Oh hey look, we just picked up some awards

Last night at the Denver Press Club, the 2022 Top of the Rockies journalism contest awards ceremony was held. Seventy-five media outlets plus a dozen freelancers from Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico entered this year’s contest, submitting 1,507 entries – and what’s that – we won two nods for our 2021 efforts. You can see the full winners here, but you really want to know what we scooped up right? Here are the articles in question in case you missed them the first time around.

Small newsrooms, A&E and food – criticism

We picked up a second place in this category for a collection of critiques of local restaurants. You can check three of the best out here:

• Taqueria Los Lee – unmissable home made food
• Kabob Bros – modern and classic Pakistani in Midvale
• Eat Here Now – Carson Kitchen

Small newsrooms A&E and food – news or feature

Another silver placed finish, this time for our why your favorite restaurant might be closing story. The article focused on the array of problems facing restaurants in 2021 – staffing to inflation to the ever dominating threat of chain eateries.

You can check out the past awards we’ve garnered here, and yes, you can thank me in person when you see me for saving you the indulgence of my acceptance speech. Cheers!

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.