP patrons get additional tastings from various other restaurants and the added bonus of five drinks, ranging from a rosé wine to a craft cocktail by a local distillery. Tastemakers is an event that many locals look forward to each and every year, and it always brings with it a new sense of adventure and unique flavors. For those who love a date night and can’t decide on the best restaurant to try, come out to Tastemakers and try them all.
Click images for captions
(L–R) Carl Churchill, Lori Churchill, Mariah Hale and
Denai Churchill are the frontrunners behind Alpha Coffee, a coffeeshop of
veterans supporting veterans. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Fav Bistro had a steady line throughout the event with
their delicious tasting of the pumpkin curry puff in yellow curry and rice. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Martine provided us with avocado tostadas with picked red onion and cilantro. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Beehive cheeses are always a staple of any great Utah food event. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Creminelli’s fine meats are the perfect pairing to the
Beehive Cheese being served up in the same booth. Photo: Talyn Sherer
The cake batter dough balls by Dough Co. kept us
coming back for seconds and thirds. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Dough Co.’s Samoa dough balls are saturated with
delicious flavor. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Tucanos had a full fare with their garlic sirloin, parmesan chicken and grilled pineapple over a bed of rice and beans. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Justin Shifflett is head chef and mastermind behind
Stoneground’s rotating menus. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Stoneground helps us stay healthy with their house-smoked mozzarella on top of blistered green beans, pickled shallots and finished with cashews. Photo: Talyn Sherer – Stoneground helps us stay healthy with their house-smoked mozzarella on top of blistered green beans, pickled shallots and
finished with cashews. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Rico Cocina y Tequila Bar showcased their Pork al Pastor served with grilled pineapple and micro greens. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Park City Culinary Institute gave us a refreshing palate
cleanser with their Ajo Blanco, a Spanish cold soup made of bread, crushed almonds, garlic, water, olive oil, salt and vinegar. Photo: Talyn Sherer
(L–R) Laurie Moldawer Minh Pham, Zac Elliott (director) and Sean Woodward are some of the talented chefs running Park City Culinary Institute. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Ruby Snap made life extremely difficult as we were tasked with choosing our favorite cookie from the bunch. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Jafflz is the newest craze with their toasted pocket
sandwiches, ranging from sweet to savory and available in various grocers
throughout the town. Photo: Talyn Sherer
We Olive shows us the complex flavor of their oils by topping off a pineapple salsa with jalapeño oil and pineapple balsamic. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Rodizio’s brought out their infamous pork sausage and grilled pineapple. Photo: Talyn Sherer
(L–R) Gateway’s newest addition, Midici, is all thanks to Marc Crossman and Shane Barber. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Midici provides us with a taste of their signature
selection with the burrata combined with melon and prosciutto. Photo: Talyn Sherer
For dessert, Midici brought out the Nutella Calzone with fresh berries. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Yoshi’s Godzilla sushi roll was a nice break from the
other offerings being presented throughout the day. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Eddeesan is the creative genius behind Yoshi’s Japanese Grill. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Pig & a Jelly Jar brought out the big guns with their
Cheddar-Poblano Waffle, topped with pulled pork, cherry habanero glaze and
dusted with powdered sugar. Photo: Talyn Sherer
We Olive is a great olive oil experience that brings out some of the best oils from near and far. Photo: Talyn Sherer
TopGolf draws a crowd with their brightly colored swag. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Have you ever had a P’Zookie? Regardless of your answer, Dough Co. is ready to have you experience it like never before. Photo: Talyn Sherer
San Diablo Churros sit in the warmer, awaiting their user selected fillings. Photo: Talyn Sherer
A lemon curd filling goes great with any San Diablo
Churro. Photo: Talyn Sherer
The Garage on Beck kept us refreshed with their
“Reverse Cowgirl” cocktail. Photo: Talyn Sherer
The SnowAngel Kummel by Waterpocket Distilling is an
absolute herbal liquor treat. Photo: Talyn Sherer
An exchange of goods takes place at Texas De Brazil. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Texas De Brazil provided one of the most delicious items of the event with their flank steak and horseradish mashed potatoes topped
with their signature chimichurri sauce. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Beltex Meats was a welcome surprise with their Cuban Tea Sandwich featuring orange pork, picked radish and grainy mustard. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Blue Lemon served up a refreshing black bean ravioli with a roasted red pepper cream sauce seasonal veggies and micro greens. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Kid Curry mixed things up with their newest vanilla
