Axios Salt Lake City

April 07, 2025
Hello, Monday! You made it through the weekend, but it's time to get back to work.
🎶 Sounds like: Reveille.
🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Salt Lake City member Scott Gardner!
☀️ Today's weather: Sunny with highs around 70. Low just under 50.
Today's newsletter is 708 words — a 3-minute read.
1 big thing: Hearth and Hill's long road to opening
Not even one of Salt Lake City's worst blazes could deter restaurateurs Brooks and David Kirchheimer from opening Hearth and Hill, their fourth restaurant.
State of play: A fire tore through The Residence at Sugar Alley in Sugar House on a late night in October 2022 as it was under construction. It burned for seven days, causing $59 million in damages.
- On the morning of the fire, the restaurant had received a highly coveted liquor license and building permit, according to Brooks.
- The Kirchheimers could have canceled their lease, but chose to stay and continue building.
Driving the news: More than two years later, the elevated, casual eatery is now open on the first floor of luxury, mixed-use development.
- It's the second Hearth and Hill after its original location debuted in Park City in 2018.
Between the lines: It's their second restaurant in Salt Lake City opening at a Lowe Property Group venue.
- They previously worked with the developer to build the upscale Urban Hill at The Post District. The restaurant's head chef, Nick Zocco, has been nominated for two James Beard Awards.
What they're saying: "It's surreal to finally see it come to life," Brooks said. "We're really proud to be a part of the Sugar House community."
- David acknowledged there are challenges when launching a restaurant in a new building, but emphasized the advantages of collaborating with the same developer.
Zoom in: Hearth and Hill features an open kitchen, a horseshoe-shaped bar accompanied by large TVs, and a menu with international flavors, ranging from Vietnamese to Mexican.
- Unlike Urban Hill, which Brooks describes as a "chef-driven restaurant," this one is "chef-inspired."Hearth and Hill is a "chef-inspired restaurant."
- A chef-driven restaurant can center around a chef's skills and tastes, while a chef-inspired eatery could be influenced by other factors.
What's next: The Kirchheimers plan to open this month their second Hill's Kitchen location which will be next door.
Hours: Located at 2188 S. Highland Drive, Hearth and Hill is open 11am-9pm Monday-Friday and 10am-9pm on weekends.
- Reservations are available online.
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2. ⛪️ New Latter-day Saint temples announced
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced on Sunday plans for 15 new temples.
The big picture: Church president Russell M. Nelson has made temple-building a personal priority, more than doubling the 182 that were built or in planning when he assumed the church's highest office in 2018.
- Temples house important ceremonies, and the announcement of a new one typically creates excitement among church members in the cities where they're planned.
Friction point: The temple-building spree has led to zoning disputes in multiple states as the church invokes religious freedom arguments to exceed normal size limits in residential and rural neighborhoods.
Zoom in: Just one of the new temples was planned for Utah, in Spanish Fork.
- Three others are in the Mountain West: Caldwell, Idaho; Flagstaff, Arizona; and Rapid City, South Dakota.
Others are planned in:
- Greenville, South Carolina
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Reynosa, Mexico
- Chorrillos, Peru
- Rivera, Uruguay
- Campo Grande, Brazil
- Porto, Portugal
3. Fry Sauce: Bernie Sanders comes to Utah
🗺️ Sen. Bernie Sanders has added a Salt Lake City stop to his "Fighting Oligarchy" tour with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez which has been visiting western states .
- The visit begins 3:30pm Sunday at the Huntsman Center.
⚕️Apostle Neil L. Andersen of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reiterated the faith's opposition to abortion during the weekend's General Conference. (Church News via YouTube)
🥦 The Salt Lake Bees will continue their mid-game "produce races" at the new South Jordan stadium, which opens for home games this week. (KSL.com)
- At the former Smith's Ballpark, fans cheered as people dressed as fruits and vegetables rounded the bases, usually with some impressive wipeouts in the foam costumes.
4. 🪧 GIF du jour: Rally crowds
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Utah isn't known for its protest culture, but Saturday's "Hands Off!" anti-Trump rallies drew the biggest crowds of any political demonstration in recent memory.
The big picture: With crowd estimates of up to 10,000, protestors filled the Capitol lawn, chanting "Eat the rich!" and "Deport Musk!"
The intrigue: As images showed massive rally crowds in cities like Boston, D.C. and Philly, detractors claimed the protest amounted to paid actors in "deep-blue cities."
Reality check: Videos and photos showed rallies Saturday in Kanab, Provo, Moab, Heber City, St. George, Logan, Bluff and Boulder.
⏳ Erin finally got one of those timer cubes, and she isn't sure why the manufacturers feel the need to punish us with piercing alarm sounds all day long when a digital tool could be programmed to make any sound.
✈️ Kim is on her way home again!
This newsletter was edited by Ross Terrell.
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