Utah
Utah Restaurants that Thrive Through Grit and Great Food
We’ve all seen the sad news, peppered throughout our social media feeds. A rumor about a favorite Utah restaurant suddenly closing its doors or an official announcement from a local eatery shutting down after years in business. Restaurants are hard. And if you think it’s hard to watch your favorite spot close its doors, it’s that much harder for the owners, managers and staff.
To combat the bad news, we wanted to take a moment and share the stories of several Utah restaurants that have adapted, moved, transformed or doubled down on staying the same to stay in business.
Tea Rose Diner—A New Move and a New Flavor of History
When Anny Sooksri quit her job with the post office in 2007, she decided to take over a little burger bar tucked in Murray. Anny did what she has always done.“I jumped right in,” she says. “I didn’t know what I was doing.” Tea Rose Diner was named because when she opened, she carried 82 varieties of tea and had a rose house next door. “It’s hilarious that I never had a sign,” she says. “Not until I had been open for 10 years.” Anny built her customer base the old-fashioned way, over 18 years—by serving delicious Thai food with her unique, spicy twist.
Anny could never find food that was spicy enough for her taste buds in the U.S. “I eat super spicy, but I couldn’t make food as spicy as I want because of the risk factor. So we started giving customers a choice of zero to 10 for spice,” she says. To be clear, going from a “one” to a “two” is doubling the spice. “We add a spoon of chili on each level,” she says. Tea Rose Diner guests were also shocked at the quality (and quantity) of food coming out of the tiny kitchen. Anny even managed to impress her future husband when he came in for lunch with friends.
I think every success comes with hard work. And we are a ‘hard-work’ people, you know? For us to fail, it’s not an option. I was the first generation and I’m here by myself and I came here with nothing. I wish I could be an example to a lot of people. If I can do it,
why can’t you?”
Tea Rose Diner has lived and thrived for nearly two decades. Anny went on to open four other restaurants: Chabaar Beyond Thai, Fav Bistro, Tea Rose Thai Express and Uncle Jeffi’s Place. Tea Rose will always be her figurative firstborn, but it’s starting to show its age. The kitchen is so small that you can’t have two people in there without feeling cramped. The building is grandfathered in for code, so, “I could never sell it,” Anny says. “The permit would not transfer.”
“We were keeping an eye out for a new location,” she says, but they didn’t want to go far. When the option to bid on the city-owned, historic Murray Chapel (kitty corner from the original) came up, Anny jumped. She won the bid in late fall 2024 and has big plans to renovate the space. The new Tea Rose Diner will be a full-service restaurant with a tea/coffee shop and a small event space on the lower level.
Anny won the bid because of her dedication to keeping history alive in the building. “I come from a country that has a lot of history,” she says. “And to keep something historical is something to feel honored about. We lose our history and then we don’t have anything to look forward to as a new generation.”
The Murray Chapel will take at least a year and $900,000 to bring it up to code and build it out. She can’t alter the historical facade but wants to extend the back of the building with an all-glass structure and upper deck. “It’s going to be a lot of work, but it is going to be so cool,” she says, getting animated.
Tea Rose Diner (The Original)
65 E. 5th Ave., Murray
bestthaifoodinutah.com
Kimi’s Chop & Oyster House—A New Location for a Local Institution
After 10 years, Kimi Eklund decamped her namesake restaurant, Kimi’s Chop & Oyster House, from the historic Sugar House post office to the former site of Primo’s Restaurant in Holladay. The new location is a good fit for Kimi’s brand of service, but before the move, her Chop & Oyster House came within inches of closing forever. Constant construction in Sugar House had severely impacted the business. “When Jan. 2 came and they closed the road [1100 East], our sales dropped 85% overnight,” she says. “Sugar House was a ghost town.” But Kimi hoped that when construction ended, things would improve. So, she prepared to renew her lease for another 10 years.
Then, the universe intervened one evening in July. “I seem to always have these fateful things happen,” Kimi laughs. “That night, one of my guests told me ‘It’s such a pity that we can’t sit out on your patio [due to construction]. It’s too bad you don’t have Primo’s patio. It’s one of the best patios in town, and they’re closed.’”
That same night, she learned about a new Sugar House development that would bring even more long-term construction to her block. One of the servers had waited on a developer. “The server told me that he [the developer] was talking about plans to put a 26-story building in the area behind us.” Oh and, to top it off, “there will be a high-end restaurant at the top overlooking the whole valley.”
The development might be a few years out, but it would definitely mean more chaos, more construction. Kimi knew she either had to close or move. She drove over to Primo’s location and peeked in the windows. Then she started dreaming.
