Author: thenewutah

Episode 252 – Pea Talk

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This week on The New Utah Podcast, Bre writes a half-assed blog for TNUP, Jessica is missing from the podcast because she’s doing her side gig (working on cakes, for those new to our podcast).

Chris and I have been out a about a bit during COVID but haven’t really made time to go on a date, so we had a night out starting with dinner at Sapa and ending with games at Dave & Busters.  This says it all, there was a line at least 20 deep waiting to get in when they opened at 5pm and it was still there when we left at 6:30pm.  Totally worth the wait and as a bonus, Fillings and Emulsions provides desserts!

Jeremy provides the first Urban Farming update of the season.  Apparently, it’s time to plant your potatoes, peas, and other root vegetables.  Get your little plot ready and head to IFA for seeds!

Demolished Salt Lake Podcast

Our guest this week is Wendi Pettett, formerly of Preservation Utah (Episode 175 – 10/1/2019) and now working on her own podcast, Demolished Salt Lake.  After Wendi was laid off from Preservation Utah because of COVID, she ran across a Twitter account for Demolished Chicago and decide Utah needed one.  With her background from Preservation Utah, she started an Instagram where she put up pictures of great historic buildings that have been demolished and told a little story.  With the time put into research and the popularity of them, a podcast was her next step.

Salt Lake Tribune file photo The Bransford Apartments Building in Salt Lake City, 1946

Wendi’s first episode is her favorite so far. She focused on Bransford Apartments.  She finds many of the buildings she talks about through the Utah State Archives.  Since her podcast is research based, she keeps it short and simple.  Her podcasts are interesting stories about interesting buildings that have been torn down. 

Save the Utah Theatre GoFundMe.com

As a side project to her side project, Wendi is helping with the Save the Pantages Theatre Campaign.  Its currently city owned, and the city is giving it to Hines.  They want to tear it down and use the land for condos, but Save The Pantages Theatre wants to restore it and use it as a movie theater similar to the Egyptian. 

You can find Wendi on Facebook at Demolished Salt Lake Podcast, on Twitter at @demolishedslpod and Instagram @demolishedsaltlakepodcast.  Her episodes are about 20 minutes long and come out about every two weeks.

We will ALWAYS love your “likes” BUT don’t forget to click that little SHARE button (or retweet) *sharing IS indeed caring* You can find us and subscribe on Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Itunes, IHeartRadio, Google Play, and TuneIN. Leave us a review and Follow us on the Twitter @tnupodcast, Instagram @Tnupodcast, or on Facebook The New Utah Podcast

Historically Utah: The Great Saltair

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Our deep dive into a historically significant place in Utah for February, episode 248, takes us to The Great Saltair.

It was first built at the end of the 1800’s as an amusement park and a wholesome destination for dates and families. Owned and developed by the LDS Church it was the place to be until the first fire.  Yup, there have been three fires in the history of Saltair but that doesn’t keep the place down.  It’s now been resurrected as an event and concert venue.  In that vein, we discuss Utah’s other amusement parks, event centers, and concerts.

People swimming at Saltair in 1933. Photo Salt Lake Tribune

Music for episode by Folk Hogan

Historically Utah: Topaz Relocation Camp

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Welcome to the first of our new annual feature!

As you know here at TNUP we dedicate the last recording week of the month to something special. In 2019 we focused on ‘Infamous’ Utahns. In 2020 it was ‘Famous’ Utahns and for 2021 we have decided to focus on historically famous locations, landmarks, and places. To kick the new year off right we dive into a location known as Topaz Mountain.

The Central Utah Relocation Center…Or Topaz Mountain as it has been referred to was one of 10 relocation centers constructed in the United States during World War II for the purpose of detaining Japanese Americans and people of Japanese descent. More than 11,000 people passed through the center and, at its peak, it housed over 8,000 internees. Today, the Central Utah Relocation Center (Topaz) Site consists of two monuments, building foundations, roads, gravel walkways, agricultural buildings, portions of the perimeter fence, and landscaping.

