Let’s face it: Wrangling dinner for a crowd can be overwhelming. When you add in complications like dietary preferences and life-threatening food allergies, all while still wanting to wow your guests, decision paralysis can quickly set in. Sure, you can make a restaurant reservation, but the pricing for a multi-course dinner tailored to a large group can add up fast. And after a long day of mountain adventuring, settling in for a great dinner at home sounds so much more appealing than lining up transportation to get the whole crew to another location. 

More and more, Utahns—and especially Park City visitors—are booking private chefs to personalize their dining experiences, from weekly meal deliveries customized to a family’s food preferences, to celebratory multi-coursed dinners at their mountain vacation home away from home. 

“Budget-wise, a large dinner party in your home can be cheaper than going to a restaurant,” confides Park City-based chef Shirley Butler as she garnished appetizers for a five-course tasting at my home last spring. “I find that most people like to have an excuse to break out the good china and glassware, fill the house with flowers, and pull some nice bottles from their wine cellar,” she said of her clients’ approach to having her take over all of the kitchen duties, from food shopping to clean-up.  

Over a couple of hours filled with clinking glasses and raucous laughter, our group of six friends enjoyed Chef Butler’s pea and mint gruyère gougères, mushroom pot stickers with zippy chimichurri sauce, a creamy asparagus risotto, and lemon-herb steelhead baked in parchment accompanied by fennel confit with wild garlic scapes and fresh grapefruit. Ethereal mini Pavlovas topped with Earl Grey crème and rhubarb compote, along with saffron and blood orange madeleines, were a triumphant finale to the meal. 

Considering what we would have paid for the meal itself—plus gratuity, cocktails, and wine or corkage fees—hiring a private chef and providing beverages from your own bar and cellar is comparable to the expense of dining out. Even better? When you hire a private chef, your kitchen is sparkling clean and the refrigerator filled with delicious leftovers by the time your guests finish their final glasses of port. 

In preparation for a summer packed with activities and hosting, several locally based private chefs shared their thoughts on why you should consider booking them for your next in-home soirée. 

Private Chef Adam Walker

“What I love most about being a private chef is the creativity and connection it allows. Each event is its own experience; new ingredients, new stories, new settings,” says Chef Adam Walker of Only Foods Park City. Chef Walker builds on a lifetime of traveling and cooking all over the world—from coastal Alaska to Martha’s Vineyard in the U.S., to Southeast Asia and the greater Mediterranean—for his inspiration. “The level of connection is something you rarely find behind a restaurant line,” says Walker of the joy he finds in being a private chef. “Cooking side-by-side with guests, sharing their reactions and conversations, brings a kind of fulfillment that just hits differently.” Chef Walker has recently acquired a kitchen space to host curated chef’s table pop-up experiences. 

Contact: onlyfoodsparkcity.com; instagram.com/onlyfoods.parkcity

Private Chef Shirley Butler

Originally from the United Kingdom, Shirley Butler is equally influenced creatively by nostalgic British Sunday suppers and global travel. “There’s a fine balance of being invisible and letting people enjoy the experience of having a chef in their kitchen,” which she says varies by client depending on their vibe. “The joy of cooking for friends and family gets spread to strangers, and I’ve been able to cook in some amazing kitchens and settings.” She’s a renowned pastry chef (you’ve likely experienced her delightful creations over the years at Deer Valley Resort, Tupelo Park City, and Riverhorse on Main, among other locales), and applies that attention to detail from the start of a meal to its decadent finish. “Desserts are more than an afterthought.” 

Contact: instagram.com/butler_baker_cocktailmaker   

Private Chef Jeffrey Sanich

With wife and business partner Audrey Campbell, Chef Jeffrey Sanich launched Renegade Table Luxury Catering and Private Dining after two decades working in professional kitchens from Nantucket to the Wasatch Back. “We love contemporary American cooking, and I like to cook all over the map,” says Chef Sanich of his culinary philosophy. “We offer a premium service and product, making everything from scratch,” and Renegade focuses on finding the best ingredients sourced at their peak, including local produce, wild game, and fresh seafood. “I love the freedom, the creativity—and honestly, the pressure—of performing at a high level; it’s difficult and very rewarding.” 

