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Lyf Country Kitchen: The family food truck

By Kristina Walker | k.walker@mycityjournals.com

Terri Bullard, the co-owner of Lyf Country Kitchen, a Southern-inspired food truck, talks about the importance of family and community in running her business.

Love your food, love your family, love your friends. That’s the motto written on the side of Lyf Country Kitchen, a Southern homestyle food truck run by West Jordan resident Terri Bullard and her oldest son, Christopher Allinder.

The motto, which forms the acronym LYF, is rooted in the deep bond that Bullard, her four kids and grandchildren all share. She, her family and their community are the foundation of their food truck. When starting their business, they wanted to make sure that connection was at the front of it.

“If we are gonna have a new menu item, everybody’s at our house … and they’ll say ‘no, put more pepper,’ ‘change this,’ … that’s how we do everything with this food truck; it’s a family affair,” Bullard said.

Bullard grew up in Axle, Texas, and although she was surrounded by the tasty aroma of Southern cooking, running a food truck never crossed her mind.

PURCHASE

Instead, Bullard got her doctorate from the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy in 2000. Bullard worked as a pharmacist for 21 years in retail and hospital pharmacy, specializing in cancer treatment.

“I loved it. Most of the time. But after a while it just got to be corporate America, you know, do more with less, do more with less,” Bullard said.

During this time, Bullard struggled with a string of tragic deaths in her family, including her husband.

“Pretty soon I was trying to take care of three estates, and I was an oncology pharmacist, so I was taking care of cancer patients … and I just woke up, and thought, I just can’t do this anymore, this is too much for one person.”

Starting the food truck was a new beginning for Bullard and her family.

The idea emerged when Bullard’s friend came to her and suggested they retire and buy a food truck. Her friend had always loved food, and Bullard agreed to manage it.

At the beginning, they called the truck Lyf Kitchen. However, Bullard and her

Continued on page 5

Terri Bullard and two of her kids, Zackery and Christopher Allinder in front of Lyf Country Kitchen Food Truck at the Sandy Food Truck night on June 29. (Kristina Walker/City Journals)

COMMON GROUND

Utah’s future belongs to the brave

Common Ground will be a column of rotating viewpoints that highlight specific feelings across the political spectrum, and it will always end with possible ways to come together.

Bravery is a Utah value. It’s right up there with toxic positivity and passive aggression. Many of us have brave ancestors who left their homes and walked hundreds of miles to the Salt Lake Valley, pulling a handcart full of kids who kept asking, “Are we there yet?” That takes courage.

In the face of religious persecution, the pioneers built communities, orchards, temples, schools and arts programs because they were not afraid to do hard things.

It’s time for that type of bravery again. We need to speak our hearts and our truths, and not be led by political partisanship. We need to vote for the people who stand for us, not profit from us.

It’s not just Democrats who believe federal leadership has been catastrophic. It’s not just Democrats who are disappointed in our state’s leadership. Look at the primary election where Republicans voted out three prominent legislators: that took courage. It took people voting their conscience, not just swallowing the party line.

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Bravery means standing for what’s right, even in the face of opposition. It means we choose communities over conflicts and the future over fear. Courage puts people first. It shows we care about people who want healthcare, food, housing, education and inclusion. Those aren’t elite desires. Those are human needs.

The people of Utah want to take back their power. We’re tired of seeing state leaders making shady deals, getting backroom payoffs and pushing legislation that benefits their personal bottom line. How many property developers do we need on Capitol Hill? Good grief!

Bravery means leading differently. Instead of voting along straight party lines (even if your family has been a one-party family for decades), what if we voted for the people we believe have the power to change the status quo?

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Real leaders are courageous; they lead with compassion and understand that empathy isn’t a dirty word. They don’t represent one party; they represent their constituents.

The people who showed up to protest ICE detention facilities or resource-draining data centers weren’t just Democrats. They were Republicans and independent voters who don’t want what these politicians are selling. We have Topaz in our backyard. What bigger reminder do we need that history cannot repeat itself here?

Bravery means we believe in each other. We’re not Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Reformists or Constitutionalists. We are Utahns. Our brand is kindness and optimism. We build communities, we serve the disadvantaged, we teach the uneducated and we offer open hearts to the stranger.

That’s who we are. That’s who we’ve always been.

Common Ground: No matter our political affiliation, we

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need to become bridge builders. We need to reach out to neighbors and family members, even those who don’t agree with our political views.

Lawmakers need to build, not destroy. Create laws and messaging that resonate with people from every political background. This is a red state economically, but a blue state at heart. Just look at our programs built to help people, to assist someone’s journey as they get back on their feet. Utah has a worldwide reputation for service and volunteerism.

We should promote conversations that bring people together with respect and understanding. We should ensure people have the opportunity to express their views without censure or disdain. If our current leaders can’t do that, it’s time to make an abrupt change.

If the primary election taught us anything, it’s that Utahns want a voice. It takes courage to change course. It takes all of us to lead the way.

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Common Ground

friend soon realized they had two different visions.

Eventually, they parted ways, and Bullard contacted Allinder, who had been wanting to open a restaurant for years. Together they changed the name to Lyf Country Kitchen, an homage to the southern cooking of Bullard’s childhood and the traditions their family still holds today.

to taste like, and it’s nothing like what you find in Utah,” Bullard said.

Their family’s connection and tradition are what make them different from other food trucks. Not only does every family member help out on the truck, but the majority of the items on the menu are foods you would find at Bullard’s family holidays.

someone. Some experience that we’ve had, and we just pull it all together.”

At the start, Bullard knew little about running a food truck. They had no idea it would be so hard to find places to sell their food or even get the word out.

Marketing and branding were big challenges. At the beginning, Bullard wasn’t aware of how important building a brand and getting followers would be.

has been growing ever since,” Bullard said. Lyf Country Kitchen has been serving southern favorites to Utah for three and a half years and is continuing to expand. According to Bullard, they are in talks about potentially opening a restaurant along with the food truck.

“I don’t like to use the word blessed, but I’m very thankful for everything that I have in my life, considering all the pain, and all the stress and everything that happened … I really think I’m living my best life right now,” Bullard said. l continued from front page

“Being raised in Texas, chicken fried steak is probably the most popular item in the state. So I knew what it was supposed

Foods like the chicken fried steak, garlic green beans and beef bourguignon have been modified from Bullard’s family traditions but are still as delicious to serve.

“Everything in our truck comes from

“Social media, and just staying true to our roots and trying every single day to bring fresh high-quality food, I think people really recognize that, and our business

Christopher Allinder, Terri Bullard and Zackery take and prepare orders. (Kristina Walker/ City Journals)

Terri Bullard hands out food from Lyf Country Kitchen. (Kristina Walker/City Journals)

West Jordan High grad is Papa Murphy’s largest owner in Utah

The new location is the McPhee family’s 17th in Utah and Wyoming.

By Peri Kinder peri.k@thecityjournals.com

From an 18-year-old prep worker to the largest owner of Papa Murphy’s locations in Utah, Herriman resident Kyle McPhee’s entire life has been shaped by the popular pizza chain. It’s where he met his wife, and where all five of their children have worked at one time or another.

