Sarah Gambles is Deseret News’ audience and express editor, and she covers breaking news, pop culture and Taylor Swift news.
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Two major award-nominated and Utah celebrity chefs came together to provide guests with one memorable night of food in Salt Lake City recently
Chef Nick Zocco of Urban Hill reached out to chef Viet Pham of the Pretty Bird franchise to partner together in the kitchen to craft a fusion of each of their signature abilities
“I want people to recognize that this is a night out on the town that they can enjoy and one they’re going to remember for many months or many years to come,” Zocco said. “And I think it’s a special offering that doesn’t happen often.”
The menu featured Zocco’s specialty, modern food with a Southwestern twist, highlighting the delicious qualities of seafood while also featuring dishes that demonstrated Pham’s techniques, with one dish even smothered in Pretty Bird sauce
As a storm raged on, guests at Urban Hill enjoyed a five-course meal that included menu items like a torched wagyu tartare, hearth-roasted aged niman ranch lamb saddle, and Zocco’s personal favorite — a kombu-cured smoked sablefish
About the chefs
Both Zocco and Pham defeated Bobby Flay on Food Network shows before. Both chefs have also been finalists for the prestigious James Beard Awards more than once
Before Pretty Bird fame, Pham established himself as one to watch in the culinary world, co-owning and co-operating the fine-dining spot Forage in Salt Lake City
“I just really like his style,” Zocco told the Deseret News. “I’ve watched Viet for many years. I just think he’s a very humble, real person, and I truly admire what he does and just his personality. I love the way that he has kind of leaned out of that fine dining segment but really got into the Food Network TV. I think I kind of just wanted to get in the kitchen with him.”
The dining and planning experience is a full-on collaboration from start-to-finish — both chefs came together to plan the menu
“It’s really about just getting in the kitchen with somebody that you’ve maybe never cooked with, but now you’ve had that relationship and that partnership and you see that maybe I’m inspiring something and they’re inspiring something,” Zocco said. “And so it kind of works both ways.”
The background on the food collaborations
Salt Lake City is an up-and-coming food scene, with more and more James Beard nominees every year, and instead of competing with other chefs, Zocco wants to give them a platform and showcase their talents alongside his own
“I wanted to get to know other chefs and become friends with other chefs because we all have to live in the same community,” Zocco said. “Salt Lake is an exploding city and I want to be the forefront of creating those partnerships and supporting those other restaurants.”
This isn’t the first collaboration Zocco has done, and it likely won’t be his last either
“There’s a lot of restaurants around town and a lot of talent around town that should be recognized,” Zocco said
My experience at the dinner
Urban Hill is one of my favorite restaurants, and I’m also a big fan of Pretty Bird, so I was excited when I heard about this collaboration
From the moment you entered and the hostess made sure to validate your parking to the moment I left, I felt seen and taken care of at Urban Hill
My friend that I brought with me doesn’t eat beef or lamb, so the staff graciously accommodated us, and for the two dishes that involved those ingredients, they brought out a special plate just for her with foods she could eat
From the first course to the last, every dish was flavorful, unique and some were even unexpected
- Torched wagyu tartare: It was served on a blue corn tostada and came with hatch chile nuoc cham, beet gel, miso-cured egg, and caviar. This dish was savory, salty and delicious. I will remember this one for the rest of my life.
- Whistling Springs cured local trout:This dish came on a tiny cracker, and had preserved lemon and Pham’s signature Pretty Bird sauce.
- Kombu-cured smoked sablefish: I can see why chef Nick was so excited about this one. It comes with mole amarillo, peekytoe crab, cactus, corn and peach salsa. The flavors take you on a journey, and it almost feels like being in New Mexico, which is where chef Nick’s roots are. It was a great third course.
What’s next for Urban Hill?
If you missed this one, the next event Urban Hill will be hosting is an “Urban Hill Farm Tasting,” which is an immersive event where Zocco “will create two bites inspired by ingredients from each of six local farms and purveyors,” according to a release
That event takes place Wednesday, Aug. 19, at Urban Hill. Tickets can be purchased here