Contact: renegadetable.com

Private Chef Billy Moschella, Jr. 

Specializing in four-course dinners, often with generous platters of food served family-style, Chef Billy Moschella, Jr. of Betony Traveling Café enjoys preparing custom meals tailored to the palates and preferences of his clientele. “On a few occasions, I’ve had some rather precocious youngsters who took a great interest in me being in their homes,” says Chef Moschella of the unique client-chef relationship. “I was more than happy to have them assist me in the kitchen, preparing certain parts of the meals. This made it extra special, for kids and adults alike!” Moschella thrives when creating elevated cuisine for clients (he comes from a long line of Italian-American restaurateurs), and you can also find him crafting ethnically diverse, themed menu plans featuring cuisine from various nations and regions of the world. 

Contact: betonytravelingcafe.com/ and @betony_traveling_cafe

View more in the Summer 2026 Adventure Guide

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There are some obvious signs that you’re in the kitchen of established culinary pros. The industrial roll of plastic wrap. A chinois — the classic restaurant staple for straining pureé — within easy reach of the powerful stainless gas range. But many of the design choices tupelo Park City chef/co-owner Matthew Harris and partner/co-owner Maggie Harris made in renovating their historic Midway home were more subtly influenced by their two decades in the hospitality industry. Moreover, they’ve prioritized the realities of raising their toddler daughter, a couple of energetic herding dogs, and spending as much off-the-clock time as possible getting outdoors. 
The Harrises graciously shared some of their renovation lessons learned and pro tips that can easily be adapted by enthusiastic (or maybe just aspirational) home cooks considering a move or remodel. 

Embrace Character, Color, and a Bit of Chaos

Since purchasing the circa 1890 Gottlieb and Louisa Buhler homestead in 2017, the couple has literally and figuratively put down roots at their historic property in Midway. Says Maggie of their location choice, “We basically bought the worst house in the best location we could afford,” anticipating that they’d be spending the balance in some significant DIY and contracted renovations and building out a serious garden and orchard. 

When Nephi and Eliza (Beth) Probst purchased the home from the Buhler family in 1932, Nephi made a series of additions to accommodate their 10 children. He incorporated his substantial collection of rock specimens in the home’s exterior mortar, including geological oddities like geodes, agate, local pot rock, and rare minerals in myriad and brilliant hues. “We could have gone with a more neutral color,” explains Maggie of their exterior paint choice of an almost emerald green. “But we decided why not make it as unique as the house itself,” with the hue picking up the striations of some of the more unusual stone specimens lodged in the mortar. 

While they’ve brought in new elements like a tidy greenhouse — Matthew grows most of their vegetable plants from seed, and about 90% of their produce goes straight to the tupelo kitchen — they’ve kept many original elements of the homestead. The original silo (now used for overflow storage) sits in pride of place off the drive, and they moved long-established hops plantings to a different spot in their garden. 

Find the Flow

Not surprisingly, a priority for the couple was creating a kitchen space that wasn’t just functional, it needed to serve as the center of the home. The original kitchen was in a cramped, dark, low-ceilinged room adjacent to the driveway. By combining the space formerly dedicated to a downstairs parlor and small bedroom, the Harrises built a galley-style kitchen that is organized like a professional restaurant but feels like a gracious gourmet retreat. 

“It’s super-efficient,” says Matthew of how they planned the kitchen. “It’s tight like a line; everything is just a step or two away,” from the cooking range and oven to the full-sized refrigerator, sink, dishwasher, and countertop cutting board. They also merged two existing windows to make the view of their fields and the mountains the focus of the room, rather than installing overhead cabinets. “Having the windows right next to the range for when Matt smokes out the kitchen was key,” laughs Maggie aboutthe aesthetic and practical placement of the hinged window casements.

The new kitchen is also in direct alignment with a walk-in pantry complete with a full-sized stand-up freezer, plant rehabilitation nook in a sunny windowsill, and efficient composting unit. On the other end of the galley, the kitchen door goes directly out to a patio space for entertaining, with their grill, smoker, and the garden and orchard just steps away. “We don’t have a lot of space inside to entertain a crowd,” continues Maggie of their indoor/outdoor lifestyle. “So, we usually have people over in the warmer months for casual get-togethers in the garden,” like the annual lobster bake they host for Maggie’s birthday in early July. 