In July, McPhee opened his 15th Papa Murphy’s Utah location in Eagle Mountain, but this time with a business partner, his 20-year-old son, Aydon. “He’s a mini-me, so we get along really well,” McPhee said.

Along with the 15 Utah locations, the West Jordan High grad also owns two Papa Murphy’s shops in Wyoming. His 25-year journey with the company has made him the eighth-largest brand owner in the country. He manages 140 employees, mostly teens working their first jobs, with a low turnover rate.

“I just manage the way I would want to be treated,” he said. “I’ve had jobs in the past and hated my bosses. I decided to manage the way I would want my boss to be. Most of my employees stay with me for three or four years until they go away to college.”

McPhee has faced many challenges over the years, including the COVID months when his high school employees at the Heber location were quarantined for two weeks. But employees’ families stepped up to cover shifts and eventually things went back to normal.

He said that’s an example of what happens when a

business integrates into a community: there’s an ownership and dedication to helping the business succeed. It’s important to McPhee to have Papa Murphy’s involved with community organizations.

“We do a lot of fundraisers with elementary schools, doing spirit nights, and a couple of our stores provide pizzas for charter schools in the area. We do the Oakley Rodeo every year,” he said. “We’re trying to support our actual employees, so if they’re involved in sports or cheerleading, we generally contribute to their fundraisers as well.”

McPhee feels a responsibility to his employees. For many of them, it’s their first job, and while he knows a starting position with Papa Murphy’s might not be a career path, he wants to set an example of a boss they should look for and be in the future.

Now, a second generation of employees is walking through his doors as the kids of former workers are asking to be hired. McPhee enjoys engaging with teenagers, often working alongside them during the day.

“I always joke that they keep me young, because I try to keep up with them,” he said. “I have teenagers myself, so it’s easy for me to get along with them. It’s a lot of fun to work with them.”

Aydon McPhee is excited for the Eagle Mountain location opening, ready to bring his experience into a new chapter while building something special and shaping a future he can be proud of.

His dad told him to never limit his goals, to aim much higher than the original target. Aydon McPhee said even if he falls short of that higher goal, the results will still surpass original expectations.

“It’s such a motivating mindset, and it’s really stuck

with me,” he said. “Over the next five years, my goal is to become the best at ownership and really master that side of things…I want to be a familiar face, helping out around town, contributing at City Hall and really supporting growth. That way, as I help the community, the community can thrive and grow stronger together.” l

Aydon McPhee partnered with his dad, Kyle McPhee, to open the family’s 15th Papa Murphy’s Utah location at Eagle Mountain. (Photo courtesy Kyle McPhee)

CommonSpirit hospital dedicates new chapel

West Jordan location aims to care for the whole person.

By Linda Steele l.steele@mycityjournals.com

BishopOscar Solis dedicated the new chapel at Jordan Valley CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospital this summer.

“Commissioning the chapel is a reflection of our hospital’s commitment to caring for the whole person, both their physical needs as well as their spiritual needs. CommonSpirit is a faith based nonprofit hospital system rooted in the Catholic tradition,” Peter Gallagher said, marketing director of mission integration for CommonSpirit Health in Utah.

Every CommonSpirit Hospital is required to have a commissioned Catholic Chapel to offer mass, host and bless the sacrament. On a broader scale, the chapel is a place to meet all the needs of their patients, and to provide a place for people of any faith for reflection and silence. Anyone is able to join the mass that is offered at the hospital. “It is a byproduct of our commitment to care for our patients holistically,” Gallagher said.

CommonSpirit is the only officially religiously affiliated health system in Utah right now. They are a legal ministry of the Catholic

church and they are proud of their faith-based identity which roots them in a firm sense of values to care for the whole person, working for the common good and caring for the communities and promoting human dignity.

“The ceremony was a very lovely and moving celebration. It wasn’t just checking a box, it was something the whole commission ceremony is about us, better equipping ourselves and caring for the whole patient that walks through the doors of the hospital,” Gallagher said. Solis presided over the commissioning ceremony and Interim President and Chief Nursing Officer Katie Flores added remarks and welcomed the bishops. There was a reception

with members of their market leadership team as well as members of their governing board. The local stake president from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was there, as well as Mayor Dirk Burton of West Jordan. Members of the city council and members of the fire department were there. “It was really great to see the community come out and support,” Gallagher said.

It is not something that is just transactional or business oriented but is concerned with healing and encounter.

“I see it as a byproduct, extension and manifestation of my faith, to be able to work for an organization that heals people, and seeing

the whole person, you love them, it’s not just about taking meds and the next person comes through our doors. It is meant to be a holy sacred encounter. You love people and care for them the way Christ did,” Gallagher said.

CommonSpirit entered the market and purchased the Jordan Valley Hospital and four other hospitals in 2023. They have five hospitals in Utah, and they have commissioned four hospitals in about a year’s time. Four of the hospitals have fully commissioned functional Catholic chapels that are open to anyone. They offer mass once a week, and their flagship chapel in Salt Lake is undergoing some innovations and improvements. l

Building confidence through school transitions

From elementary to middle school and middle school to high school, simple ways to encourage students in their next step with routines, expectations and opportunities.

By Mallory Stamos m.stamos@mycityjournals.com

As students prepare to return to school this fall, there are many things that need to be done, from buying supplies to completely changing daily routines. It is an exciting and sometimes daunting time. Even more so for our students moving to middle school or high school with a far larger student body. For families that may be navigating this for the first time since the parents themselves were in school, here are some easy ways to help students with these changes. While plenty hasn’t changed, others things have changed with the technologies that have been adopted into mainstream education.

Middle schools and high schools will be inviting students to come to the schools for events to get more familiar with the new building as well as the new expectations that will be placed upon them. Amber Horrocks, counselor at Copper Hills High School, said that a very common struggle is to manage the A and B day class schedule transitioning to high school. The students are advised to go in on the picture day held before school and find the route they will need to take for A days then B days in order to see how long it takes to travel each route.

Horrocks further suggested that as students are transitioning from the oversight received more in the earlier schools,

Amber Horrocks, counselor at Copper Hills High School, said that a very common struggle is to manage the A and B day class schedule transitioning to high school. (Mallory Stamos/City Journals)

parents can help bridge that gap by setting a time weekly to go into the student login for Canvas and Skyward together. These are the online portals to help track assignments, class schedules and attendance, among other things. Horrocks stressed that it is important to check these from the student login as the view and upcoming assignments are different and may be slightly delayed in the parent login. This is a great way for parents/guardians to be informed as well as support the student taking accountability outside of school. The transition to high school brings independence at a higher level than before in their studies, and this is a simple way to help these students find ways to navigate that with confidence.

