by Heather May, The Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake City was listed as one of seven "Up-and-Coming Food Cities," along with Charleston, Boulder, Colo., Athens, Ga., Louisville, Kent., Nashville and Birmingham, Ala., in a new Zagat blog post.

From Zagat.com: "While many regard this Western town more for its skiing or religious ties, the burgeoning culinary scene is undeniably exciting, especially when it comes to the number of restaurants cooking local, with an emphasis on foraging. At hipster haunt Pago, owner Scott Evans is committed to getting products from local purveyors. The same philosophy holds true with chefs like Viet Pham of Forage, a Food & Wine Best New Chef and Iron Chef America victor, whom we interviewed recently to discuss SLC's potential for culinary growth:

'I would say Salt Lake City’s dining scene is up and coming. We have all of the elements and ingredients to be like a Portland, OR, or an Austin, TX. For a long time, cooks have overlooked Salt Lake City - it’s always been about conventions, the church and skiing. But Forage has been around for three years, and so much has changed within the past few years. There’s been a lot of really great restaurants opening and a lot of national recognition. It’s getting better and better, and it’s really exciting to be a part of.'"