Keep it Clean

“We wanted to have the kitchen feel as old as the house,” explains Maggie of the surfaces and fixtures in the galley. “I know it’s a controversial choice, but we picked soapstone for the countertops and backsplash,” she says, applauding soapstone’s acid-resistant and heat-proof characteristics, even though it can be prone to discoloration and scratching. “Our contractor said, ‘Are you sure?’ when we chose soapstone, but we’re really happy with it, and it’s so much easier to clean than tile.” 

One of the first appliances Matthew selected for the kitchen was a powerful range, which he picked more for performance than sticking to a particular brand (they ended up choosing a Thor range). “I was looking for ease of cleaning,” says Matthew of his choice. “That means stainless steel, which usually also means getting a performance model with high BTUs,” indicating some significant firepower. Additionally, this semi-pro setup required having a substantial externally vented range hood installed, along with placement next to the aforementioned bank of windows. 

In keeping with their minimalist approach, very little sits out on their countertops, but they are very particular about where often-used items like knives, pots, and pans are stored. “Doing this professionally for so long, we’ve learned to get by with less,” states Matthew of keeping on hand a few high-quality items, rather than a battery of kitchenware. “We always leave two skillets out — one cast iron and one non-stick egg pan — and they just live on the range,” while everything else (including an entire drawer of well-organized knives) lives in a designated space. “Deep drawers are clutch for organizing a kitchen” advises Maggie. For serving, they chose only two kinds of plateware, and everything is dishwasher safe: East Fork Stoneware from Maggie’s hometown of Asheville, and durable enamelware for eating outside and serving kiddos.  

When entertaining, they also operate within the space as you would in a restaurant kitchen. “We have stations,” says Maggie. “All of my baking stuff is right here in the corner, where I’ve got enough space to do pastry stuff.” And Matthew describes his typical role at the range, grill, and smoker, “I handle the mains, the proteins, the sides.” 
Also indicative of their restaurant backgrounds, they’re particular about cleaning as they go to avoid mess. They note there’s not a lot of room in their kitchen for extra cooks, even though many of their friends are themselves chefs, restaurateurs, and food artisans. “We have some really talented friends in both food and beverage,” Maggie continues, “so that’s what we usually assign: bring the cocktails or wine,” which are set up outside or in the dining room.   

Grow Where You’re Planted 

“In professional kitchens you don’t usually get to build your kitchen from the ground up. You have a footprint and a budget, and you work with that,” recalls Matthew of adapting their old farmstead to modern life. 

He continues with a laugh, “Someone could put a monstrosity on this plot of land, and we’ve probably spent the same amount of money at this point, but it’s worth it.” Making this space their own, they’ve filled it with Maggie’s paintings, found art from family trips, and gifts from local artist friends. “Every inch of the house gets used, that’s why we went with an older farmhouse,” says Matthew.   

He equates adapting to their old homestead to modern living as being similar to how his own priorities have changed as a chef over time. He says, “Now, I think, ‘Dude, you’ve got to simplify this stuff,’” whether that’s picking a minimalist solution for the kitchen, planting a tidy garden row, or selecting a star ingredient to inspire a dish on tupelo’s menu. “Pick the ingredient and let it ride,” he explains of his approach. “There’s no need to tweezer ingredients and put microgreens on everything.”  

Maggie agrees that this more laid-back approach is a nice place to land for their family. “There are a lot of kids and dogs running around,” remarks Maggie of their overall vibe. “Come in, take your shoes off, have a cocktail. And make sure to wear stretchy pants.”  

See more in the 2025 Fall Home magazine

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Where we’ll be adventuring off-piste this winter, and what we’ll be sipping to warm up afterwards.

While western Europeans undoubtedly developed the fine art of après ski culture, we like to think we’ve perfected it in Park City. Recognizing that zhushing the slopes in-bounds is not everyone’s cup of tea, here’s a roundup of some of our favorite activities beyond our go-to runs at the resorts. Keeping it local, we’ve paired warming libations inspired by those adventures, made even more delectable using Utah ingredients. Consider it something to look forward to after you’ve wrestled out of snow boots and hung up the outerwear.