Ultimately Horrocks stressed that counselors are always

available to help students navigate what classes and schedules might be best for each of them with different goals and future plans. Every school has unique electives and opportunities in addition to the standard academic curriculum. Counselors are there to assist in navigating to get the most out of their education, depending on what they might want to do after graduation. They have many ways to support their students that are designed to be tailored to individual needs. They are happy to help with any questions students have and are available to help students navigate these transitions, so introducing yourself to your counselor is a great way to ensure you have the support needed during the first day, but also throughout the time at the school. l

Bishop Oscar Solis dedicates the new chapel at Holy Cross Hospital. (Photo courtesy Andrew Clark)

The Holy Cross Jordan commissioned leadership. (Photo courtesy Andrew Clark)

From one breakfast cafe to a Utah restaurant empire

What started as an East Coast-style cafe has become a 10-restaurant operation serving thousands.

By Peri Kinder peri.k@thecityjournals.com

Paul Willey has become something of a restaurant magnate in Utah. He and his siblings are celebrating the 15th anniversary of Penny Ann’s Cafe, but he owns 10 restaurants across three brands in Salt Lake and Davis County, employing more than 300 people.

The original Penny Ann’s opened its downtown Salt Lake City cafe in 2011 and the family has added four additional locations since then. Willey is CEO; his brother Warren Willey serves as head chef; his sister Cindy Pulley is the service manager and Penny Ann (the restaurant’s namesake) is in charge of customer relations, which includes greeting guests and chatting with regulars.

Penny Ann’s started after the family migrated from Upstate New York. They wanted to bring an East Coast diner to Utah, complete with burrito-style omelets, a breakfast counter and a welcoming atmosphere.

“You just come in, have a seat whether it’s at the counter, in a booth, or at a table, and enjoy some homemade comfort food,” Willey said. “People in Utah appreciate the value.”

Along with their flagship hot cakes, Penny Ann’s menu includes items like banana bread French toast and strawberry chocolate Dubai hot cakes. The diner has earned Best of Utah and Best of State awards, including Best Breakfast in Utah for 11 years in a row.

“We’re a Utah chain. We’re proud to be this Utah story, coming in as transplants and being embraced by the Utah community,” he said. “It’s kind of amazing.”

In the summer of 2019, Willey participated in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program. As part of the curriculum, he developed a growth plan for Penny Ann’s, but it got him thinking about other opportunities to branch out.

He soon became a partner in Mr. Charlie’s Chicken restaurants and in October 2022, he learned the owners of Moochie’s Cheesesteaks, Don MacDonald and Joanna Rendi, were looking to retire. They wanted to sell their business to another East Coast family. Willey was all in, calling it “a natural fit.”

“The regional manager with Moochie’s stayed on with us. He’s been with the company now for almost 15 years. That’s a testament to the culture that Joanna and Don built at Moochie’s. We wanted to keep that same culture,” Willey said.

He’s kept most things the same, but

updated some menu items, including the addition of fresh mozzarella to the roast beef or Italian deli sandwiches. He also added the Utah Philly, a local take on a classic burger that stays true to the Moochie’s brand.

The family created a management company called PAC Foods to oversee the 10 restaurant locations: Five Penny Anne Cafes, three Moochie’s Cheesesteaks and two Mr. Charlie’s Chicken restaurants. Willey will add to those numbers when Moochie’s and Mr. Charlie’s open at the Salt Lake International Airport this fall.

“We’re always a work in progress. We’re always striving to improve. I always take reviews personally,” he said. “I always scour our Google reviews, but I always appreciate it when guests reach out directly to give us feedback.”

Willey said although the business has grown to include new restaurants, the company’s values are the same across all brands. Service, teamwork, respect, integrity and passion are what keep him and his family serving thousands of customers each year, working to create the best service and food options for people in Utah.

“My philosophy with managing restaurants is that it’s about the people,” Willey said. “If you take care of your core management team, they will take care of your guests. We want to make sure that we’re listening to our team and getting feedback from them on how we can improve and how we can be better. We are never resting on our laurels.”

For location and menu information, visit pennyannscafe.com, mrcharlies.com and moochiescheesesteak.com. l

Cindy Pulley, holding the strawberry chocolate Dubai hot cakes, is Penny Ann’s service manager and the face of the restaurant on social media. (Photo courtesy of Paul Willey)

Take me out to the Bees ballgame—for food!

The Salt Lake Bees offer one of the widest and most creative food options in all of baseball, with Chef Leonard Love overseeing the creations.

By Tom Haraldsen t.haraldsen@mycityjournals.com

As the Salt Lake Bees settled into their new home at The Ballpark at America First Square last season, team ownership wanted fans to have visits they’d remember. And that involved more than just the play of the Pacific Coast League team that’s been delighting baseball fans in Utah for decades.

It involved ballpark cuisine.

So the call went out to Chef Leonard Love and Dominic Darboghossian, who now serves as vice president of food and beverage. And the creativity began.

“It came about with a vision, a longer term vision in play with Major League Baseball and the state of Utah,” Darboghossian said, fully aware of the efforts being made by the Larry H. Miller Companies to attract an MLB expansion team to the state in the next four or five years. “We wanted to showcase what we are able to do here on a smaller scale, putting more focus on the premium experience for fans coming to baseball games. We coined the phrase, ‘Minor League in a Major Way.’ We’re providing an elevated experience to the fan base and giving MLB a little taste of what’s to come.”

“The literal question was, ‘what is something that you normally can’t find in a ballpark,’” Chef Love said. “Then we started to develop different things, making sure they were the highest level of quality — the food is hot, always fresh, looks good and tastes and smells great. Those are our main focuses.”

Consider some of these dining options: On the top level of the stadium concourse for premium priced tickets, fans can

enjoy a carving station on weekends with meats and proteins, hand-breaded fried chicken, and fanfare bacon-wrapped hot dogs. Downstairs on the first level, an elevated grab and go type format for season ticket holders includes hot dogs, chili, cheese and chips, chicken tenders and fries, plus cookies. The menus started with visions set by LHM and refined by Chef Love.

That’s just part of the story. On game days, all fans can also find a Hibachi Cart — with fried rice, vegetables, beef and chicken options, teriyaki sauce and yum yum sauce. The Loaded Mac cart offers macaroni and cheese with different flavors, and the Mac Pack, a huge serving of Mac and Cheese with three different toppings and different flavors.

The Grand Slam Smashburger offers carmelized onions and American Cheese on a flat topping of a 1.5 pound burger (four patties) and Chef Love’s special secret sauce. It comes with fries if you have room.

Speaking of fries, you can get the “Loaded Fries” that come in a box — literally three feet long — with five pounds of fries and three flavors on top: Philly cheese, a steak taco and a buffalo chicken. It’s clearly meant to be split with friends and family at the ballpark.

The Grand Slam Smashburger will fill you up before three innings have been played. (Tom Haraldsen/City Journals)

Then there’s the Dinger–something exclusive to the Bees, and the largest hotdog in Minor League Baseball. It’s an 18-inch-long dog served in a 20-inch long bun topped with sauerkraut or sauteed peppers and onions. In all, The Bees introduced 22 different food items this season.

One other fan favorite is the Pretzel Bat — which is exactly what it sounds like — an 18-inch pretzel shaped like a bat and especially created for the Bees.