Construction of the 19,800-acre Central Utah Relocation Center began in July of 1942, continuing through January of 1943. The center was built in the Sevier Desert in central Utah, a dry, windy environment with harsh winters that was entirely new to the internees, most of whom were from the San Francisco, California area.

The walls of the barracks were covered with sheet rock, but many of the apartments where not finished when the inmates began to arrive. The prisoners had to endure very cold conditions until eventually gypsum board was installed on the walls and ceilings.

People at Topaz could work, but wages were substandard for work inside the camp. Doctors of Japanese ancestry were paid $19 a month. Teachers made $16 per month and clerical, cooks, and farm hands made $14 to $12 per month. All workers received a clothing allowance and ration cards. Unemployment compensation went to families of those unable to find employment.

The Central Utah Relocation Center was closed on October 31, 1945. Following the closing of the camp, many of the structures were sold or taken away to nearby educational facilities and most of what remained was torn down.

The Central Utah Relocation Center (Topaz) Site is now a National Historic Landmark. Due to COVID-19 the museum is temporarily closed but you can call the number (435) 864-2514 for updates on re-opening plans and adjusted hours. You can also search topazmuseum.org. for facts and resources about the center.

Photo: Deseret News

Music for episode provided by Folk Hogan.

Episode 242 – Bless Your Heart!

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In this week’s episode, Bre attempts to be more useful and writes the blog.  Here’s for hoping this all makes sense!

We are joined by Chef Adalberto Diaz of Fillings and Emulsions after years of trying to get him on the show and Chris opens the show stating that he wants snow.  Honestly, I think we all miss snow and I’m mad that I’ve been working from home for almost a year now and still haven’t been able to be grateful that I don’t have to drive in it!  In related news, Texas is getting snow, the power is out, they can’t drive in it and everyone is losing their minds. 

Jeremy reports that his wiener dog, Ebo has killed a rat.  He may be old but he’s still proving his usefulness.  The rat was not Chungus; however, so we’ll continue to hear updates as this episodic adventure unfolds.

We talked about the protest gone wrong (or right in some folks eyes) in Washington DC on January 6th.  With Trump and his family, cabinet members and other high profile supporters stoking the fires, what will come of it?  States are being warned that more protests of Trump’s loss are being planned for each state’s capitol on January 19th.  I’m all for protesting, but storming the ramparts seems a bit over the top.  Let’s stay calm folks.  If you lived through eight years of Obama, you can live through Unca Joe!!!

Jessica reported that RHOSLC went to a lot of local places in the last episode, including Top Golf and Loveland Aquarium.  They scheduled a private penguin encounter and so can you! For $250 you and nine of your closest friends can hang out with penguins for 50 minutes and they will even let you feed them.  I feel like this is my next adventure!

As we prepare to discuss an awesome bakery, we go to FemaleFoodie.com and go over a couple of lists that include the best desserts and bakeries in Utah.  Almost all our favorites are listed:

BEST DESSERTS IN SALT LAKE CITY: 10 LOCAL FAVORITES

10 BEST BAKERIES IN SALT LAKE CITY

Chef Diaz has to be one of the most pleasant people to talk to.  He motivates you to be a better person and it was so great to hear his story.  One of the first things we learn about Chef is that he was up at two o’clock the morning of our interview and was still enthusiastic and inspiring at 6:30 at night!  As you may know from previous episodes, Fillings and Emulsions is one of Jessica’s favorite places to eat and to enjoy with friends and family.

Photo: Chef Diaz

Chef says he likes his food to taste good and to look good because, “When you eat it, it makes you feel good and when you give it away it makes you feel good.”  Chef’s story starts in Cuba where he learned to cook from his grandmas because everything in Cuba is from scratch, so the kitchen was going 24/7.  You can read chef’s history but I’ll highlight some things here. He first fled Cuba to Mexico by obtaining an illegal passport. He got to the American border via a coyote, seeking asylum from prosecution for helping the LGBTQ community in Cuba. He was promptly jailed for 21 days upon his arrival in the United States.

