Wrapping up the rest of February’s food news

As the month ends, here’s all the other news that didn’t make our various stories and features in February. The following items were provided by restaurants, organizations and PR teams:

Gerome’s Market wins snail of approval award

We’ve [Gerome’s Market, owner Craig Gerome pictured top] been recognized for our commitment to making good, clean, and fair food for all alongside farms, restaurants, and other food businesses around the world.

We were chosen for the Snail of Approval award because we are dedicated to sourcing pasture-raised meats from responsible farms and working closely with local vegetable growers to highlight Utah’s seasonal bounty. Sustainability is at the heart of what we do—minimizing waste, using whole-animal butchery practices, and crafting our sausages with traditional techniques that preserve both flavor and heritage. Our business is rooted in community, from supporting local farmers’ markets to collaborating with small producers, ensuring that every product we make connects people through real, honest food. We’re proud to be part of a movement that values quality, tradition, and sustainability, and we’re grateful to Slow Food Utah for recognizing our commitment to these principles.

This award wouldn’t be possible without you—our loyal customers. Your support keeps us inspired every day to create unique, high-quality products that celebrate real food. Because of you, we’re growing, and we’re excited to announce that we’ll be opening a new location by 2025/2026!

Thank you for being part of this journey with us!

High West release High Country American Single Malt

High West Distillery & Saloon unveils the latest edition of the new High Country American Single Malt, a single malt whiskey distilled and blended by High West in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. The exclusive Utah-only release is available now for a limited time.  

“We can’t wait to share this year’s High Country American Single Malt with whiskey lovers throughout the state,” said Tara Lindley, Director of Blend & Sensory at High West Distillery. “With a slightly older age perception, the blended single malt whiskeys of this rendition were aged in used and new charred white American oak barrels, with a portion finished in French oak Ruby Port, Oloroso Sherry, and PX Sherry barrels for a distinctly robust flavor profile.”

This monumental release marks a momentous occasion for the distillery on the heels of the TTB’s decision last month to formally recognize American single malt as an official whiskey category in the U.S. High West’s exclusive High Country American Single Malt, a blend of single malt whiskeys aged 4 – 8 years, delivers scents of wildflower honey, golden raisins, lemon peel, chamomile, sourdough French toast, roasted Brazil nuts, and a mossy wooden bridge over a babbling brook. Rich layered toffee notes rush the palate, along with ripe cantaloupe, graham cracker, crème caramel, dried hay, puffed cereal, cocoa nibs, and leather, before finishing with hints of fresh-picked kumquats and maple pecan pie. 

Bottles of the limited run of High Country American Single Malt are available now throughout Utah. The spirit can be purchased at High West General Store in Old Town Park City, High West Distillery on Blue Sky Ranch in Wanship, or state liquor stores for $79.99 per bottle

Hell’s Backbone acquires Boulder Mountain Lodge

Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm, the James Beard-nominated restaurant in Boulder, Utah, announces the acquisition of the Boulder Mountain Lodge property, marking a significant milestone in the restaurant’s 25-year history. The recent purchase was completed through a unique community-funded initiative.

“This fulfillment of our dream represents so more than just the buying of a physical property,—it’s been our beloved home for so long, and  being able to actually own it now is really a testament to the power of love, community support, and the commitment of our team to a kind of higher-consciousness way of doing business”. . ” said Blake Spalding, co-founder of Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm.

The property’s new ownership team consists of long-time chef-owners Blake Spalding and Jen Castle, along with key team members Nina Brownell, Morgan Reedy, and Nick Barretta—all year-round Boulder residents. This acquisition was made possible through the contributions of  these three dedicated “Hellion Investors” along with a group of long term guests and friends of the restaurant. Their own “Hell’s Angels” made low interest loans and gifts, so the team could avoid traditional banking institutions and conventional financing.

The new ownership team brings extensive experience to the property’s management:

• Nina Brownell, former farmer and General Manager, brings a decade of experience
• Morgan Reedy enters her fifth season and third as General Manager
• Nick Barretta, who joined in 2023, will co-manage lodge operations with Brownell

HBG guests will see many exciting improvements in the weeks and months ahead, including  the introduction of “Little Bone,” a new food truck operation on the lodge grounds, run by returning team member Lacy Allen. Little Bone will serve daily many of the beloved breakfast items from pre-pandemic times, and also dinner service on the restaurant’s off nights, featuring beloved menu items and new offerings. “Our guests have tearfully rhapsodized about our breakfasts, and we’re overjoyed to have found the right person and circumstances to make it work and bring back the magic,” says co-founder and executive chef Jen Castle. Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm will begin its 26th season on March 14th, 2025. Together with the Lodge, the businesses will offer expanded services including:

• Five nights of fine dining in the main restaurant
• New food truck service for breakfast and additional dinner options
• Heated patio seating
• Enhanced lodge amenities and services
• Streamlined website and reservation system for booking room stays
• Event spaces for weddings, retreats, gatherings and farm dinners
• Restaurant reservations through the website and theTOCK reservation system

Dendric Estate moves closer to releasing dry cider

As Utah’s Dendric Estate edges closer to the release of their first premium dry ciders in June 2025, the mountain cidery proceeds through vital tank racking and bâtonnage phases of winter fermentation.

“We’re in the heart of our secondary fermentation, a key stage which enhances the cider’s flavor, texture, and structure,” said Dendric Estate Co-Founder Brendan Coyle. “This meticulous step informs the quality and complexity of our final product, which we’re very much looking forward to sharing this June.”

Winter fermentation progress is well underway, specifically tank racking and bâtonnage processes.   

Tank Racking

When the juice from fall 2024’s crush and press season completed its primary fermentation, the cider was left to settle, allowing most lees (yeast and sediment) to collect at the bottom of the tank. Through a process known as “tank racking,” the cider was carefully transferred to a clean secondary fermentation tank to separate the cider from the bulk lees, which provides for a cleaner and more refined flavor profile in the cider. Racking is performed with precision to avoid oxidation, which could compromise the cider’s freshness and flavor profile. Upon completion, the cider was left to age on fine lees, which is the live yeast still in suspension in the cider after racking. This deliberate step ensures delicate, fresh and bright aromatics are preserved and not compromised by prolonged contact with sediment.

Bâtonnage 

This secondary fermentation stage utilizes a traditional wine making technique known as “bâtonnage,” a stirring and lifting of the yeast back into suspension. After racking, the fine lees slowly settle on the bottom of the tank over time. The lees are then carefully stirred back into suspension using a bâton (a stirring tool), allowed to settle, and stirred again. This process is typically repeated many times over several months to add body, enhance mouthfeel, impart a smooth, creamy texture to the cider, promote the development of a bready/brioche character, and soften acidity, resulting in a balanced, harmonious bright finish.

Product Releases

The first products by Dendric Estate will be available in Utah in June 2025, followed by regional expansion and direct-to-consumer online sales shortly after. 

Other 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.

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.