You can pretend all you like but Summer will soon be a faded memory. Before we’re all plunged into darkness, snow and inversion we get a fleeting reprieve of fun fall weather first though – not to mention – some last great food events to enjoy this year. Here are the very best coming up, don’t miss these! After that its three months of grumbling about the air and snow, you’ve been warned…
Feast Of The Five Senses
For me the jewel in the crown of the season’s food events is this grand fundraiser in October. Heck it’s the jewel in the glass, on the plate and in the belly too. Every year Slow Food Utah bring together some of the most talented locals in the biz to put on a night long party that showcases the very finest in local cooking talent, ingredients and beverages.
The 2019 edition of this event promises to the biggest and best yet – returning for its 15th year in one of the grandest and most unique settings – The Salt Lake Masonic Temple (650 E. South Temple).
The evening usually begins with passed appetizers, cocktails/wine/beer and a silent auction before moving onto a seated multi course dinner with wine pairings (ably selected and supplied by Francis Fecteau). After dinner wrapped up last year we all left with little goodie bags courtesy of Caputo’s Market too. Some might claim they were too stuffed after the grand dinner to even look in the bag; not me, I ate the lot the same night groaning on the sofa.
It’s one of the highlights of the culinary year and 2019 is shaping up pretty impressively already. Those participating for the 2019 event so far include:
- Shon Foster – Sego Restaurant
- Logen Crew – SLC Eatery
- Alan Brines – Current Fish & Oyster
- Mariah Christensen & Casey Bowthorpe – Harmons
- Park City Culinary Institute
- Buzz Willey – Pallet
- Nathan Powers – Bambara
- Adam Kreisel – Chaia Cucina
- Romina Rasmussen – Les Madeleines
Wine this year will again be by Francis Fecteau’s Libation LLC, cocktails are courtesy of Water Witch; while Van Kwartel and Caffe Ibis will be bringing tonics and coffees too. Tickets are priced $125 per person with wine pairings priced $25 extra. They can be purchased online here:
https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07egjheh9y1546bef8&oseq=&c=&ch=
As ever the event supports the Slow Food Utah micro grant program, which goes to some fabulous grass roots efforts right here in Utah. If you want to get a feel for what to expect, here’s some shots from last years Feast Of The Five senses:
Celebrate The Bounty
If you can’t wait for October, this yearly celebration of local producers is back for another go around come September 26th. The event moved to the new Caffe Molise digs in 2018, and will reprise that location for 2019.
The event is a fundraiser for Local First Utah and the 2019 party will partner local restaurants with local distillers/bars. At the time of writing the lineup is as follows:
- Laziz Kitchen
- Vida Tequila
- Caffe Molise
- Waterpocket Distillery
- Caputo’s
- Dented Brick Distillery
- Park City Culinary Institute
- Sugar House Distillery
- The Rest
- Honest John Bitters
- SLC Eatery
- New World Distillery
- Ogden’s Own
- Salt City Vodka
The event runs 7 – 9 p.m. (Sep 26, Caffe Molise, 404 South West Temple). Food only tickets are priced $65, food and drink tickets are $75 and VIP tables (seating for eight guests) are are available for $1,000. Tickets are on sale at www.localfirst.org/celebratethebounty.
Festa Italiana
A little earlier still is Festa Italiana – indeed – you can probably actually catch some last dining rays of Summer sun at this one. The event on September 14th and 15th saw 30,000 head to The Gateway in 2018.
The 2019 return of the event will be the fifth anniversary of the now annual Festa Italiana and will provide locals with an authentic Italian street festival experience that is prevalent in many other cities across the country. Admission to Festa Italiana is free and open to the public. Highlights of the festival include:
- more than a dozen local Italian restaurants serving unique and authentic Italian food
- non-stop performances by Italian musical artists
- beer and specialty Italian wine
- Italian car show
- local and Italian artist showcases
For additional information, visit www.festaitalianaslc.com.
Oktoberfest 2019
An increasing number of local operations are getting in on the Bavarian festivities for 2019. Make sure your stein never runs empty – and be sure to keep note on the following events:
Snowbird
The granddaddy of all Utah Oktoberfest events. Snowbird’s Oktoberfest attracts thousands of visitors each year making it one of the largest festivals in Utah. Admission to Oktoberfest is free and the event runs from noon – 6 p.m every Saturday and Sunday now through October 20th. More details.
T.F. Brewing
Bavarian food provided by Beltex Meats, pretzels and treats… and of course…plenty of German style biers. Ticket includes entry into the event and a special edition glass to take home. Tickets $15 in advance, $20 day of. $10 Beltex Bier Brats with side. Pretzels and other snacks will be available. Event is 21 and over and will be held on September 28th and 29th. More details.
4th West Oktoberfest
Get up to 25% off this event on Groupon. Also on Saturday and Sunday 28/29th – this 2-day festival features live music from local artists, local Salt Lake Valley food trucks, Utah vendors, and fun for the whole family. Games will include giant jenga, corn hole, children’s activities, and much more! Enjoy the music, the eats, and all over fun with natural, gluten-free ciders from Mountain West Hard Cider and beers from Red Rock Brewery. More details.
Purchase a subscription
Subscribe to our paid newsletter for $5 and help keep our stories free of automated advertising
Subscribe NowOther useful links
- Free newsletter – signup and receive our weekly newsletter for free
- Food talk group – chew the fat with other like-minded Utah foodies over on Facebook.
- Best of SLC 2024 – what you can’t miss in the Beehive right now.
Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC. I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have written in myopic detail about the Salt Lake City dining scene for the better part of seventeen years.
I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV. Pause those credits, yep, that’s me! I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand. What they’re saying about me: “Not inaccurate”, “I thought he was older”, “I don’t share his feelings”.
Want to know more? This is why I am the way I am.
This article may contain content provided by one of our paid partners. These are some of the best businesses in Utah. For a list of all our current and past relationships see our partnership history page.