Chef knows firsthand what the children at the border and their parents are going through.  He and some other local businesses have held a charity event for the last three years to raise money for those being held at the border.  His hope is that the new administration will bring an end to the atrocity and they won’t need to raise money again this year.  Chef visited Cuba again a few years ago and said that time stands still there.  Nothing really changes and he was thrilled to finally visit his home.

Photo: voices-of-utah.com

Chef loves to gather knowledge and to share that knowledge.  He says that competition makes him stronger and helps him create new and better ideas.  Chef’s Interesting/Unique thing about Utah might be the best one we’ve had yet; “Bless Your Heart doesn’t mean that,” and calling something interesting doesn’t mean that it actually is. Chef has had to learn about sarcasm firsthand in Utah.

You can follow Fillings and Emulsions on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and go order some delicious treats on their website.

We will ALWAYS love your “likes” BUT don’t forget to click that little SHARE button (or retweet) *sharing IS indeed caring* You can find us and subscribe on Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Itunes, IHeartRadio, Google Play, and TuneIN. Leave us a review and Follow us on the Twitter @tnupodcast, Instagram @Tnupodcast, or on Facebook The New Utah Podcast

Episode 241 Jill and Post Malone at the 7-11.

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A few months ago we had the pleasure of having founder, Tom Milligan, of an up an coming company Our Divorce join our show. Episode 241 we are joined by the other half, Jill Blankenship!

You might be wondering how this partnership ended up working. Jill has known Tom for about 12/13 years, she said it gets fuzzy. After years of working in the same spaces, Tom brought his idea of Our Divorce to Jill and because Jill is a queen of start ups it was a perfect marriage! *see what we did there*

After Jill’s own divorce she moved to Orca Island. She jokes that she didn’t want kids to run away, that is why she moved to an island. She said at the time, she was outnumbered and needed some control in her life after her divorce. After many years on the island, she is finding her way back to Utah soon!

Jill found her motivation to start businesses because of living on Orca Island. With a population that is mostly there during the summer and with businesses shutting down in the winter, she had to find a way to create a remote work force. In 2005 she started her first business, Front Line Call Center, and 15 years later her call center is still alive and running. Over the years she has grown the business and continued to add to the call center industry developing software and more.

Starting Our Divorce with Tom was something that she, and he, hadn’t delved into yet except the experience of being divorced. It was a new market for her and joining Tom, she is playing the role of investor and developer. Jill works with the development team and the technical side, mostly. Jill said Our Divorce was going to be a simple start up and then things went big, and so fast! Even after a short time on social media they’ve already found themselves going viral on platforms such as TikTok.

If you were wondering how high the numbers of divorce’s has been during COVID, well it has gone up 40%. And no, Our Divorce is not trying to put attorneys out of business. They are simply a resource center, think Turbo Tax of Divorce. Our Divorce has been working the last few months working on putting amicable couples on their platform to do their divorce together. When Jill and Tom started the company they wanted to have a company where people could have a successful outcome. They started it with the question in mind, what experience would they want as Tom and Jill if they were going through a divorce. The wanted to create an environment for couples divorcing from a money based situation to an actual experience. A good experience.

Jill’s most interesting/unique thing that she has discovered about Utah is more specific to where she will be living. Jill said the one thing that is unique is that you have the mountains in your face. They’re right there. Wildlife you’re cohabitating with. Jill said she hears the coyotes, she sees the wild turkeys (that love her mulch), and what she loves about Utah is that you never know what you’re going to wake up to. She loves Utah, Post Malone will be her neighbor and is excited to be back.

You can follow Our Divorce on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and visit their website if you need (or know someone that needs) information on an impeding divorce!