Kimi and the owners of the Primo building came to an agreement. They wanted Kimi’s in the space and were willing to hold out for almost a year until Kimi was ready to move. “I got cold feet,” Kimi admits. “I didn’t want to start over again.” But the fact that her potential landlords were willing to work with her was heartening. She says, “It was telling me that I should trust my instincts.”
To make the old Primo building move-in ready, Kimi brought in some trusted advisors and fellow restaurant owners. The pad was segmented, with some walls blocking the energy and flow in the center of the restaurant. “We Tauruses are sensitive people,” Kimi says. “We are in tune and very sensory. Once I got those walls down, I knew it was going to be a success.”
The new decor is just so “Kimi.” Lush, vibrant, Scandinavian-cozy, with bright art and dramatic lighting, “a combination of white sherpa and velvet, illuminated with tear-drop chandeliers.” Each room and each nook is different, with private dining options and a beautiful lounge area, stone fireplaces and views of Mt. Olympus.
The kitchen is more spacious and modern, which means there are more options for the classic menu, more specials and more small-plate dishes, as per Kimi’s customer requests. “We’re turning into a neighborhood restaurant. People are sharing plates, doing a lot of tapas and trying everything on the menu.”
Kimi’s Chop & Oyster House
4699 S. Highland Dr., Holladay
kimishouse.com
Open seven days a week, with private dining for groups of 10–58 guests, live music and seasonal cocktails.
Log Haven’s Lasting Legacy—Declious value and a great team behind every meal
Log Haven is a Utah institution. For nearly 30 years, it is the quintessential place for proposals, weddings and family gatherings. Couples who got married there have watched their kids get married there.
As the name suggests, it is both rustic and a retreat, romantic and renowned. But at one point, it was more ramshackle than anything. That is when Margo Provost came to own the property in Millcreek Canyon. At first, she planned to remodel it as a private residence, but soon it became clear it needed to be more. “I was attempting to sort through the detritus. It was really in terrible shape.” As Margo recalls, she struck up a friendship with Jean Rains, whose father had built it as an anniversary present for her mother. Jean had photos from when she was a child, and her family would come out from Philadelphia every summer. “As we talked and I learned more about its history, I decided to restore it, add on to it and make it into a restaurant,” says Margo.
The idea of Log Haven was born. But, “It was a much bigger project than I expected,” says Margo. “We encountered problems. We had to jack the building up to meet earthquake code, remove asbestos and remove an underground heating oil tank. But eventually, we got up and running.”
On top of all the challenges, Margo was not native to the restaurant business. “I was a Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Operations for a multi-billion dollar healthcare company,” she says. “I found that things weren’t really right in line with my passions. So I took a leap to retire and was looking for a project that would fulfill what I wanted to offer to the universe.” Log Haven fit the bill. “And so when we opened, my intention was nature, nurture and nourish.”
That is one of the reasons Log Haven has stayed close to their mountain sanctuary. “You can’t be ‘nature, nurture, nourish’ if all you’re trying to do is build a brand and spread it out everywhere,” Margo says. “You put your stamp on something special, show where your values are and hope that others respond to it. We’ve been fortunate to pull that off at Log Haven.”
“Nature, nurture and nourish” have been the guiding values for Log Haven’s team, which has been there almost since the beginning. All are co-owners: Ian Campbell, the General Manager; Faith Scheffler, the Sales and Event Manager, and David Jones, the Executive Chef. “When big things occur, like recessions, significant legislative changes, or, heaven forbid, COVID, we tend to take a longer view,” she says. “We’ve been through these things.” And so, Log Haven, like with any true haven, stays the course and is known for its team, values and amazing food. Chef Jones was a James Beard semi-finalist for the best chef in the mountain region this past year and Log Haven has consistently been lauded by this very magazine’s Dining Awards. But Margo sees a bigger mission. “We’re so darnn lucky,” she says. “We have so many people who’ve gotten engaged, celebrated promotions, recruited people to move to Salt Lake. We give them a place, a beautiful, almost sacred space to celebrate the desire for connection.”
The general manager, Ian, always says, “We have a soul.” And Margo sees that as what really sets Log Haven up as the special place it is. “We see it as more than just a business. I believe we do have soul, and I think that’s a beautiful thing.”
Log Haven
6451 Mill Creek Canyon Rd., SLC
log-haven.com
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SALT LAKE CITY — “If you don’t think you’re a reader yet, it’s because you haven’t found the right book.”
Utah author Sara B. Larson believes there is a book out there for everyone that can make someone love reading. She and dozens of other authors gathered at StoryCon this weekend to teach and inspire young kids to love reading and writing.
“It’s hard to see the drop in literacy that has happened, but it’s also encouraging to see so many people banding together to try and combat it and help our youth,” Larson said.
StoryCon is a literature conference that brings together authors, educators, teens, tweens and everyone in between to focus on the power of literacy. Around 3,500 people flocked to the Salt Palace Convention Center for workshops on writing concepts, shopping for book merchandise, author signings, and even panels about Brandon Sanderson’s famed fantastical universe known as the Cosmere.
