Salt Lake Speaks

The Forecast for Utah’s Future Winters Looks Bleak

You don't need to be a scientist to notice that Utah's weather has been changing drastically for the past several years, but the science sure helps when you're trying to decide when to open the resorts. This year, the snow came early (yay!) and then disappeared (boo!). Many resorts pushed back their opening dates by weeks and even after finally opening the lifts, had to close due to lack of snow and warm temperatures. Brian McInerney, Hydrologist and Lisa Verzella, Observations Program Leader and Forecaster for the Salt Lake City Forecast Weather Office have the numbers, charts and scientific experience to help us understand what is happening with the weather and what Utahns can expect moving forward.

'Tis the Season for Bubbly: Making Champagne Accessible

 

Francis Fecteau of Libation talks with Editor Mary Brown Malouf about her favorite beverage: sparkling wine. Listen to this before buying your holiday wines.

 

Related Articles: How to Enjoy Wine at the Eccles | We Olive Wine Bar | Top Tips for Novice Wine Buyer | Top 6 SLC Wine Restaurants for Win

This Immeasurable Place: It's more than just a National Monument

Blake Spalding, co-owner of the famous restaurant Hell's Backbone Grill on the edge of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, talks about the relationship between food, place and people.

 

Related Articles: The Immeasurable Place Cookbook | Dining Influencers: Hell's Backbone Grill | Why Bears Ears Matters | The Controversy over Bears Ears

 

The Challenge of Satire on Stage

Politics are not new to the world of theatre. Playwrights have been needling and instigating controversial discussion for centuries. One of the first anti-war comedies was written in 411 B.C. Aristophanes’s Lysistrata, which centers around a female-led-sex-strike, was actually banned in the United States in 1873 as obscene. And the clash between theater and the powers that be has continued ever since. So it’s no surprise a recent production of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. New York’s Public Theatre‘s assassinated resembled President Donald Trump and lost the support of major sponsors, including Delta Airlines.

Salt Lake Acting Company annually produces Saturday’s Voyeur—a cabaret show poking fun at local and national politics, as well as the so-called “dominant” Mormon culture. What is the art’s responsibility to launch controversial discussions? Where do you draw the line between satire and bullying?

The Tiny Miracles of Utah

Pregnancy is a time of joy, anticipation and lots of planning. But what happens when things don’t go according to plan? Each year 10 to 15 percent of babies born in the U.S are admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit.  Most are premature or have a medical condition that requires special care. In our 2017 November/December issue we sat down with three families who’s birth experience did not go to plan. But what they get instead, they say, are tiny miracles. Joining us today is the Joy family.

Drawing the Line between Good and Bad Art

The definition of art has been an ongoing discussion that spans centuries, and it seems will continue moving forward. The best answer most people come up with is, “art is in the eye of the beholder.” But that becomes even more complicated when the topic evolves into whether a specific piece of art is good or bad. It is one thing if an individual chooses to go see a play, concert or museum, but where does public art fit into a community like Salt Lake City? Who is doing the curating, who is doing the creating and who gets to do the criticizing? On this week’s episode, Joy Haynes and Steven Labrum of 3Irons, a two person creativity support group discuss the ins and outs of creating and experiencing art and what it means to Utah’s art community. 

American Nouveau

Andrew Cliburn, general manager at Current Fish & Oyster, introduces the Beaujolais Nouveau alternative—natural American wine. Learn about these wines at by listening to the podcast and taste the wines tomorrow, Wednesday, November 19 at 6 p.m. at Current Fish & Oyster.

Talking Turkey (and other treats) with local butcher Philip Grubisa

Philip Grubisa—chef and owner of artisan butcher shop Beltex Meats, tells Mary Malouf all about buying and roasting the holiday turkey—or whatever meat you're cooking for your holiday feast. Tips on buying, brining and cooking. 

Managing Holiday Stress

The holidays bring images of family, food and friends to mind, but what about the stressors that always accompany those traditions? Most of us have some memory of our moms or grandmas frantically cleaning the house for company or expressing anxiety about cooking for dozens of people. Especially in Utah, where there are so many large families, how do we manage the holiday stress? Jen Reuben, owner of Salt Lake Power Yoga, joins us to discuss the experience of holiday stress and to give listeners some tips and tricks to avoid mental fatigue. Take some time for yourself this holiday season and remember to breathe.

A meal to raise the dead.

Despite Halloween’s long, creepy shadow over our culture, its twin, the Day of the Dead, turns the tradition of fear and fright on it’s head.

Dia de los Muertos is a celebration of life, love and good food to which the dead are encouraged to join.

Dining Editor Mary Brown Malouf talked to Matt Lake, owner of Salt Lake’s Alamexo restaurants, about this macabre party to lure a family’s beloved dead to the table for a night of memories.

But most of all, Mary and Matt talked food: especially a simple traditional sandwich—mollete—that is guaranteed to bring La Catrina, death’s grande dame, to your table. Think: house-made Mexican bread filled with spicy black beans, Oaxaca cheese, chorizo and pico de gallo.