Of course you can also find traditional favorites like regular hotdogs and burgers, pizza, Mexican food items and lots to drink options, including a Swig dirty soda stand. The team plays as the Utah Dirty Sodas for Wednesday night home games this season.

Chef Love said there are family meal deals as well, and his staff of between 100-120 cooks and concession workers, many of whom start preparation work on gamedays at 10 a.m., share a common motto: “Go big or go home.”

The Bees’ home schedule runs through Sept. 11, and the Ballpark hosts a number of other events throughout the year, many of them offering the wide variety of food options Chef Love and his crew put together.

“We just want to take the quality of our food to the next level,” he said.

Mission accomplished. l

What do you want to know about the

Great Salt Lake?

Newsrooms across Utah, including the City Journals, will use the survey results to bolster their reporting about water in Utah

Story by Heather May | Great Salt Lake Collaborative

Utah leaders have set a goal to raise the Great Salt Lake by seven feet to 4,198 feet above sea level by the time Utah hosts the 2034 Winter Olympics.

It will be a monumental task to save and dedicate the additional 800,000 acre feet of water needed

each year — that’s twice the amount of water used in homes and on yards in the Great Salt Lake Basin — especially with this year’s record-low snowpack and extreme drought.

Utah newsrooms who have banded together to cover the lake as the Great Salt Lake Collaborative will

cover all of the developments by politicians, philanthropists, residents, businesses, farmers and industries.

Take this quick eight-question survey so we can report on what matters to you. We want to know what questions you have, your hopes and fears and how the lake affects you.

Questions? Contact me at info@ greatsaltlakenews.org.

This article is published through the Great Salt Lake Collaborative with funding from Love the Lake, an initiative of the nonprofit Great Salt Lake Alliance. Editorial decisions are made independently by the Collaborative and partner newsrooms.

Photos courtesy The Salt Lake Tribune

The pretzel bat, one of the crowd favorites at the Salt Lake Bees games. (Tom Haraldsen/City Journals)

Readers share their family favorites.

By Peri Kinder peri.k@thecityjournals.com

Written on yellowed 3x5 cards, typed on a Smith Corona or posted into a shared doc, family recipes have a way of enduring. It could be a grandmother’s meatloaf, a dad’s barbecue sauce or a great-aunt’s potato salad, but these dishes are handed down through generations, creating a feeling of legacy and connection.

Murray resident Paula Sageser has a recipe for dinner rolls, passed down from her grandmother and mother, that is a frequent request for family holiday gatherings. Her sister taught her how to make the rolls and she’s passed the knowledge on to her niece.

“Some of the steps require making judgment calls, like using enough flour to make a cake batter consistency before letting it rise, or adding enough flour for a biscuit dough texture,” she said. “Over the years, I’ve experimented with making the rolls a little bit healthier by substituting applesauce or bananas for the Crisco. They are a big hit, and I always make a double batch so people have leftovers to take home.”

For Lynda Smart Brown, her family favorite is a hot-batter, chocolate fudge cake recipe made in a pan that’s more than 75 years old. The cake is a birthday tradition that is now shared with a fourth generation of Brown’s family.

Brown’s mom started making the cake decades ago, from a recipe she got from a woman in Louisiana. The aluminum pan she

Well-loved recipes last for generations

baked the cake in has also been handed down and Brown said the pan will be the only thing her kids will fight over when she dies.

“I have never used a boxed cake mix. I only make cakes from scratch and it is usually this one,” Brown said. “I just make it from memory at this point, as we’ve been doing this for almost 65 years.”

Jennafer Martin’s parents both worked out of the home when she was growing up. Her mother loved to cook and bake but didn’t always have time to make things from scratch.

For special occasions, Martin’s mom made what she called “Goo Bars.”

“They were brownies with chocolate chips, nuts, mini marshmallows and raisins mixed in them,” Martin said. “They were aptly named because they were gooey deliciousness. We liked them even more than cake because they were unique and made

Readers’ Favorite Recipes

Paula Sageser’s Dinner Rolls

1 qt. sweet milk

1 c. Crisco (or 1/2 c. Crisco and substitute 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce)

1 c. sugar

Bring milk, Crisco and sugar to a boil, stirring frequently to keep from scorching. Cool to lukewarm (about 30 minutes). When using applesauce, add it while the mixture is cooling.

Add two packets of dry active yeast

Add enough all-purpose flour to create a dough with cake-batter consistency. Cover with a cloth and let sit for two hours to rise.

Add 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 TBSP. salt

Add flour until it has the consistency of biscuit dough. Generously flour a flat surface and knead in more flour until the dough is not too sticky to roll out and handle. Roll out what you want to bake at a time and refrigerate the rest until needed. Cut with a 3-inch biscuit cutter and place on a greased baking sheet or no-stick baking mat.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on top. Watch the first batch and adjust time and temperature as needed. When doing a double batch, lower the temperature of later batches to 385 degrees.

with love.”

Elif Ekin, owner of Salt Lake’s Khave Cafe, never had junk food in the house while she was growing up, but she could trade two of her mom’s chocolate chip cookies for pretzel sticks or Doritos.

The recipe originated from Ekin’s great-grandmother and was originally sugar cookies. Ekin’s grandmother added chocolate chips to the recipe, using big chunks of chocolate. Ekin’s mom, Janice Ekin, added her own variations as the favorite cookie continued to evolve.

The dough was so good, Ekin would often sneak bites when her mom wasn’t looking. Eventually, her mom started scooping a dollop of dough into a coffee cup for Ekin, to keep enough dough for cookies.

“I have kept up that tradition with all the

kids and give them a big spoonful of batter in a coffee mug every time I make chocolate chip cookies,” she said. “Over the years, I’ve viewed the recipe as being flexible. [I’ll] use different yogurt flavors, such as lemon coconut yogurt, and add some dry coconut; use apple yogurt with added cinnamon and raisins instead of chocolate chips…I still have friends from elementary school who tell me they remember Mom’s chocolate chip cookies.”

Click on this QR code to find all of the Readers’ Favorite Recipes.l

Jennafer’s Goo Bars

1 box brownie mix

½ c. each: chocolate chips, raisins and mini marshmallows

½ c. nuts, optional

Prepare brownie mix as directed. Stir in additional ingredients and bake as directed. Enjoy!

Ekin’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. butter or margarine

2 c. sugar (all white or a mixture of white and brown)

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda stirred into 1 c. plain yogurt and set aside

4 c. flour

1 12-oz. bag of chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and vanilla. Add chocolate chips to the flour. Add flour and chips alternately with the yogurt mixture. Mix well. Drop on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. Variations: Use raisins instead of chocolate chips. Use lemon yogurt instead of plain.

For Chocolate Chip Cookie cake: add 1/4 cup more yogurt and spread dough in a 9x12 inch pan, instead of dropping for cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 25 minutes.

½ c. buttermilk

1/2 tsp. baking soda (will be added to buttermilk)

Blend 2 c. flour and 2 c. sugar

2 eggs, whipped

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cubes of butter

4 TBSP. cocoa

1 c. hot water

Mix the soda into the buttermilk. In a saucepan, melt butter and stir in cocoa. Add hot water and blend until smooth. Lower the heat and slowly mix in the flour and sugar mixture, using a beater to get it smooth.