caramel vodka. Photo: Talyn Sherer
John Gregersen is both the head distiller and co-owner
of Distillery 36, one of Utah’s great rum makers. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Dented Brick Distillery passes out small swag bags for your after-party pleasure. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Dented Brick debuts their new labels at this year’s
Tastemaker’s event. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Polar Seltzer gave us a taste of their growing lineup of delicious calorie-free flavored waters. Photo: Talyn Sherer
New World Distillery brought out the complete line of spirits they are offering up. Photo: Talyn Sherer
(L–R) SLUG Executive Editor Angela H. Brown poses with Alanja and
Jessica Ohlen while enjoying the delicious tastings in the VIP section. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Sugarhouse Distillery crafts up a delicious peach
cocktail. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Talisman Brewing Co. highlighted their triple IPA. On Thursday and Friday’s event. Photo: Talyn Sherer
(L–R) Melissa Utermoehlen and Sadie Spalding head up the market sales of Talisman’s tasty brews. Photo: Talyn Sherer
(R–L) Toby Brotherton, Allie Hurtado, Ethan White and
Molly Miloscia were thrilled to attend this years event and experience the VIP
section in full gear. Photo: Talyn Sherer
(L–R) Yelp staffers Chelsea Chen and Stephanie
Backman take a short break to discover what the VIP section has to offer. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Nestled inside of the old Forever 21 department store is where all of Tastemaker’s finest food and drink live. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Tastemakers’ VIP comes with its own security and
oversight courtesy of the volunteers for the event. Photo: Talyn Sherer
(L–R) Donald Cherry and Chelsea Ericksen talked about previous years’ events and how it continues to evolve into greater and greater things. Photo: Talyn Sherer
The live music of Tastemakers created an upbeat atmosphere
throughout the two-day event. Photo: Talyn Sherer
A unique blend of cover songs rang throughout the Gateway, keeping both Tastemakers attendees and surrounding shoppers hyped up. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Songs from the event’s live band provided us with a nice blend of styles on some iconic songs. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Test your skills at the giant Jenga game provided by Yelp SLC. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Spencers treats us to a subtle yet sweet green tea
crème brûlée. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Spencers shows off their taco game, proving that they can be extremely versatile in their approach to steak. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Two Tastemakers patrons relax their feet and stomachs after making their way through several vendors. Photo: Talyn Sherer
(R–L) Aiko Corralz, Tina Nguyen and Monica Vonvdara enjoy their return to this years event after having enjoyed the previous tastings in years past. Photo: Talyn Sherer
(L–R) Dan and Kelli True take a seat and enjoy the
summer sun basking over the Tastemakers event. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Libations were aplenty throughout the day with a
variety of wines being offered. Photo: Talyn Sherer
(L–R) Alli Blake and Karina Soriano of Dented Brick
Distillery lounge on the chairs and enjoy some friendly conversation. Photo: Talyn Sherer
(L–R) SLUG Editor Alex Ortega enjoys a drink with
his fiancée, artist Nancy Rivera. Photo: Talyn Sherer
(L–R) Whitney Naycock, Thomas Naycock, Ty Smith, David Holt, Amber Holt, Rachelle Martin, Grayson Martin and Patrick
Martin came out as a complete crew to fully enjoy Tastemakers in great
detail. Photo: Talyn Sherer
(L–R) Juniper (Juni), Sheree and former SLUG food writer Alex Springer made Tastemakers a family affair as they went booth to booth sampling at their own pace. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Patrons patiently await the Tastemakers shuttle to take them to the next tasting destination. Photo: Talyn Sherer
As the sun begins to set, Tastemakers attendees rush to jump on the bus to Finca. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Finca provided us with some savory salmon fritters to start off our tour. Photo: Talyn Sherer
After our first tasting of the tour at Finca, we head back out to await the shuttle to take us to the next destination. Photo: Talyn Sherer
On the way to Squatters we get to enjoy the amazing artists at work who keep our city streets alive with color. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Squatters’ ceviche was an unexpected but delightful
surprise. Photo: Talyn Sherer
The New Yorker hands out some calamari fries with a
tomato, olive and parmesan sauce. Photo: Talyn Sherer
The always appreciated crab cakes from Market Street Grill are something to look forward to every year. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Rio Grande gave us a selection of tacos from veggie to pork street tacos. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse hands out the yearly tasting of their steak sandwich with a toasted garlic bun. Photo: Talyn Sherer
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory had lines out the
door with Tastemakers aficionados. Photo: Talyn Sherer