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.
This episode of The New Utah Podcast is missing Jessica but has Jeremy’s sister, Holly filling in. We’re excited to have Holly with us for this episode because our Historically Significant Utah place is Saltair and if anyone knows how to party it up at a concert venue, it’s Holly!
Utah Geological Survey, 1984
Chris reports his findings for the great curry sampling we did through our friends at Utah Taste Off. These folks have a lot of fun tastings coming up so check them out on Instagram and sign up! Chris, Jeremy and I talk about our various home improvement projects and Holly updates us on her bout with COVID and her recent vaccination. Jeremy is a famous author, at least in his son’s middle school. Jonathan has enjoyed a month of fun when his dad’s book is named as book of the month.
As I mentioned we talk about the spectacular and tragic history of 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 concert venues.
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We were so excited to finally be able to sit down with Utah therapist for episode 247, Jessie Shepherd of Blue Clover Therapy, host of The Morning Struggle Podcast, and author of four books about different types of metal health. Scheduling a therapist to be on a podcast is as difficult as scheduling to go to the therapist!
Jessie is born and raised in Utah. She loved the idea of medicine, but without going to medical school, so the next best thing was becoming an EMT/EMS first responder. She decided she enjoyed mental health calls and decided after 6 years of being on the bus she headed off to go to school to become a therapist. Jessie told us that part of the joy of being on the bus was to see the amazing part of humanity, even though she also had to see the bad things as well. Jessie did her studies through the University of Utah.
We wanted to highlight her amazing bio, to get a feel what she does for her clients, Jessie Shepherd, MA, LCMHC is a Mental Health Counselor in Utah. She has a Masters Degree in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelors degree in Psychology from the University of Utah. Her focus is treating trauma and adjustment issues in young adults, adolescents, children and their families. She utilizes Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Play Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Neurological Feedback. She also works with performance anxiety and performance enhancement using EMDR and Neurological Feedback.
Jessie wanted to work with people with border line personality of all ages and was able after years to open her own practice, Blue Clover Therapy. Her focus is trauma which is all wrapped up with anxiety, depression, and behavioral issues that there is no shortage of situations to be addressed. There are a handful of practicing therapists at Blue Clover in addition to Jessie.
We have now been in a pandemic situation for a year. We wanted to know how people are managing their distress during COVID. Jessie told us that people didn’t understand what it would be like to be so isolated over the last year. She said, “it is sad to see how people are coping.” She mentioned that it is important to recognize there are two stresses happening during this past year and how it’s effecting us. One is direct stress such as businesses shutting down, kids not going to school, things that you’ll talk about in a direct conversation. Then there is passive stress, the ones that are highly ignored. Media use is part of the passive stress, as well as day to day distresses, things like remembering to wear a mask day to day. Jessie gave us some stellar coping tips. We have to be mindful about how we actually feel. Numbing behaviors should be avoided and minimal. These include doom scrolling, Candy Crush, eating, to name a few. We have to recognize when we are doing them. Some of the other things we can do right now, and in life, is talk to your pets, scream out loud, record how you are feeling, journal it, and take a step back and get away to reground one’s self . It’s important, and imperative. Jessie mentioned that it’s easy to get caught up, it’s important to step back.
What about finding a therapist? What are modalities? Such as cognitive, EMDR, etc. Jessie says that it’s important to ask questions on your first visit of what you are looking for because you have to be comfortable with who you are asking to hold space for you. It’s a relationship. You want good boundaries and you are comfortable being there an hour a week. We were also happy with having Jessie step on a soap box about insurance and mental health.
Next life that Jessie lives is as a podcaster for the Morning Struggle Podcast. We wanted to know how Jessie got into podcasting. She told us that her first venture was a show with local celeb, Jackson Carter, doing the Get Yourself Together Podcast. Then her and her husband started the Morning Struggle Podcast. She said about once a week there would be a conversation about something her husband would want to improve and it turned into the Morning Struggle Podcast. It’s about specific habits that people have, then breaking it down, and create an action plan for the habit.
Jessie told us that the thing that she’s found in Utah that she thinks is unique or interesting is some people think Utahn’s are a little weird. We are all right, just diverse. She also spends a lot of time outdoors and being able to be outdoors enriches our lives. We couldn’t agree more!
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 246 brought to you by the color red, the letter J, and the number 7. This week we talk with special guest John “Jarvis” DJ/FX Designer for Evermore.
Photo by Radiodjs.com
Jarvis grew up in Kearns ‘GO Cougars.’ He then went directly into radio marketing and promotions. “The intersection of radio…the people who get things done” is where he wanted to be.
Parallel to his radio career Jarvis has been DJ’ing since he was about 16. DJ’ing has given him the opportunity to work in many exciting markets. From New York to California, to Louisiana you can hear Jarvis’s mix lists on the air. Jarvis has also done many live shows through the western united states and even Tijuana Mexico. ‘Touring as a DJ is really, really exciting’….
Jarvis recently took over as the FX Designer for the Evermore Park in Pleasant Grove. A call out of the blue from Evermore’s owners has opened a whole new chapter in his life. From lighting effects to set design Jarvis was hired to ‘Create Magic and disbelief left and right”.
Reach out to Jarvis if you would like him to DJ your funeral, swingers, and birthday party’s. You can find him on Facebook, his website, and Instagram.
We recap the lackluster Super Bowl, we talk about dirty pollution snow, and Jess fills us in on the season finale of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.
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 245 is all about food. No seriously, we didn’t really spend any time on other things. We started with Food Tucks of Salt Lake City, but quickly moved on to former Chow Truck worker and owner, Chef J Looney. He is a self proclaim culinary evangelist and has the business and website to prove it.
