Utah
Want to see how Utah’s changing? Look to its grocery stores
Unlike some states in the West, Utah hasn’t had a multicultural reputation. But fast growth is changing that. In 1990, only 10% of the population identified as a racial or ethnic minority. Thirty years later, data from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute said that number stood at 23% — making for a “New Utah.”
An easily visible sign of that shift are new grocery stores and the foods they bring to town. Filipino-American Kathleya Gracida felt the difference, or the lack of, when she moved to Salt Lake City 24 years ago.
“I grew up in Anaheim,” she said. “So, like, everywhere you go in the corner, this is like in the early 80s, you know, there’s Asian stores. So I moved here in 2000 and I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, there’s no Chinese place other than two restaurants on State Street.’”
H Mart, the country’s largest Asian grocery chain, will soon open its first Utah location in West Jordan. It’s still under construction, but they are hiring staff for an opening later this year. It’ll join South Salt Lake’s Chinatown Supermarket, which bills itself as “Utah’s largest Asian Market.”
It’s not only the place for fresh produce and specialty Asian ingredients like lotus root or shrimp-flavored potato chips, there are also bustling restaurants that serve everything from hot pot to sushi.
“I love that it’s like a centralized location for Asian food,” said John Nguyen, who moved to Utah from Virginia about a year and a half ago for work and to be closer to the outdoors. He finds himself at the market “two to three times a week at the minimum.”
He said places like Chinatown Supermarket help him feel more in-tune with the greater Utah Asian community.
“Me being Vietnamese American, I do love coming out here to eat at places like One More Noodle House and the pho place and going to the grocery shop here to get things that you wouldn’t find at, like, Smith’s or Trader Joe’s.”
For Gracida, now the chair of the Utah Asian Chamber of Commerce, H-Mart’s arrival to Utah shows that the Asian community continues to thrive.
“We’re hard working people,” she said. “We know we want success. We want to improve our lives and not just our lives now, but we think about the future.”
You might not think of it, but there’s a good chance the grocery store is one of the places you spend the most time and money outside of your home and work.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. consumers spent an average of 11.3% of their disposable personal income on food in 2022. For a family of four, that can be somewhere between $900-$1,500 dollars per month.
Today’s grocery stores are also trying to be something else: a meeting place for Utah’s growing community. Stores can offer a space to connect and find nostalgic tastes and smells.
“Having a place like this, it’s fun,” said Ngyuen. “It’s just a nice, relaxing area for people to congregate at. It’s familiar. I think it’s the big part of it.”
While online ordering and grocery delivery took off during the COVID-19 pandemic, industry insiders say people are now coming back to brick and mortar supermarkets.
“Certainly, the community plays an important part of it where we’re obviously trying to do things inside the store. They give people a purpose,” said Associated Food Stores Vice President of Store Development Steve Miner.
Associated Food Stores run some of Utah’s smaller grocery chains like Maceys, Dan’s and Fresh Market.
“We call it ‘the rides.’ You know, we’re bringing things back into the store that we feel will bring a gathering place for people in the community,” Miner said.
That gathering place can come in the form of expanded sit-down areas, cafes or even restaurants like those found at Chinatown.
“When I think about going to the grocery store, I know what nights of the week or the weekend, what times of the weekend, I’m likely to see some of my friends and neighbors,” added Tina Murray, Corporate Affairs Manager for Smith’s. The chain is one of Utah’s largest employers and operates under the nationwide Kroger grocery store umbrella.
To her, the grocery store plays an important part in the fabric of each community it serves.
“People come together over food, whether that is in their homes or in restaurants. People come together for food in the grocery stores as well.”
A Utah physician is warning that 21 data centers in various stages of development could significantly worsen air quality along the Wasatch Front.
Dr. Brian Moench, with Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, said the planned data centers are cause for alarm. Each facility is expected to generate its own electricity using natural gas power plants.
While natural gas is cleaner than coal, Moench said it still produces nitrogen oxide, which contributes significantly to ozone, particulate formation, and smog.