Sanderson, one of the most well-known fantasy authors to come out of Utah, said writing can feel isolating because it is such a solitary activity. He attended a conference similar to StoryCon in Nebraska when he was 18, and the opportunity to connect and meet with real authors was “so invigorating.”
“It was so powerful to just have a community. So I’ve always tried to do what I can to support communities, particularly for young people,” he said.
Aspiring writers don’t need to stress about writing the perfect book immediately, Sanderson advises. While some authors get lucky, like Christopher Paolini, who wrote “Eragon” at just 14 years old, most of the time writing is about exploring genres and just improving your skills over time, he said.
Sanderson himself didn’t love reading at first until between his eighth and ninth grade years.
“I went from being a C student to an A student because of books. This was partially because I found myself in the books; I had a reason to care, but your reading comprehension going up helps in all aspects of life,” he said. “Having a fluency with reading, reading for the love of it, which will just build those muscles in your brain, is extremely important.”
Brandon Mull, author of the “Fablehaven” series, said he also didn’t like reading as a kid until he read “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” which made a “light go on.” He now feels he owes C.S. Lewis the credit for how his life turned out.
“When I learned to read for fun as a kid, it changed the trajectory of my life,” Mull said. “I’m a practical example of how big a difference learning to love reading can make for someone.”
Mull focuses on children’s literature and said he tries to write stories that children and families can enjoy. Reading fiction helps children develop “a rich inner life,” learn how to be empathetic and develop their minds to be a place ideas can be explored.
The Utah author will soon be celebrating the 20th anniversary of his book “Fablehaven,” which will include a special illustrated edition of the beloved children’s book, a dramatized full-cast audiobook, and the premiere next year of a film based on the novel. He also will be releasing a new series this year called “Guardians” that he believes is some of his best work.
With so many things competing for kids’ attention every day, it’s crucial to teach them to read, Mull said.
“If we don’t get kids to learn how to read a book and turn it into a story in their head, they are missing an aspect of education that makes them good consumers of information and good consumers of stories,” he said.
Larson agreed with that sentiment, saying people’s brains are being “hijacked” and getting stuck in a loop of only having a 3-second attention span because of social media. Larson has written more than eight fantasy books, including the popular “Defy” trilogy.
“This phenomenon that is happening to our kids, they are losing the ability to focus, losing the ability to even think with any sort of deep analytical process. It’s so vital to get to these kids and help them realize you have got to put down the phone and pick up a book and train yourself to focus,” she said.
There is wealth, knowledge, joy, happiness, peace and calm to be found when you put social media away and instead dive into a book, she said. Reading helps children grow up to be successful adults who can pursue goals, constantly learn and successfully contribute to society.
StoryCon CEO Jennifer Jenkins said it has been overwhelming to see the success of the event. StoryCon was created by the nonprofit Operation Literacy last year and has become the biggest literacy-focused event in Utah.
Growing up, she felt there wasn’t a place for writers compared to athletes or dancers who always had camps and conventions, so she helped found Teen Author Boot Camp, which evolved into StoryCon.
“Kids need to know they are being taken seriously. They need to be validated and know they are being encouraged,” she said. “That’s the why behind all of this. We really want to put them before anything else. These kids are the heart of everything we do.”
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
Arizona State basketball is at a crossroads. After back-to-back road losses to Baylor and TCU, the Sun Devils are suddenly fighting just to stay above .500.
Now, with Utah coming to town Saturday afternoon, this isn’t just another conference game. It feels bigger than that. It feels like the moment that decides whether this season still has life or if it quietly fades away.
The Danger of Falling Below .500
All season long, Arizona State has had one strange pattern.
Every time they dropped to .500, they responded with a win. They never let things spiral.
But now they’re sitting right on the edge again.
A loss to Utah would push them below .500 for the first time all year. That might not sound dramatic, but it matters for team morale.
Teams feel that shift. Confidence changes. Urgency changes. And with only a few games left before the Big 12 Tournament, there isn’t much time to recover.
That’s why this Utah game feels different.
Utah Is Playing Better — Especially on Defense
When these two teams met a few weeks ago, Utah was struggling.
Since then, they’ve improved. They’re still built around their top scorers, who combine for around 40 points per game, but the real difference lately has been defense.
Utah has started putting together more complete defensive performances. They’re contesting shots better. They’re finishing possessions. They’re not folding as easily in the second half.
That matters because Arizona State’s biggest issue right now isn’t effort, it’s physical depth.
The Real Niche Problem: Guard-Heavy and Worn Down
Here’s something that doesn’t get talked about enough: Arizona State’s roster balance is off.