Add two eggs, mix well. Add the buttermilk and soda mixture. Blend in smoothly. Beat with a beater for a short time, only until folded in.

Pour into a cake pan that has been buttered and floured. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until done.

Chocolate Frosting

4 TBSP. cocoa

1 stick butter

1 tsp. vanilla

3 c. powdered sugar

¼ cup milk or buttermilk

Melt butter and cocoa together in the saucepan. Add the milk and vanilla. Slowly add the powdered sugar until well blended and beat with a beater until the batter is glossy.

Quickly frost the cake, which can still be warm. The fudge-like frosting will set up fast.

Sprinkle with walnuts, if desired.

Lynda Smart Brown’s daughter, Laura, and granddaughter, Lucy, enjoy the family’s favorite chocolate cake, baked in an aluminum pan that’s become an heirloom. (Photo courtesy of Lynda Brown)

Paula Sageser’s family roll recipe has been passed down through generations. (Photo courtesy of Paula Sageser)

Elif Ekin’s mom would give her a big scoop of cookie dough so she could use the rest of the batter for cookies. (Photo courtesy of Elif Ekin)

Lynda Brown’s Chocolate Cake

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By Peri Kinder peri.k@thecityjournals.com

eff the Ice Cream Guy has a particular set of skills. For instance, he can convince you that sweet corn, green chili and ice cream belong in the same sentence, and he’ll have you coming back for more.

As the founder of Hidden Oak Gourmet Creamery, Jeff spent years curating interesting ice cream flavors for a sophisticated take on Utah’s favorite dessert. His signature flavor, strawberry basil, made him a favorite at farmers markets, where his unusual combinations garnered a lot of attention. He attracts the type of person who craves something a little less vanilla.

“Our ice cream definitely stops people in their tracks,” he said.

It all started after a trip to Europe, where Jeff and his kids enjoyed deliciously rich ice cream. When they returned to the States, they found all the ice cream options to be boring. They decided to recreate the experience in their own kitchen.

His artisanal French-style ice cream is made from scratch, steeped with local herbs and other fresh ingredients, and cooked in

Now his ice cream can be found in several local grocery stores, including The Store in Holladay and Salt Lake, and he has a shop at the Salt Lake City co-working space Church & State on 370 S. 300 East.

The journey hasn’t been easy. The Taylorsville resident figures he’s lost $10,000 worth of ice cream over the last four years due to recipe disasters or equipment breakdowns. He said it’s been a whirlwind of experiences to get to the place he is now, with ups and downs, bumps and bruises.

a day. Like, I’m gonna go find a place to cry in the corner.”

His perseverance paid off as Hidden Oak was awarded the 2026 Best of State trophy for Best Artisan Ice Cream. Jeff and his three daughters have all contributed to the company’s success. He said good food should be the center of every celebration and believes ice cream should be unforgettable.

Jeff also creates individualized ice cream flavors for celebrations like weddings or birthdays. He wants Hidden Oak to be part of a family’s big events, creating memorable taste experiences and fun stories.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Jeff is experimenting with new flavors for summer, including a watermelon sorbet with cucumber-coconut cream and a wild berry shortcake with honey caramel. He also partnered with Heat Street to create a papaya pineapple habanero hot sauce caramel that he serves on vanilla ice cream.

a sous vide. He sold his first batch of ice cream on Oct. 8, 2022 and built a commercial kitchen seven months later.

“You just have to keep fighting through the fight, and you know that eventually, if you have faith in the product, and you keep fighting, someone will be like, ‘Wow, that ice cream is amazing,’ and it makes it worth it. But there have been so many times that I needed to walk away for

“Making the ice cream, I have to be focused, I have to be dialed in. So when things are going wrong, I head down to the kitchen and make some ice cream, and it just brings the joy,” Jeff said. “You just deal with the hard things, take the ones you love, go after your own mountains and the universe is your opportunity.” l

Hidden Oak Gourmet Creamery takes ice cream to the next level.

Jeff the Ice Cream Guy turns an ice cream-making hobby into a unique business with Hidden Oak Gourmet Creamery. (Peri Kinder/City Journals)

50 years later, Café Silvestre is winning new fans

A third-generation brings spice to the popular West Valley restaurant.

By Peri Kinder peri.k@thecityjournals.com

Tucked away in West Valley is a family-owned Mexican restaurant that has been serving homemade comfort food for 50 years. It’s where three generations have built a loyal following.

Gloria Ruiz opened Café Silvestre at 3524 S. 2200 West in 1976 with no business experience, just really good recipes that people have come to love. Now, the third generation of family members operates the restaurant, providing the same classic menu items along with some updated flavors.

Ruiz’s granddaughter, Gabrielle Morales, took over the business in 2021 when it faced significant challenges. Her husband, Eric Morales, serves as head chef and together they decided to change the menu to differentiate themselves from other Mexican restaurants in the area.

“With my grandma, her cooking was not real Mexican because my grandma was born in Colorado, close to New Mexico. So a lot of the menu was a regional, American style of cooking,” Gabrielle Morales said. “My husband is from the state of

Patrons at Café Silvestre enjoy classic Mexican recipes with tasty upgrades. (Peri Kinder/ City Journals)

Hidalgo, in central Mexico, and the cuisine of that area is much different than northern Mexican cuisine. We wanted to bring his influence on authentic Mexican dishes and

introduce that onto our menu.”

The new menu includes ingredients like tomatillos, chili serranos and poblano-style mole, but they also wanted to cater to longtime guests who loved grandma’s slow-simmered chili verde. The result was a mash-up of customer favorites and new dishes with fresh flavors.

It seems to have paid off because in May, Café Silvestre was awarded the 2026 Best of SLC for Mexican cuisine. Gabrielle Morales said the award was surreal, unbelievable and validating.

“I have been completely blown away by the response of the community,” she said. “The love that we have gotten has been incredible. Every single day, I’m just blown away by how many people we get to share this with.”

The restaurant’s extensive menu covers all types of food choices. It offers more than one dozen types of tacos, including portobello tacos with guacamole and pumpkin seeds; enchiladas featuring 10 different sauces; burritos, fajitas, burgers, classic combos and grilled favorites like chicken topped with poblano cream sauce.

Café Silvestre also offers an extensive breakfast menu that includes everything from Mexican omelets to French toast. Save room for dessert because there are

several items to choose from, including pan de elote, a sweet corn cake topped with homemade corn ice cream and drizzled with caramel sauce.

Sabrina Jones, a longtime employee at the family-owned Mexican restaurant, said she attributes Café Silvestre’s longevity and success to the high quality of food and the welcoming atmosphere.

“Most of our customers, maybe 95% of them, have been coming here for 30-plus years,” Jones said. “We know pretty much everybody who comes in. We know what days they’re going to come in and pretty much what they are going to order.”

It’s been a full-circle moment for Gabrielle Morales who grew up in the restaurant industry and spent her life watching family members create and provide good food to customers. Now, she and her husband get to continue the tradition.

