Wine, whiskey, sake and more – events for your food calendar

Duo of James Beard events at High West

A brace of events will hit the High West Wanship location at the end of the week (April 8th and 9th). Both support the James Bead Open for Good Campaign. Here’s the details from the presser:

The James Beard Foundation selects High West to host two Friends of James Beard Benefit events to support their Open for Good campaign. On Friday, April 9, High West will partner with Louisville-based Copper & Kings, an American brandy distillery influenced by whiskey and music for “A Taste of Kentucky in the West,” a dinner of crafted cocktails, straight pours and inventive cuisine. On Saturday, April 9, High West will host “The Art of Craft,” a special evening featuring finely crafted food, exclusive spirits from the vault, and handcrafted tableside cocktails. The evening will be led by High West Executive Chef Michael Showers, Master Distiller Brendan Coyle, and Beverage Manager Holly Booth. 

Funds raised for these Friends of James Beard Benefit events will directly support the James Beard Foundation’s Open for Good program. The campaign aims to help independent restaurants survive the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, rebuild better, and thrive for the long term. Through critical resources, advocacy, and emergency and investment grants, Open for Good aims to help restaurants come back stronger, more equitable, more sustainable, and more resilient. 

The two events will be as follows:

• A Taste of Kentucky in the West; An Evening with Copper & Kings American Brandy @ High West
• April 8, 2022, from 6:30 p.m.
• $200 – tickets can be purchased here – password – HWCKJBB-Apr22

• The Art of Craft: The Food, Spirits & Cocktails of High West
• April 9, 2022, 6:30 p.m.
• $400 – tickets can be purchased here

27649 Old Lincoln Hwy, Wanship, UT
(435) 649-8300

Spring sips with Jimmy Santangelo

Next up, on April 11th, local wine guru Jimmy Santangelo will help guests shake off the Winter Blues with a selection of wines to enjoy throughout the Springtime. The Spring Sippers workshop will explore refreshing wines from the not-so-typical grape varietals, such as, Gruner Veltliner to chilled light bodied red, to robust red.

4670 S Holladay Village Plaza #104, Holladay, UT 84117
(385) 237-3091
3cups.coffee

Sakura full moon – cherry blossom sake class

Learn more about sake at this event with Jill Watanabe, sake sommelier at local producer Tsuki Sake. The sake 101 class will also include a 5 course sushi dinner with cuisine from chef Diego Zapata. Each course will be paired with an appropriate Tsuki Sake selection.

The evenings proceedings will be held at Han’s Kombucha in SLC and the price is $120 per person, tickets are available online at Eventbrite.

370 Aspen Ave, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
(801) 907-0869

European natural wines at Tea Zaanti

April 21st (6-8.00 p.m.) will see Tea Zaanti host Bryan Hinschberger of Bon Vivant Imports for an Earth Day wine tasting; specially looking at the world of organic, sustainably farmed, natural wines. Hinschberger will lead guests through a tasting of four wines (all available in Utah Liquor Stores) which will be paired “with a locally sourced platter that will feature some of our menu staples along with some new exciting items.” Tickets are priced $35 per person.

1944 S 1100 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84106
(801) 477-5323
teazaanti.com

Proper celebration for nine years in the biz

A few days later – April 24th – Avenues Proper will celebrate nine years of success. The menu for the event is currently pending but pencil it in your diary to start at 5.30 p.m. with a cocktail hour. Dinner will follow at 6.30 p.m. and the cost is $75 per person with an optional beer pairing, $30 more. Call the restaurant direct for reservations.

376 8th Ave, Salt Lake City, UT 84103
(385) 227-8628
avenuesproper.com

Monarca

I don’t have a date or price for this one, but will update as soon as the restaurant confirms. In the meantime, check out this five course tasting menu courtesy of chef Hugo Galvan:

• Tuna aguachile with avocado and watermelon pearls
• Duck flautas on black bean purée and tequila cream
• Chile poblano and corn soup with tamal roast leaf and salsa macha oil
• Guajillo short ribs on vegetable demi sauce
• Chocolate churros and coffee cream

68 S State St Suite 110, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
(801) 214-0111

Dutch King’s Day

Lastly, here’s a novel one, a huge celebration of Dutch culture and cuisine – coming to the The Gateway in April. Here’s the full press release with all the details:

Dutch Social Club of Utah and The Old Dutch Store present Salt Lake City’s 1st Annual Dutch King’s Day on Saturday, April 23, 2022 from 11am to 6pm at The Gateway. This free, family-friendly event celebrates the customs and traditions of Holland. Featuring Internationally-renowned DJ Marc Brabant, crafts, authentic Dutch cuisine and beer, kids activities, bicycle fun ride and more! Wear orange and learn how to party with the Dutch! 

Holland’s biggest party is coming to Salt Lake City! In the Netherlands on Koningsdag (King’s Day) there are many celebrations of King Willem-Alexander’s birthday. The most popular destination is Amsterdam, where more than  a million visitors and locals join in the world’s largest street party. Wear orange! The flag of the Netherlands is red, white and blue, but orange is the color of the royal family and most everyone embraces this bright, happy color, welcome after a long, gray winter. 

Did you know there are more bicycles than residents in Holland? Help us kick off Salt Lake City’s first annual Dutch King’s Day with a Fietstocht (family fun ride). Cyclists of all ages and levels are welcome to join the ride, but you must decorate your bikes and riders in orange! We will be gathering just west of The Gateway at 11 AM and circulating to delight the crowds. Prizes will be awarded for the Most Creative Decor, Oldest & Youngest Rider, Best Decoration, and more. Registration Required.

The festival begins at noon with a flag ceremony and welcoming remarks from the Consulate General of the Netherlands. Bring your friends, grab a tompouce and enjoy the excitement of Dutch King’s Day!  

Spearheading this effort is the local, family-owned Old Dutch Store located in Sugarhouse.  In 1978 a Dutch couple opened the doors bringing the traditions of Holland to Utah. Their good friend, Peter Van Schelt, worked alongside them, running the deli counter for many years. In 2003, Peter’s youngest daughter Sharon Van Schelt-Wuolukka bought the store and continued the Dutch heritage with her family. Peter then started making his artisan bratwurst and weisswurst while mentoring his granddaughter, Katie Reid, to continue his sausage-making legacy. Katie specializes in European delicacies and has mastered the Dutch beef kroketten and a delicious marzipan cake. Katie is now the Chef of the Old Dutch Store and founder of the Dutch Social Club of Utah. She looks forward to sharing Dutch traditions with the Salt Lake community at the 1st annual Dutch King’s Day. 

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Stuart Melling

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.