Because of injuries, especially the likely season-ending absence of Marcus Adams Jr., the Sun Devils are extremely guard-heavy right now. More than half of the available players are guards. That creates matchup issues, especially against physical teams.
We saw it against TCU. They got to the free-throw line 36 times.
They won the physical battle. Even when their best scorer struggled, they still controlled the game inside.
ASU just doesn’t have the same frontcourt depth.
With only a few true bigs available and some undersized forwards playing bigger roles than expected, the team can get worn down.
Late in games, that shows up in missed rebounds, second-chance points, and tired legs.
It’s not about hustle. It’s about bodies.
Why Saturday Truly Matters
If Arizona State beats Utah, everything changes.
Suddenly, you’re heading into Senior Night against Kansas with momentum. Win that, and you’re talking about a possible 7–11 conference finish and a much better Big 12 Tournament matchup.
From there? Anything can happen.
But if they lose Saturday, the math and the hope get much harder.
That’s why this game isn’t just about Utah.
It’s about belief. It’s about roster limitations. And it’s about whether this team has one more push left in them before the season runs out.
SALT LAKE CITY — A controversial Utah proposal to crack down on the presence of immigrants in the country illegally that had seemed stalled gained new life Friday, passing muster in new form in a relatively narrow vote.
In a 39-33 vote, the Utah House approved HB386 — amended with portions of HB88, which stalled in the House on Monday — and the revamped measure now goes to the Utah Senate for consideration.
The reworked version of HB386, originally meant just to repeal outdated immigration legislation, now also contains provisions prohibiting immigrants in the country illegally from being able to tap into in-state university tuition, certain home loan programs and certain professional licensing.
The new HB386 isn’t as far-reaching as HB88, which also would have prohibited immigrants in the country illegally from being able to access certain public benefits like food at food pantries, immunizations for communicable diseases and emergency housing.
Moreover, Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton and the HB88 sponsor, stressed that the new provisions in HB386 wouldn’t impact immigrants in the country legally. He touted HB88 as a means of making sure taxpayer money isn’t funneled to programming that immigrants in the country illegally can tap.
Rep. Lisa Shepherd, R-Provo, the HB386 sponsor, sounded a similar message, referencing, with chagrin, the provision allowing certain students in the country illegally to access lower in-state tuition rates at Utah’s public universities. Because of such provisions “we’re taking care of other countries’ children first, and I want to take care of Utahns first. In my campaign I ran and said Utahns first and this bill will put Utahns first,” she said.
If we stop young folks who have lived here much of their life from going to school and getting an education, it is really clear to me that we have hurt that person. It’s not clear to me at all that we have benefitted the rest of us.
–Rep. Ray Ward, R-Bountiful
The relatively narrow 39-33 vote, atypical in the GOP-dominated Utah Legislature, followed several other narrow, hotly contested procedural votes to formally amend HB386. Foes, including both Democrats and Republicans, took particular umbrage with provisions prohibiting immigrants in the country illegally from being able to pay in-state tuition and access certain scholarships.
As is, students in the country illegally who have attended high school for at least three years in Utah and meet other guidelines may pay lower in-state tuition, but if they have to pay out-of-state tuition instead, they could no longer afford to go to college.
“If we stop young folks who have lived here much of their life from going to school and getting an education, it is really clear to me that we have hurt that person. It’s not clear to me at all that we have benefitted the rest of us,” said Rep. Ray Ward, R-Bountiful.
Rep. Hoang Nguyen, D-Salt Lake City, noted her own hardscrabble upbringing as an immigrant from Vietnam and said the changes outlined in the reworked version of HB386 run counter to what she believes Utah stands for.
“I fear that what we’re doing here in Utah is we are eroding what truly makes Utah special, the Utah way. We are starting to adopt policies that are regressive and don’t take care of people. Utahns are one thing. Citizens are one thing. People is the first thing,” she said.
Rep. John Arthur, D-Cottonwood Heights, said the measure sends a negative message to the immigrant students impacted.
“If we pass this bill today, colleagues, we will be telling these young people — again, who have graduated from our high schools, these kids who have gone to at least three years of school here — that you’re no longer a Utahn,” he said.
If we are compassionate to those who come the legal way and we are compassionate to those who already live here, that does not mean that we lack compassion for others in other ways.
–Rep. Kristen Chevrier, R-Highland
Rep. Kristen Chevrier, R-Highland, said the debate underscores a “fallacy” about compassion. She backed the reworked version of HB386, saying Utah resources should be first spend on those in the country legally.
“If we are compassionate to those who come the legal way and we are compassionate to those who already live here, that does not mean that we lack compassion for others in other ways,” she said.
The original version of HB386 calls for repeal of immigration laws on the books that are outdated because other triggering requirements have not been met or they run counter to federal law.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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