By investing in the future of Café Silvestre, she gets to meet new people, introduce customers to new flavors and continue the legacy her grandmother started 50 years ago.

“I believe in what we are doing,” Gabrielle Morales said. “I feel like people have come to fall in love with us all over again.”

Visit cafesilvestrerestaurants.com for a complete menu and more information. l

Back to School Tips

Back-to-School Health Boost: A Parent’s Guide to a Thriving School Year

AS SUMMER ENDS, the return of backpacks, homework, and early mornings signals a critical time for parents. Prioritizing health now can lay a strong foundation for a child’s successful, healthy, and happy school year.

“The back-to-school transition can be a shock to a child’s system,” explains Dr. Jared Lambert, a CommonSpirit family medicine physician in West Jordan. “They face new schedules, germs, and academic pressures. Proactive health measures are crucial to ease this adjustment and prevent illness or burnout.”

Here are key areas parents should focus on:

1. Reclaim Sleep Schedules, One Bedtime at a Time

Summer often brings later bedtimes. However, adequate sleep is vital for a child’s health and academic performance. “Lack of sleep affects concentration, mood, and immunity,” warns Dr. Natividad Rodriguez, a CommonSpirit family physician in Layton. “Start gradually adjusting bedtimes now, even by 15 minutes each night.” Aim for 9-12 hours of sleep for elementary students, fostering a calming routine with baths or reading.

2. Power Up with Nutritious Fuel

A well-balanced diet fuels both body and mind. “Focus on lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables,” advises Dr. Trystan Blake, a CommonSpirit family physician in Salt Lake City. “A protein- and fiber-rich breakfast sustains them through morning lessons.” Involve children in packing healthy lunches and encourage consistent hydration with a reusable water bottle.

3. Build a Strong Immune Shield

Schools are germ hotbeds. Beyond regular handwashing, ensure your child’s vaccinations are current. “A pre-school physical is ideal for reviewing vaccination schedules and addressing health concerns,” notes Dr. Lambert. “Also, remind them about covering coughs and sneezes, and not sharing water bottles or food.” Sleep and nutrition also boost immunity.

4. Tend to Their Emotional Well-being

The start of school can bring excitement and anxiety. New teachers, classmates, and routines can be overwhelming. “It’s vi-

tal to check in about how they’re feeling,” emphasizes Dr. Rodriguez. “Create a safe space to discuss worries about friends or schoolwork. Reassure them that these feelings are normal and you’re there to support them.” Encourage open communication, validate emotions, and teach coping strategies like deep breathing.

5. Move Their Bodies, Boost Their Minds

Ensure children get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily. “Physical activity impacts cognitive function and stress reduction,” Dr. Blake observes. “Active children are often more focused and resilient.” The back-to-school season doesn’t have to be a scramble. By addressing these health aspects proactively, you can equip your child for a year of learning, growth, and vibrant health. A little planning now leads to great success.

For more information or to find a provider visit mountain.commonspirit.org

Learn more about the services, care providers and mission-driven work of the Holy Cross hospitals and CommonSpirit Health at www. holycrossutah.org.

At CommonSpirit Health, we make the healing presence of God known in our world by improving the health of the people we serve, especially those who are vulnerable, while we advance social justice for all.

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WasteLess Solutions works to reduce food waste and expand access

Nonprofit rescues surplus food and reduces waste through community partnerships.

By Shaun Delliskave s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

Asconcerns about food waste and food insecurity continue to grow nationwide, this nonprofit is working to address both issues at once. WasteLess Solutions, led by CEO Alexx Goeller, operates at the intersection of surplus recovery, community partnerships and public education, with a mission focused on reducing waste while improving access to usable food.

“At our core, WasteLess Solutions is tackling a culture of overproduction and overconsumption which leads to an enormous amount of food waste,” Goeller said. “Roughly 30-40% of the U.S. food supply is thrown away each year.”

The organization works directly with food donors—such as restaurants, grocers and event providers—to recover surplus food that would otherwise be discarded. That food is then redistributed, often within hours, to nonprofit partners and community organizations serving populations experiencing food insecurity.

“We are focusing on both ends of the issue, preventing food waste at the source through education, and redirecting surplus edible food to communities experiencing food insecurity,” Goeller said.

While the concept of food rescue may appear simple, Goeller emphasized that the day-to-day operations are complex and time-sensitive. “The biggest challenge that we face with food rescue is logistically moving large quantities of highly perishable food quickly and safely,” she said. “Timing is crucial and it requires consistent and frequent coordination between donors, volunteers and receiving agencies.”

WasteLess Solutions relies on a network of volunteers—many based in and around Murray—to carry out these rescues. Volunteers pick up food donations and transport them directly to partner organizations, often during narrow time windows to ensure freshness and safety.

“Reliance on volunteers does come with some unpredictability,” Goeller said. “To manage that, we maintain a large volunteer base and are working on building stronger backup systems for last-minute changes.”

Despite those challenges, she said engagement has remained strong. “Many volunteers feel a passionate connection to our mission and stick with specific routes long-term,” she said.

A key part of the organization’s approach is its partnership model. Rather than distributing food independently in all cases, WasteLess Solutions works with established nonprofits that already serve specific populations, allowing for more

targeted and appropriate distribution.

“A lot of that balance comes down to effective partnerships and relationship management,” Goeller said. “We work closely with other nonprofit organizations that already serve specific communities and understand their needs.”

She pointed to one example where a juice donation was directed to a partner serving individuals without teeth, illustrating how coordination can align food supply with specific needs.

In addition to these partnerships, the organization has begun operating its own mobile markets in the area. These markets allow individuals to select food items directly, rather than receiving pre-packaged distributions.

“When they arrive, there is a large selection of food which allows people to select exactly what they need,” Goeller said. “That program is new for us and has been extremely successful.”

WasteLess Solutions measures its impact through a combination of data and community feedback. While pounds of food rescued and people served remain important benchmarks, Goeller said the organization also evaluates partnership strength, volunteer engagement and program quality.

“Quality of programming is just as important as quantity,” she said, noting that ensuring the food is both usable and valuable to recipients is a central focus.

The organization also works to address misconceptions about rescued food. “A common misconception is that rescued food comes from the garbage or is unsafe in some way,” Goeller said. “In reality, the food is high-quality and perfectly edible.”

Beyond redistribution, WasteLess Solutions incorporates education into its mission, working with businesses and community members to reduce waste before it occurs. This includes guidance on event planning, waste reduction strategies and reporting tools that help organizations track their impact.

“We don’t just redistribute food, we are actively helping businesses and consumers reduce surplus in the first place,” Goeller said.

Looking ahead, Goeller said broader systemic changes could further support efforts like those underway in Murray. “Standardizing date labeling and strengthening food donation policies would make a significant difference,” she said, pointing to confusion around “best by” and “use by” labels as a major contributor to unnecessary waste.