We talk about his love of food and how it all started with his father doing institutional food work as the food services director for LDS Hospital when he was younger. No joke, Chef Looney fell in love with hospital cafeteria food and is now a self taught private chef.
From his church sponsored vacation to Argentina as a young lad, Chef Looney really wanted people to understand the cultural aspects of food. We really dive into ethnic cuisine and the fusions that those things create. We talk about the diverse food culture in the state of Utah as well.
(Kathy Stephenson, Salt Lake Tribune)
We talk about Ethiopian food in big detail. Chef tells us that Utah has a number of great Ethiopian places to eat and things people should try that spicy food. But we also have a large Vietnamese population and the diversity doesn’t stop there. In fact, Salt Lake may have a more diverse food scene than most major cities in the United States.
It is interesting that America is one of the few countries in the world that don’t eat clean naturally. That is part of what has inspired the chef to go private and do meal planning and private meal prep for a select number of VIP clients through his new business. Eating local and eating clean is the responsible thing to do.
If you don’t leave the episode hungry and wanting to try something new, then I’m not sure you were listening to the correct show.
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
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.
Episode 244 we talked to Mike Christensen who is Founder and Executive Director of Utah Rail Passengers Association. URPA is a not for profit that works toward advocacy and education to make people aware of transportation issues.
Mike was born in the East Bay in California but when his parents divorced, he moved to Malad, Idaho at the tender age of 10. Mike calls Malad ‘Home to the Utah Lottery’ because it’s so close to the border. Malad is a really small town and they had to travel to Pocatello, Idaho or Logan, Utah for anything more than groceries and basic healthcare. Anything special required a trip.
Mike went to Rick’s College, now known as BYU Idaho and received his associated degree, then he transferred to BYU in Provo and received his bachelor’s degree in geography. He made maps and managed data with that degree but as that became more automated, Mike went back to school and obtained his master’s degree in City and Metro Planning. His degree inspiration: two trips to Germany. One was as a high school exchange student and one was as an LDS missionary.
Once he had his degree, he was ready to research how Utah can better their public transportation and one of his case studies during his master’s degree program was DayBreak’s adherence to new urbanism. His class gave them a C- (which Chris thinks is generous). Mike goes on to explain that the population density of the area is not enough to support corner markets and people end up having to drive to the store, which defeats the purpose DayBreak was built for.
Listen to our interview with Mike to hear some of his ideas, some of our ideas and plans he has for the future of rail lines in Utah that could make it easier to travel to other states!
Mike’s has two interesting things about Utah:
Utah has a toll road in South Ogden called the Adams Avenue Parkway and it’s 1.6 miles long. The road connects I84 with US Route 89.
Utah has a Ferry at Lake Powell. It is a refurbished ferry formerly known as the Charles Hall Ferry and it goes between Bullfrog and Hall’s Crossing Marina’s. the drive from one Marina to the other is considered part of SR276. The ferry makes a 90-minute drive a 15–18-minute ride.
You can find out more about the Utah Rail Passengers Association at www.utahrpa.org or contact mike at mike@utahrpa.org. Mike is active on Twitter: @mrc_slc
This month also marks our new feature on historically significant locations in Utah. Our first feature is Topaz Relocation Camp.
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 243 wine coolers are coming back. Don’t believe us, listen to our guest Jim Santangelo!
Jim was born and raised in upstate New York. Once college hit he made his way around the country, settling for a bit in California, and eventually ending up in Salt Lake City at the University of Utah. It was the snow that really brought him to Utah.
While studying behavioral sciences at the University of Utah, Jim fell in love with hospitality when he took a job at Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City. He found himself intrigued at the relationships and interactions between people their wine experience. It was after leaving Stein and making his way down to the Manhattan, in downtown Salt Lake, that he started to find a bigger passion for the wine industry. Life took him to Atlantic City where he honed his craft and became a sommelier. Fast forward to starting the Wine Academy of Utah.
It’s about as legit as it comes as a recognized wine academy.
Jim educates our listeners (and us) on sulfites in wine, corks and screw tops, and wine in a can. The difference between having a composite cork, a rubber cork, and a screw top and how it effects the life of your wine. Some other tips, if you’re aging wine, keep it on it’s side, rotate a quarter turn a few times a year, and keep in constant temperature, keep out of strong vibration, and sunlight.
Does Utah grow grapes? Yes. One. All the Utah wineries are not sourcing their grapes from one space. They actually outsource from places like Washington, Oregon, California, etc.! What are some of Utah’s wineries? Iron Gate *IG* winery in Cedar City has an incredible wine bar. They source their fruits from Utah. They also do import some from California. Old Town Cellars *OTC* has great retail and property in Park City. The bring in grapes from Washington and Oregon and they are a wine drinkers wine… then Jim said the words La Caille… yes, we all laughed. They grow their own grapes at La Caille as well as sourcing from California. There are incredible wine programs in Utah like BTG, Caffé Molise, Shallow Shaft up by Alta and Snowbird. There even is The Utah Wine Festival which was created in 2019 to showcase the diversity of wines in Utah!
The Wine Academy of Utah offers academy grade courses, local tastings, and continuing education at the University of Utah. During times of COVID things have been slowed down however Jim has found a way to keep classes and tastings safe. Each year the Wine Academy of Utah releases their own list of wines that are available in the State Wine Stores that are on the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2020, you can read their most current list on their website. Everything that Jim does is education based, sounds serious, right? Well of course it is entertaining too because if you’re in the room with Jim, it’s pretty much inevitable fun will be had.
Jim said that the thing that is the most interesting/unique thing that he has found in Utah is the people.
You can find Jim for tastings and classes on his website, Instagram or Twitter, and Facebook. Every other Friday he appears on X96, and once a month he takes listener questions.
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
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:
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.
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.
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
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.