Utah Ice Castles: Midway
Featuring towering ice formations, dramatic lighting, caverns, tunnels, and ice slides for the über-adventurous, Midway’s Ice Castles installation has become an annual family-friendly favorite for many locals. Since 2011, this Utah experience has expanded both in scale and drama each year—including locations now in Colorado, Minnesota, and New Hampshire.

Inspired by this season’s Ice Castles theme of “Fire and Ice,” mix up a batch of hot buttered rum to share with friends after the adventure. The secret to this crowd-pleasing sipper is preparing in advance a buttery base blended with very good quality vanilla ice cream.

Location and details: 2002 Olympic Drive, Midway | icecastles.com/utah

Main Street Stroll: Park City
Not every adventure requires a wardrobe change. A stroll up and down Main Street fits the bill of getting in some steps while also taking in the wintery charm of historic Park City along the way. Keep an eye out for seven life-size snow globes—designed by featured local artists—for prime photo ops (this installation runs through Jan. 2). And the last Friday of every month participating galleries open their doors for extended hours from 6 to 9 p.m. for the Park City Art & Music Gallery Stroll, a casual, convivial, celebration of mountain arts and culture (read more here).

This kind of excursion reminds us of exploring the winter markets of Germany and Austria, where no visit is complete without stopping at one (or more) glühwein stands to imbibe fragrant spiced wine.

Location and details:Main Street, Old Town Park City | parkcitygalleryassociation.com/gallery-strolls/

Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing: Soldier Hollow
Even if you’re not an Olympic-level biathlete, there’s plenty to do at the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center (venue for 2002 and 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympic nordic events). Cross-country skiers and snowshoers of all ability levels can enjoy professionally groomed terrain, and the center is your one-stop-shop for equipment rentals, lessons, and more.

Riverhorse on Main pastry chef Shirley Butler’s favorite après-all-things-snowy beverage hails from Switzerland, and it’s as much fun to drink as it is to pronounce: Schümli-Pflümli (SHOOM-ly FLOOM-ly). Her Swiss friend Christoph Baumann graciously shared his recipe, which we’ve adapted using local plum brandy.

Location and details: 2002 Soldier Hollow Lane, Midway | utaholympiclegacy.org/location/soldier-hollow

Tubing: Woodward Park City
If you’re inclined to work with gravity instead of against it, tubing may be just your speed. With Woodward Park City’s seven lanes of tubing, you can choose your preferred level of steep terrain, and conveyor access up the hill is made easy with two sets of magic carpets. Lighted lanes keep the action going after sundown.

Utahns are known for their love of sweet treats of all sorts, and many spots—including The Grind Café at Woodward—have their own delicious versions of traditional or trendy hot cocoa. Fortunately, we’ve also got access to amazing local craft chocolate-makers and spirits artisans to take a standard mug of cocoa to the next level.

Location and details: 3863 Kilby Road, Park City | woodwardparkcity.com

See more in the 2024/25 Winter Adventure Guide magazine.

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It’s a scene that always seems to come far too soon for high-elevation gardeners: the frantic nightfall effort of covering of crops in anticipation of fall’s first frost. One day, we’re harvesting tomatoes and squash and herbs more quickly than we can use them up fresh, and the next morning waking up to grey shriveled vines and the disappointment of finding veggies frozen before they even had a chance to ripen.
As Shirley Butler Bordas says of her postage stamp backyard terraced garden in Old Town Park City, “It’s a challenge here, and a small space, but I do love it.”

Fortunately, Wasatch Back gardeners — with cultivated space of any size — can extend their harvest through first frost and beyond by taking a few strategic steps, advises Wesley Crump, Utah State University Assistant Professor in Horticulture and the USU Extension’s go-to expert for gardening in Summit and Wasatch counties. He shared some tips to set gardeners up for success by planning ahead for cold-weather crops, carefully protecting the harvest, and preparing gardens now for overwintering plants.

Know Your Zone: Hardy Plant Choices for Fall Harvests

Most experienced gardeners know their U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zone like the back of their garden gloves. But what they might not know is that a new interactive USDA hardiness map (planthardiness.ars.usda.gov) was just released last year based upon an array of new data points collected from 1991–2020 (the last update was in 2012). “Using the map to see your exact location and its hardiness zone will be most accurate,” says Crump of the update, “but the majority of [gardeners] in the Park City area are in zones 5a–6a according to the new map.”