We will ALWAYS love your “likes” BUT don’t forget to click that little SHARE button (or retweet) *sharing IS indeed caring* You can find us and subscribe on Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Itunes, IHeartRadio, Google Play, and TuneIN. Leave us a review and Follow us on the Twitter @tnupodcast, Instagram @Tnupodcast, or on Facebook The New Utah Podcast

Famous Utahn: Larry H. Miller

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As we wrap up a year of 2020 famous Utahn’s we have visited incredible families, incredible women, prodigy’s, and more! Utah has produced an incredible batch of people that have changed the world in one way or another.

Wrapping up our list, we deep dive into the legacy of Larry H. Miller. Born in 1944 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Larry was a Utahn through and through even with his brief time outside the state. He graduated fro West High school and married his high school sweet heart, Gail. After working in a parts department for a dealership, Larry started his business journey in the automotive industry which he ended up owning more than 60 dealerships through the western U.S.

Photo: KSL

His enterprises were built with his wife Gail when they bought their first dealership. The Larry H. Miller corporation owned the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s Utah Jazz starting in 1985. He also owned the Salt Lake Bees, a Minor League Baseball team. His other ventures included Prestige Financial Services, Jordan Commons (a restaurant and entertainment complex), Megaplex Theatres, KJZZ-TV, Miller Motorsports Park, Tour of Utah, the advertising agency Saxton Horne, and Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Fanzz chain of sports apparel stores was also owned by LHM Group until its sale to Ames Watson Capital in 2018. His legacy doesn’t go without a few hiccups, which we discuss on the show, such as making national news because he didn’t want Brokeback Mountain to play at his Megaplex Theaters.

In 2009 he died from complications of diabetes.

In 2020 the Miller Foundation sold the Utah Jazz to Qualtrics owner, Ryan Smith.

Our sources for this episode about Larry H. Miller Wikipedia/ lhm.com/ History to Go / KSL /Family Business Magazine

Some of our resources this episode:

Music By: Folk Hogan; Bootleggers Dance

Famous Utahn: John Warnock and Jerry Buss

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This month we get ready to close out our year of famous Utahn’s with two more Utahn’s. Although they may not be fully “famous” they are definitely influential Utahn’s.

Jerry Buss is probably best known for his ownership of the LA Lakers up until is death in 2013. He was referred to by the NBA as the greatest owner in sports. Born in Salt Lake City on January 27, 1933 his mother Jessie and his father Lydus, who would end up divorced. At age 9 Jerry moved to Wyoming with his family and eventually made his home in California.

Jerry lived many lives from a chemist, being a real estate investor, a poker player, and of course as his legacy lends, the owner of the Lakers. He changed the way we do basketball. This is the cheerleaders you see on the court. The structured premium seating and music! He wanted it to be an “all-out entertainment” spectacle, and we think it worked!

Lakers owner Jerry Buss (1933-2013). (Getty Images)

John Warnock our second famous Utahn for November was much more of a Utahn than Jerry. Born and raised in SLC, he is a Utahn through and through. John is also one of the few people we’ve featured this year that is still alive! John’s legacy will be one of being a co-founder of Adobe! Yes, little ol Adobe! John was born in Salt Lake City on October 6, 1940. From Wikipedia, “Warnock was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. He failed mathematics in ninth grade but graduated from Olympus High School in 1958. He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is married to Marva E. Warnock, illustrator, and has three children. Warnock has a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and philosophy, a Doctor of Philosophy degree in electrical engineering (computer science), and an honorary degree in science, all from the University of Utah. At the University of Utah he was a member of the Gamma Beta Chapter of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He also has an honorary degree from the American Film Institute.” In 2019 Kristin Murphy of the Deseret News did an incredible write up on Mr. Warnock’s visit to Silicone Slopes Summit.

Cool fact here the Adobe typeface “Warnock” is named after him!

2020 has seen many challenges in education and it was a scramble to figure out how to do graduations. John Warnock was the Keynote for the University of Utah.

Some of our resources this episode: Jerry Buss Wikipedia/ Bleacher Report/ Adobe/ UofU/ Deseret News

Music By: Folk Hogan; Bootleggers Dance

Episode 233 Say You Want a Revolution… a Gender Revolution

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Episode 233 we got to sit down with Nick Arteaga, the chair of the Genderevolution, with the Utah Pride Center. Nick is also the Community Programs Coordinator for the Utah Pride Center. Nick also wears the hat of leader of TransAction, which is one of six adult focus programs at the Utah Pride Center.

