The greatest snow on earth: site of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, Utah offers plenty of powder and vegetarian cuisine

Vegetarian Times, Jan, 1998 by Jim Fisher

Site of the 2002 Winter Olympics Games, Utah offers plenty of powder and vegetarian cuisine.

Post-Christmas, the rush at most big city airports is over. But come January, it's boom time at Utah's Salt Lake International as crowds of stars, near-stars and powder hounds pack 341 flights a day, making their annual pilgrimage to answer the call of the slopes. Just 45 minutes outside of town are nine resorts that offer some of the most exquisite skiing around, including Park City, Alta, Deer Valley, Snowbird, Solitude--all of which promise "the greatest snow on earth." They certainly deliver. Some resorts in the Wasatch Front mountains overlooking Salt Lake City average as much as 60 inches of new powder a month during the winter, and the dry Western air keeps it in perfect condition day after day.

The Mormons founded this special place 150 years ago after a year-long trek across the Midwest and through the Rocky Mountains. Those pioneer's descendants--such as San Francisco Forty-Niners' quarterback Steve Young, best-selling author Stephen Covey and of course, those '70s teen idols, the Osmonds--grew up living clean. Their culture stands for plenty of hard work and no vices. The devout among them don't drink, smoke or even sip coffee. But, like thousands of visitors who flock to this snow haven from around the world, they love to play in Utah's great outdoors.

Of course, it's no secret that Utah's traditional pioneer culture is intensely rancher-friendly. Most folks around Salt Lake City's Wasatch Front mountain range don't look twice at boots and hats, silver buckles the size of cow pies or pickups with gun racks. But despite its ancestry, the area is slowly growing more diverse, and its traditional focus on healthy mountain living has begun to spread. This is particularly true when it comes to good vegetarian dining. Thankfully, the days are gone when American-style restaurants here could peddle marinara sauce over pasta as their "vegetarian" choice. From Park City in the east to Provo near the southern tip of the mountain range, most restaurants now offer a wide selection of delicious meatless entrees.

One group of restaurants--the Park Ivy Garden Cafes--stands apart, for its completely vegetarian menu and special philosophy. Founded in February 1990 (with offshoots in Midvale and Orem) by Mark Machlis, the original Park Ivy Garden Cafe in Salt Lake City sits in the middle of the hippest block in town. Known as "Ninth and Ninth," the area boasts two coffee joints, a couple of bagel places and a pair of juice bars as well as an impressive collection of art galleries, wearable-art boutiques, scent shops, a CD store and a whole grain bakery. This intersection is also home to the famous Tower Theater, which features independent and foreign films and the occasional live music act.

The Park Ivy's special appeal comes from the particular emphasis Machlis places on the contemplative side of life. Cafe employees spend the first half hour of their shifts in meditation with their peers. Machlis believes this is an integral part of a holistic lifestyle and brings an added dimension to customer service.

"Somebody who has just had a heart attack and has been asked to go vegetarian can come in here, and there's a comfort bridge to vegetarianism," says Machlis. "He can have a [soy] hot dog or a Coca-Cola and feel comfortable. You can get whatever you want here. My only stipulation is that the food doesn't come from an animal."

All of the cafe is serve a tasty menu of fresh soup (the thick lemon rice is a favorite), wraps (don't miss the Indian curried rice and vegetables combination), burritos, sandwiches, salads and sinfully delicious desserts like blueberry-lime pound cake, chocolate mousse with toasted, slivered almonds and tropical basmati rice pudding with raspberry sauce.

But without question what made the Park Ivy famous is the house specialty: Milagro's Bean Field, a plate of corn chips smothered with black beans, cheese, tomato, lettuce, corn, jicama, sunflower seeds, tomato-cilantro vinaigrette dressing and garnished with salsa and sour cream. Wheat meat Mexi-"chicken" (Machlis' own invention), diced vegetables and marinated and baked tofu may also be added.

Everything on the Park Ivy menus is inexpensive (no item costs more than $5.95) and egg-free; dairy-free requests are easily accommodated. The cafes filter their water and serve organic beans, grains and coffee whenever possible.

While Park Ivy is the only all-vegetarian restaurant in the region, you can still get a great vegetarian meal at one of the many veg-friendly places around the city. Easily the best-known and loved of the "friendlies" in Salt Lake City is the Long Life Vegi House. It offers a traditional Chinese menu with a remarkable twist: All the "beef," "chicken" and "pork" items are made from soybeans. So, along with vegetarian spring rolls and steamed dumplings, customers can happily dig into vegetarian sweet-and-sour "pork" or kung pao "chicken." Prices are reasonable--most items are less than $6--and servings are generous.