While systemic change may take time, WasteLess Solutions continues to operate at the intersection of environmental sustainability and community need—working to ensure that food that might otherwise be discarded finds its way to those who can use it. l

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WasteLess Solutions volunteers prepare meals from surplus recovered food. (Photo courtesy of Alexx Goeller)

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2026 SPJ winners for the City Journals/Business Journal

(Society of Professional Journalists)

The City Journals and the Salt Lake Business Journal, sister publications under Loyal Perch Media, captured multiple awards at the prestigious state and regional excellence in journalism competitions for the Society of Professional Journalists. Below is a list of those winners.

Utah Society of Professional Journalists Awards

Travis Barton, Stacey LaMont, Cassie Goff

2026’s Public Service Award (Voters Guide)

Tom Haraldsen

2026’s Roy B. Gibson Freedom of Information Award

Peri Kinder

Writing and Reporting - Division B: Humor / lifestyle column (1st Place)

“Time to face the music”

Judges comments: “Time to face the music” is a well crafted and enjoyable read that made this judge laugh out loud while sympathizing with the writer’s music teacher, dog and husband, who have to endure her music lessons. This entry, along with others presented by her in this competition, clearly show that Peri Kinder is a talented writer.

Cassie Goff

Writing and Reporting - Division B: Best newspaper reporter (1st Place)

Cassie Goff writes to celebrate, inform and build community

“Recapping 20 years of Cottonwood Heights history”

“No more bribing the pet to go the the vet: Mobile Veterinary Options brings the vet to the pet”

“Plans for future growth within Cottonwood Heights are in the works”

“Updates from the 2025 Legislative Session”

Judges comments: “When Cassie Goff is having fun writing, her community is having fun reading. She’s a journalistic gift to her community, infusing her coverage with a bit of her own pizazz and personality without outshining or dimming her town’s sparkle. She finds the meaningful tales/details amid the seemingly mundane minutiae of daily life, whether she’s handling breadand-butter news coverage or feature stories.”

Jet Burnham

Writing and Reporting - Division B:

Continuing coverage (2nd Place)

“The issue of cellphones in schools”

“Parents call on community to create phone-free schools”

“High school students call for cellphone education”

“Read all about it! Books are making a comeback”

Giovanni Radtke

Writing and Reporting - Division B:

Health and Science (2nd Place)

“University of Utah Student Media

“How the U’s Long COVID Clinic ‘Streamlines’ Patient Care”

Mimi Darley Dutton

Writing and Reporting - Division B:

Homelessness and Housing (3rd Place)

“Pros and cons of Draper’s $1 million median home price”

Shaun Delliskave

Shaun Delliskave Headlines

Design and Graphics: Headline writing (3rd Place)

“A lot to lose: Murray trades City Hall parking for development”

“Murray benches tax hike, sends in the reserves”

“From $300 dreams to $1,000 realities—barbecue ain’t for the faint of heartburn”

Salt Lake Business Journal

Design and Graphics: Best newspaper - Division B (3rd Place)

Shaun Delliskave

Writing and Reporting - Division B: Criminal justice (Honorable Mention)

“Investigators still seek clues in 1978 disappearance of pregnant Murray nurse”

Julie Slama

Writing and Reporting - Division B: Health and Science (Honorable Mention)

“Out of this world: Hillcrest High’s eco-friendly pesticide experiment reaches ISS”

Tom Haraldsen

Writing and Reporting - Division B: Sports deadline reporting (Honorable Mention)

“Major leaguers score cash for homers at South Jordan event”

Top of the Rockies Excellence in Journalism Awards

Becky Ginos

Education News – (3rd place)

“75 years of history — Bountiful Elementary to be replaced by new building”

Rebecca Olds

Sports News – (3rd place)

“Building a stronger future for female high school athletes in Utah”

Rebecca Olds

Feature: Short form – (3rd place)

“A fighter, a writer, an avid skier and an optimist — nothing stops Harriet”

Cassie Goff

Special Topic/Section – (3rd place) “SLC’s Tattoo Convention draws worldwide talent”

Julie Slama

Sports Feature – (1st place)

“Utah Sports Hall of Fame coach hits home run for equality”

Judge’s comment: “Excellent feature reporting that dives into the coach’s background and motivation for coaching as well as challenges she faced in her life and career. Helped round out her story and makes for a great feature.”

Peri Kinder

Personal/Humor Column – (1st place) “Life and Laughter”

Judge’s comment: “An engaging voice, humor and small things we all have encountered. As a respite from a too heavy world, Life and Laughter is the kind of break we all deserve.”

Cassie Goff and Tom Haraldsen. (Emma Leishman/Utah Alumni Relations)

Rebecca Olds, Peri Kinder, Stacey LaMont, Cassie Goff and Tom Haraldsen. (City Journals)

Redwood Road was lined with attendees to watch the West Jordan July 4th parade. (Above) Several floats at the West Jordan parade paid homage to the country’s 250th birthday. (Right) (Travis Barton/City Journals)

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Companies Championing Women artist discovers strength in expression

Katrina Berg uses bright, happy colors to bring light when life gets hard.

By Becky Ginos becky.g@thecityjournals.com

For Katrina Berg, her art means much more than what is on the canvas. It’s the meaning behind it that truly feeds her soul.

“I started painting just on my own and found so much healing from childhood sexual abuse,” said Berg. “It really started to help me be my best self.”

Berg never went to art school — in fact, her path was in architecture. “I grew up in Southern California and I always liked drawing, but my house was a very clean house and art is messy,” she said. “I’m just assuming that’s why I ended up spending more time building with Legos.”

Because she liked building, Berg said, she was drawn to architecture. “Everyone just assumed I’d be an architect, so in high school I took a lot of architecture and drafting classes and I loved those.”

Berg graduated from BYU and in 2004 graduated from UNLV in architecture. “I felt like things were really going in the right direction,” she said. “I did study abroad in Italy and that just solidified my love of creating and art and design.”

After getting married and having her first child, Berg found she needed to paint just to start processing some of the things that had happened to her. “I was also assaulted in college,” she said. “I think when you finally become a partner with somebody in life, all these problems that you’ve been carrying around like a suitcase your whole life, they become really apparent.”

Berg said it was really important that she start working through them. “Painting and drawing was definitely that for me. It helped me heal while I was painting and creating.”

As her art collection grew, Berg said she started going to art shows along the Wasatch Front. “That’s really where my artwork started to take off because people would collect my art and they would tell me what the art did for them. That’s when I realized that the art wasn’t just for me — it was for other people.”

Berg said she still tried to express what she felt like God was telling her to share with others. “My work is really focused on bringing the outside in and helping people heal from nature and realize the beauty that has been created around them.”

Her art is made up of happy colors. “That helps sustain us when life gets hard,” she said. “For me, I needed to focus on the light. I had this book of stained glass pieces

little different for artists because it tends to be more heavy,” she said. “I paint on really smooth surfaces and the paint does shine just like a stained glass piece, and so you’ve got little pieces of candy color reflecting right back at you. It just came right from my soul.”