Nick’s pronouns are He/Him. They/Them. Nick is the 2nd oldest of 10. He grew up in Southern California until he was about 14. Nick made his way to Utah by way of Las Vegas during his twenties to join up with part of his family. By the time he moved to Utah he knew that he was part of the LGBTQ+ community. Trans-masculine, Non-Binary, of Latinx descent is how Nick identifies. Nick was able to walk through his gender identity journey with us. Why was this conversation important for our show, you may ask? We know that there are kids out there that may need guidance through their own journey and sharing these stories helps create relate-ability.

This is the quote that Nick has on the Utah Pride Center website, “Coming out at any time can be scary, but for trans, non-binary and gender creative folx every day has its unique struggles. My work here has given me the amazing opportunity to watch our extended family grow into their own. To be able to validate those individuals who are transcending the binary and society’s norms is pretty damn wonderful.”

Nick brought some really great points to us during our conversation. We were able to talk about problematic conversations that we may have around non-binary/ gender fluid people. On a daily basis we should be having conversations and work to change our verbiage and the things we may say by using correct pronouns. Things like using things like they/them. It is also okay to ask someone what their pronouns are.

We are also at point where it is okay to recognize color and race. It is an issue and we can’t ignore it. Denigrating someone’s identity creates a bigger issue and recognizing where someone comes from saves lives and validates. We have to take away dehumanizing and then the acronym of LGBTQAI+ can disappear.

The group that Nick helps direct at the Utah Pride Center is called TransAction. It is a trans positive adult focused group. Keeps conversation going, Sunday’s 1:30-3pm. Working locally with businesses to organize community events for the pride center.

GenderRevolution is normally a one day conference. The theme for the 2020 conference was Shattering Binary’s. GenderRevolution started as a way to education folks and fostering a community. With COVID this year, it did allow for it to be more accessible by going online. This years event was held on the 13th and 14th of November. There were 30 workshops of all different topics from parenting, surgery, pronouns, and three keynote speaker Schuyler Bailar, first trans athlete to swim for Harvard who did a lot of work to change rules and regulations for the trans community in sports. Kay Ulanday Barrett, poet and transgender/disability activist. Lydia X Z Brown a non-binary attorney, educator, advocate. The amazing thing about this conference is that in years past it has helped repair and build relationships with parents, educators, victim rights activists, police, and the overall community.

The best way to reach out to Nick is through the Utah Pride center email. You can also go to the Utah Pride Center for upcoming events. All the events, such as TransAction, have their own Facebook groups. NickUPC on Facebook and NachuNick on Twitter.

Nick’s most interesting/unique thing about Utah that he has discovered is that even though people assume that everyone here is LDS, there are a lot of people that aren’t. There are a lot of intelligent, amazing, woke people here. Finding community in a place that he didn’t think is wonderful. From the outside it looks like a hateful place, but on the inside it’s a beautiful secret.

Click on the pride calendar photo to link to the Utah Pride Center Calendar if you are interested, or know someone, that would like to see all the upcoming meetings and support groups! It is the most comprehensive calendar we’ve ever seen!

calendar by @departed_heart

We will ALWAYS love your “likes” BUT don’t forget to click that little SHARE button (or retweet) *sharing IS indeed caring* You can find us and subscribe on Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Itunes, IHeartRadio, Google Play, and TuneIN. Leave us a review and Follow us on the Twitter @tnupodcast, Instagram @Tnupodcast, or on Facebook The New Utah Podcast

Music By: Folk Hogan. Bootleggers Dance.

Episode 232 Reinventing the Food Wheel Every Week.

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Episode 232 We are celebrating Utah for election night! How you ask? By not talking about the election!! Instead we had one of the founders of Utah Taste Off , Lacey Page, join us to talk about the food movement they started here in Utah!