“There’s no safe level of air pollution. All of it is harmful, even at the very lowest doses,” Moench said.
Moench said health advocates have legitimate reasons to be concerned about what the facilities could mean for public health in the region.
“There is a real legitimate concern on the part of any health advocates about what this impact will mean to the Wasatch Front and public health if all these data centers are built or even if just a few of them are, and that’s not to address the impact on the Great Salt Lake shrinking up and becoming a toxic dust bowl. That’s the next leg of this argument,” he said.
Moench also raised concerns about electronic waste. As computer chips and equipment become obsolete and are replaced, he said the volume of e-waste produced is something no one has yet addressed.
________
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
UTAH COUNTY, May 11, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — Two males, ages 14 and 19, were transported to area hospitals Sunday after the side-by-side they were riding rolled down the side of a mountain.
Utah County Sheriff deputies and Santaquin police responded to the 6:07 p.m. call. Two medical helicopters were called to the scene, in the Pole Canyon area, as was a Department of Public Safety helicopter with a hoist in case it was needed, Sgt. Austin Edwards, Utah County Sheriff‘s Office, told Gephardt Daily.
“Eventually, rescue workers were able to make it to the spot on the hill where the vehicle had come to rest, and they were able to secure the victims, stabilize the victims, and get them back down the hill again to where the helicopters were waiting,” Edwards said.
“The 19-year-old male was transported to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, and the 14 year old was transported to Primary Children’s in Lehi.”
Both were said to have critical injuries, which were not considered to be life threatening, Edwards said.
“The cause of the rollover is still under investigation, so we don’t have that information available just yet.”
Photos: Utah County Sheriff
In what has a chance to be one of the most important nights in Jazz history, the Utah Jazz jumped in the NBA Lottery to the #2 spot for the upcoming NBA draft.
Here are the final results, which show all the movement.
Aside from it being a massive night for the Wizards, Jazz, Grizzlies, and Bulls, it was a devastating night for a few teams, but no one more than the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers, in their trade for Ivica Zubac, had a stipulation on their pick that if the pick was top-4 they kept it. But if it fell below 4, they would give it to the Clippers which is exactly what happened. Now, the Clippers, who are without Zubac, find themselves with a #5 pick to build around.
For the Jazz this is a culmination of four years of rebuilding that ends with an extremely satisfying end. Utah will now have one of the tier-1 players from this draft: AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson. The player Utah drafts will be one of their cornerstone pieces and will have the chance to not only play, but be a part of a team that will be competing for the playoffs this season.
The Utah Jazz now have a Sinister Six core: Darryn Peterson (If AJ Dybantsa goes #1), Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler (if he signs). It’s quite the core with a mix of youth and veterans in their prime. With this group, the Jazz will have a chance to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Yes, the Thunder and Spurs are going to be difficult to beat, but Utah has the mix of talent, coaching, and depth that could absolutely do the trick.
Now the Utah Jazz look forward to the NBA Draft that be on June 23rd. Let the posturing begin!!
-
Dallas, TX4 minutes agoRanking Every Cowboys Position Group By Overall Talent and Depth
-
Miami, FL10 minutes agoSevere weather, flash flooding possible in South Florida on Tuesday
-
Boston, MA16 minutes agoCanvas reportedly reaches deal with hackers for stolen data – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News
-
Denver, CO22 minutes agoFormer Denver Bronco Craig Morton, who became the first quarterback to start Super Bowl for 2 franchises, dies at 83
-
Seattle, WA28 minutes agoSeattle weather: 80s on the horizon before a long cooldown
-
San Diego, CA34 minutes agoOpinion: Proposed federal rule would hammer beauty industry
-
Milwaukee, WI40 minutes agoWhat the Bucks can learn from this year’s playoffs: Eastern Conference First Round
-
Atlanta, GA45 minutes agoFrom skid pad to train car: How the public safety training center is used