Meeting the Neon Trees' front man, Tyler Glenn, is an exceptional experience. He is soft spoken and thoughtful, and yet he communicates powerfully his passion for helping LGBTQ youth. When his friend, Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, called him about his idea to put on a concert to support, affirm…
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Jake Buntjer, AKA Mr. Pauper, defies description as a creative person. A born and bred Utahn, he has worn many artistic hats - photographer, art director, set designer, found object artist. He's worked on movie, video, and theatrical sets. He was one of the artists who assisted in creating the Utah…
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Tami Steggell is a top-notch artist when it comes to cookies. Drawing inspiration from every taste, cuisine, and culture that she comes into contact with, she has parlayed that creativity into the incredibly successful (and delicious!) business, RubySnap Bakery. Cookie flavors are innovative - some…
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Adesina Daniel Oduntan is an expert beekeeper who runs a unique Salt Lake business - Bee-Craft Consult. Daniel brought his business to Utah from Nigeria and has found great success here amongst the friendly locals. As a university agriculture student, Daniel decided that he was going to be…
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In 2013, an act of historic significance came to pass: the first gin distillery in Utah in more than a hundred years opened in Salt Lake. Beehive Distilling is the brainchild of three men: Chris Barlow, Erik Ostling, and Matt Aller. The three had previously been in careers requiring creative…
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Marguerite Van Komen is a ski patroller and avalanche professional at Snowbird, and her partner, Frankie, is a black lab avalanche rescue dog. As a part of the incredible team of patrollers and avy dogs that help to protect those who enjoy gorgeous Little Cottonwood Canyon, they spend their days…
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The Natural History Museum of Utah houses an incredible collection of natural wonders. With galleries dedicated to Utah’s botany, mineralogy, zoology, entomology, anthropology and more, all housed in the beautiful and artfully designed Rio Tinto Center, the museum is a must-visit on any trip to Salt…
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Many know Salt Lake for its incredible mountains. But did you know Salt Lake also has incredible mountain climbers? Meet Kyra Condie and Nathaniel Coleman, both Team USA climbers for the Tokyo Olympics. Originally, the Tokyo Olympics were scheduled for 2020, but due to the pandemic have been…
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Salt Lake is a thriving modern community, and the Salt Lake City International Airport is the lifeblood of that growth. Bill Wyatt, the Director of Airports, has a monumental task set in front of him: ensure the brand-spanking new, slick, state-of-the art $4.1 billion facility with considerably more…
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Having immigrated to Salt Lake from Lebanon at age 18, Moudi Sbeity—co-owner of Laziz Kitchen, farmer’s market mainstay, muhammara master, and out-and-proud “hummus sexual”—is our most recent feature of Salt of the Earth: The People and Places of Salt Lake. Moudi went from making batches of hummus…
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Valter’s Osteria is a Salt Lake mainstay—many would argue that its the best restaurant in the city--and likewise, Valter Nassi is a true example of Salt of the Earth. With a restaurateur resume that spans from Italy to Switzerland to England to Kenya to our city of Salt (he calls it “my city”)…
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The Greatest Snow On Earth® has a particular gravity, and here in Salt Lake we’re fortunate that the pull of the snow brings some of the best people on the planet. Raelene Davis has been enthusiastically promoting Utah’s snow at Ski Utah since 1985, currently VP of Marketing, and we’re lucky to…
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Angela H. Brown is the kind of person who reflects and creates culture, and she’s the most recent feature in our Salt of the Earth series. As a stereotype-breaking example of ‘born and raised in Salt Lake,’ Angela has made our city her home, and she’s helped engender the lesser-known side of the…
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Familiar voice on the radio, blues musician who’s played with Willy and Joe McQueen, and Salt Lake mainstay, Brad Wheeler is another Salt of the Earth character. Brad is easy to spot—at 6ft 7in and bearded like Brigham with a hat that often tops it all off, “Bad” Brad Wheeler stands as a singular…
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Ken Sanders is the literal definition of Salt of the Earth. A familiar face on PBS’ Antiques Roadshow, local activist, Monkey Wrenching apologist, friend of Edward Abbey, vinyl enthusiast, and librarian of Utah ephemera, Ken is the kind of person that creates honest community. Whether you’ve walked…
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Ask anyone where you definitely need to eat in Salt Lake, and you'll get one response-Red Iguana. Red Iguana has been a Salt Lake institution, serving up traditional Oaxacan dishes and generations-old recipes to generations of Utahn's. Known best for their moles (a slow-cooked sauce with up to 23…
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Most people are surprised to learn about Salt Lake's rich brewing and distilling culture. Fact is, Salt Lake was a booze capital of the early West. From Brigham Young's infamous Valley Tan to the breweries planted at each water-powered canyon in Northern Utah, you can understand why the first…
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