Utah Taste Off was formed by Lacey’s business partner, Kristy Stoner, just about a year ago! Kristy threw a sugar cookie party for her friends in the fall of 2019 to find the best sugar cookie in Utah. The party was a hit! So much a hit that they decided throwing these tasting parties should continue to happen.

Then COVID happened.

COVID didn’t slow these women down! Utah Taste Off has grown out of a necessity to support local business.

What is Utah Taste Off? 6 different treats, either sweet or savory, from 6 different places. You pick up your treats at a designated spot. The treats come with instructions and a placemat for each item during the taste off. The qualifications to win are taste, texture, and appearance. You put votes in online and wait to see who won the week’s box! Utah Taste Off is a way to find new places you’ve never heard of, as well as compare what you thought you loved and get surprised by a new place.

The company grew from 2 people on staff to now 20. They have turned this idea, that started with a simple cookie, into a super fun business. Due to the immense feedback and enthusiasm of the community, they are now offering kits once a week. Each week is an element of surprise. It gives a feeling of you have got to buy it cause you don’t know what is going to be in it. Utah Taste Off is reinventing the food wheel every week.

What are some of the food items they’ve competed over the last year? Cheese, salsa, macarons, mac and cheese, hand pies, rice krispie treats, donuts, cinnamon rolls, cookies, BBQ, soup, and MORE!

There are 3 pick up days as well as several pick up locations. Wednesday before pick up is when the next taste off is announced. Pre-order Sunday-Monday. Pick up’s are Wednesday-Friday depending on where you are in the valley.

When Utah Taste Off started they were delivering, in the range of, an average 100 kits and not as often. Now they are preparing and selling an average of 600+ kits. Each kit is $45 for two people. Right now they are offering a week by week box pick up, however with the success of each week they are looking at a subscription schedule!

What is the best part of doing Utah Taste Off? Lacey said it is finding new businesses. Both big and small names.

If you haven’t done a box yet, we highly suggest getting the upcoming New Years “Best of” Taste Off. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook for the announcement.

Something else that is incredible about Utah Taste Off is that they have given over $200k dollars back to over 200 local businesses with their program.

We asked Lacey what the most interesting thing she has discovered about Utah has been. The uniqueness of Utah Mountains, desert, lakes, red rock and such a variety of things to do outdoors is what she loves about Utah the most. She said skiing, being at Lake Powell, all the things!

Visit Utah Taste Off on Instagram, all of their links are on Link Tree, and on Facebook to see what the upcoming boxes are, give away’s, and Utah Taste Off Asks!

We will ALWAYS love your “likes” BUT don’t forget to click that little SHARE button (or retweet) *sharing IS indeed caring* You can find us and subscribe on Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Itunes, IHeartRadio, Google Play, and TuneIN. Leave us a review and Follow us on the Twitter @tnupodcast, Instagram @Tnupodcast, or on Facebook The New Utah Podcast

Music By: Folk Hogan. Bootleggers Dance.

Episode 231 Candy Cannons are not the Answer.

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 Welcome to episode 231! This episode we talk about how Halloween will hypothetically be during COVID. Jessica joined us on Skype from Tennessee and suggested candy cannons for distribution. Chris said no.  In case you ever want to build one, candy cannons were a thing even 8 years ago before we had to physically distance!

It feels like we just got done talking about Stephen Covey for our famous Utahn segment. This month we picked three famous Utahn’s to peek into their impact on Utah. Rosanne Barr, Frank Zamboni, and Nolan Bushnell all left a cultural impact on society and we can call all of them Utahn’s.

 

We will ALWAYS love your “likes” BUT don’t forget to click that little SHARE button (or retweet) *sharing IS indeed caring* You can find us and subscribe on Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Itunes, IHeartRadio, Google Play, and TuneIN. Leave us a review and Follow us on the Twitter @tnupodcast, Instagram @Tnupodcast, or on Facebook The New Utah Podcast

Music By: Folk Hogan. Bootleggers Dance.