Berg’s work will be featured at the Companies Championing Women event Aug. 27. “What I love about their mission is supporting and creating better environments for women,” she said. “That’s something I find near and dear to my heart. I felt like women needed more support just because a lot of us, just like me, we have other things going on in our lives. Whether it’s children that are a priority or a spouse, I feel like women tend to wear so many more hats.”

They select one of her paintings and create an image of it that will be broken up into a mosaic and it becomes each of the awards for the event, said Berg. “So each of the companies that receive an award, they’ll have a little piece of that artwork and then when it’s displayed together on the wall, it’s just one big picture (image).”

and I started painting what I saw in the book and realized that I really loved the reflection of light. It kind of helps us see ourselves and the world around us.”

Berg only paints on wood. “It can be a

Berg hasn’t asked to be paid for the artwork. “It’s an honor just to participate and support them.”

For more information about Katrina Berg and her candy-colored studio art visit katrinaberg.com. l

“Dream a little dream of me” oil on wood named after the song by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. (Courtesy Katrina Berg)

The Most Important Meeting of the Week Happens at Your Kitchen Table

Not long ago, I sat near a family at a local restaurant and noticed something that has stuck with me. Four people shared one table, but nobody shared a word. Every face was lit by a phone. I don’t share this to judge them — I suspect every one of us has been that family at some point. Between work, school, practices, and the constant hum of notifications, it’s entirely possible to spend a whole evening in the same room with the people we love and never actually connect with them.

As a member of the Salt Lake County Council, I spend a lot of time thinking about what makes our communities strong — safe neighborhoods, good parks, responsible

budgets. But the truth is that the strength of Salt Lake County doesn’t begin in a council chamber. It begins in living rooms, around dinner tables, and in the front seats of cars

driving home from school.

And right now, our kids need that strength more than ever. Young people across our county and state are reporting rising levels of anxiety, loneliness, and depression. Parents feel the weight of it, too. Many are working hard just to keep up, quietly wondering whether they’re doing enough for their children.

Here’s the encouraging part: what children need most isn’t complicated, and it isn’t expensive. It doesn’t require a perfect home or a perfect parent. It requires presence.

Strong families aren’t built in grand gestures. They’re built in small, ordinary moments — a real conversation on the drive home, a teenager flopping onto the couch to unload about their day, a dinner where the phones stay in another room long enough for everyone to laugh or vent or tell a story. Individually, these moments seem almost too small to matter. Stacked together over years, they become the foundation a child stands on.

The research backs this up in striking ways. Utah youth who share at least one meal a week with their family are 45% less likely to feel depressed, 70% less likely to vape, and 54% less likely to consider suicide. Read those numbers again. No county program, however well designed, can compete with the protective power of a family that regularly sits down and eats together. And the effect compounds — the more meals shared

each week, the more protection our kids carry with them. Data shows kids do better in school and they engage in less risky behaviors. Family dinners, with phones put away, have so much power.

If there’s one practical step I’d encourage every household in Salt Lake County to try, it’s carving out screen-free time together. Technology brings real benefits, but it also competes for our attention in ways we don’t always notice. When every meal, car ride, and quiet evening is interrupted by a device, the openings for conversation slowly close.

Connection rarely arrives on schedule. When my own kids were teenagers, their moment to open up was almost always late at night, just as I was ready to collapse into bed. They’d knock on the door and settle at the foot of the bed to talk. I was exhausted — but I learned that those unplanned moments were the ones that mattered most. Our job as parents and grandparents is simply to be available when they come.

Families looking for practical ideas can find free resources at strongfamilies.utah. gov. But honestly, you don’t need a website to start. Tonight, put the phones in a drawer, sit down together, and ask a real question. Then listen. Kids don’t need us to be perfect. They need us to be present. In Salt Lake County, that may be the best investment any of us can make.

The Magic Starts When the Kids Stay Home

Every couple should take a child-free Disneyland vacation. Without kids, you can focus on what really matters: blaming each other for choosing the wrong line. You can also notice how many adults willingly wear matching T-shirts and mouse ears.

When my husband and I celebrated his birthday at the Happiest Place on Earth, it was chaotic, exhilarating and crowded, but at least it was expensive.

Our plan was to hit both Disney parks in one day. We had a detailed itinerary, a portable phone charger and high expectations that lasted until we got to the parking lot. It was our first hour-long wait, but not the last. Luckily, we didn’t have kids whining in the backseat. That was my department.

Once we got into Disneyland, we used the park’s app to jump into the first line with a less-than-45-minute wait. It was the Jungle Cruise, where the jokes are as old as Disney itself.

Tom talks to anyone, so as we snaked through the line, he’d connect with people based on their ballcaps.

“Hey, you’re a Dodgers fan!” he’d say.

“Yep.”

“That’s great. We’re Giants fans, but we love Ohtani.”

The Dodgers fan would nod and we’d wind through the maze until we met up with

Peri Kinder Life and Laughter

him again for another short, baseball-themed conversation. By the fifth pass, Tom had exhausted every baseball topic he knew and the stranger pretended he didn’t see us.

Avoiding eye contact is my starting point, so it didn’t affect me, but my extroverted husband spent an inordinate amount of time trying to understand why his new best friend was ghosting him.

“We met him 40 minutes ago,” I reminded him.

“Was it something I said?” he asked.

“Probably.”

Being without kids, we didn’t have to set foot in Fantasyland, which is basically a 10-acre stroller park filled with exhausted parents and overstimulated toddlers begging for $45 Cinderella bubble wands.

Instead, we got drenched on Tiana’s Bayou (which will always be Splash Mountain) and endured a 75-minute wait at Guardians of the Galaxy, along with 15,000 high school graduates. Apparently,

teenagers like to celebrate graduation by standing in long lines.

After paying an extra $30 for the Star Wars Experience, we headed to the Incredicoaster at California Adventure. Looking around, we realized we were the oldest people in line, right before we were shot into the sky and bounced around like a tennis shoe in the washing machine.

We couldn’t ride Space Mountain, which closed every 20 minutes (I’m assuming to hose down the seats), but we survived other high-speed rides without severe whiplash or needing EMS assistance.

We agreed there were too many kids roaming the area. Maybe Disneyland could create an adults-only park featuring Mickey’s Pub Crawl where you can pay $20 to get into a bar fight with Pluto.

Donald Duck’s Anger Management Arena or Minnie’s Marriage Counseling could hit the spot after spending the day with your significant other arguing about whether the Disneyland Railroad is worth the time. It’s not.

Disneyland is built on storytelling, which I love, but after hours in line, no one cares why the mansion is haunted, no one cares who stole the treasure. No one is paying attention to the elaborate backstory. We just want to ride, scream for 90 seconds and move on.

I suggest you never take your kids to Disneyland. For one thing, it’s cheaper. For another, you don’t have to negotiate with the child who wants a smoked turkey leg while everyone else wants pizza.

Child-free Disneyland allows you to hold hands with your partner as you zip, tumble and catapult through the air. That’s the real magic.

Peri Kinder is an award-winning columnist and journalist who has written for The City Journals since 2004. She also hosts the Life & Laughter podcast. Peri can be reached at peri.k@thecityjournals.com.

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