Additionally, it’s important to know what the rating does and doesn’t tell you to help you select plants that will persist along the Wasatch Back. Hardiness ratings are based on the average annual extreme low temperature of a particular zone, not the typical length of a season or highest warm temperatures. It’s a no-brainer that some plants are suited for long, hot summers (think melons, tomatoes, or okra), and some plants thrive in cooler temps (like peas, carrots, and dark leafy greens). Knowing your hardiness zone will help you select plant varieties that will get to harvestable size and quality to get the most out of the mountain region’s notoriously short growing season.

But don’t give up hope if your days of peppers and zucchini are numbered. “If you’re aiming to harvest baby greens like spinach, lettuce, and kale — which are just a juvenile form of the plant — September can be an acceptable time to plant,” Crump continues. Just keep in mind that younger plants are more susceptible to cold damage and will likely need frost protection. “For kale, most are very cold tolerant, so I would be selecting varieties more on personal preferences rather than hardiness,” advises Crump.

Protecting Your Harvest

When preparing for the season’s first cold snap, smaller-scale home gardeners get through isolated early freezes with easy, at-your-fingertips fixes. “Anything you have to cover the crops is better than nothing,” says Crump, “whether that be old blankets and sheets, all the way to dedicated frost cloths and greenhouse plastic.”

The most important thing to keep in mind is that there should be some type of air or other contact buffer — whether in the form of stakes, hoops, frames, or wire — otherwise direct contact with the covering can transfer cold to the plant tissue and cause damage. Also remember to remove these coverings during the day if it is sunny, especially if you are using plastic.

Some savvy mountain growers create movable gardens to take out the danger of frost exposure altogether. By planting veggies in containers as ubiquitous as a 5-gallon bucket, you can move many varietals from a sunny daytime spot to a sheltered location at night to protect them from the cold.

Gardeners looking to invest in more durable year-to-year planting solutions have many options. “Low tunnels, which can be as simple as PVC hoops covering your plant rows, are a fairly easy and inexpensive season-extension technique,” says Crump, as well as cold frames, high tunnels, and greenhouses. (See the USU Extension website for a library of fact sheets and specs for northern Utah covers: extension.usu.edu.)

What To Do Now to Get the Jump on Planting Next Spring

Unfortunately, by the time this magazine arrives in your hands, our chances of growing melons or tomatoes are long gone.

However, there’s much that gardeners can do besides throwing in the trowel until warmer weather. “September through October is a great time to plant garlic or other overwintering veggies,” Crump continues. “The idea is to get the roots started and begin to establish before the ground freezes. In our area, it’s crucial to spread a thick layer (4-6 inches or more) of mulch over the garlic before the heavy freezes begin.” Using the same before-permafrost principles, some mountain gardeners have success growing baby root veggies like carrots, beets, and radishes.

Look no further than your own property for mulch material like grass clippings, leaves, pine needles, or other organic yard waste. Just remember that most of this mulch layer should be removed when hard frosts are past in the spring, with a thin noncompacted layer remaining to help with soil moisture retention.

Another way to insulate a winter garden is by planting a fall cover crop (aka “green manure”) intended to be mulched directly into the soil after the harvest is over, such as peas, leafy greens, or buckwheat. Many experts tout the benefits of using cover crops for soil nutrient improvement, superior water retention, natural weed control, and for attracting beneficial insects year-round.

And it’s never too early to be thinking ahead for starting seeds inside to get a few weeks’ lead on spring planting. Again, referencing your hardiness zone against your selected seed packet will help you determine ideal seed-starting dates, says Crump. “Count backwards the required number of weeks from the date you want to plant outside. This will be the date you should start your seeds indoors.” For both optimal germination and growing seedlings, a weekly dose of diluted fertilizer and an artificial light source will help. “Even simple shop lights are great options,” advises Crump, though any extra light is better than none.

And until next spring, keep Crump’s advice in mind to keep things creative in the garden, no matter the challenges of your growing zone. “Try something new this year — there are hundreds of cultivars of almost every vegetable you can think of — try a few new ones to see if you can find a new favorite.​”

See more in the Fall Home 2024 Magazine

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