The Week in Utah: A Schoolyard Rave, Buttery Cows, Fine Dining (Hospital Edition) & Master Cheffery

A Rave By Any Other Name (Meg Walter, The Beehive)

“Is ‘Rave Dance Party’ a good name for a children’s event? In this writer’s opinion, no, but only because it’s clunky and repetitive. Call it a rave or call it a dance party. And honestly, I prefer rave because it brings back fun memories of the late nineties, when adults would speak in hushed tones of youths in clubs with their glow sticks and pacifiers. A time when NightLine would run stories about the dangers of techno music. When the visiting police officers and DARE bikers at our school assemblies would warn us against taking party drugs, as though nine year olds living in Provo, Utah would have access to MDMA.”

Top Shelf Dope: The Fight to Legalize Medical Marijuana in Utah (UPDATED) (Clint Betts, The Beehive)

Last week, we asked questions — this week, we have answers. On the topic of medical marijuana, we have received statements from Utah Patients Coalition, Drug Safe Utah, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Libertas Institute, Utah Medical Association, Marijuana Policy Project, Gov. Gary Herbert, Utah Speaker Greg Hughes, and Utah Senate President Wayne Niederhauser. Please read and enjoy.

Inside the Story: Utah chef is National Chef of the Year (Dan Rascon, KUTV)

Utah is not known for culinary creations, unless you count BYU releasing “Stone Cold 21: Mint Brownie Chocolate Milk” to celebrate their 21st consecutive year as the most “stone cold sober” school in the country (according to The Princeton Review). Enter Chef Leonard, the department chair of UVU’s Culinary Art Institute and proud recipient of a less sobering title: National Chef of the Year. He traveled to a national competition in New Orleans, balled out, and prepared a four-course meal in 60 minutes that was void of chocolate milk.

Nephi chef redefines 'hospital food' with his gourmet fare (Andrew Adams, Deseret News)

Nephi is a remote Utah town that is currently known for...gourmet hospital dining? Austin Buhler is a man who believes “hospital food is good food.” Which is false in most cases — please enjoy this flattened ham sandwich and top it off with watery tapioca — but true if Buhler is doing the cooking. He brews up edible arrangements like Japanese ramen, lobster rolls, tres leches cake, sushi, crab cakes, and cordon bleu. The fine citizens of Nephi are losing their minds. They pack the dining area at lunchtime and clamor for more, with one doctor claiming, “I think the hospital is the best place to eat in Nephi.”

From Jazzercising butter cows to free fishing, Utah State Fair opens with family favorites (Spencer Burt, KSL)

Debbie Brown and Matt McNaughton are a duo known for sculpting cows from butter. As part of a Utah State Fair tradition, Brown and McNaughton work inside a refrigerated display case turning 800 pounds of butter into golden calves — “He does the big sweeping moves, and I do the fine detail,” says Brown. This year’s display features exercising cows, because humans aren’t the only creatures that need to burn off all that saturated fat.

This Is The Place Podcast (Meg Walter, Chris Rawle, The Beehive)

Don’t film the crime if you can’t do the time.

Hive Mind Podcast (Meg Walter, Eli McCann, Nick Morley, The Beehive)

A discussion of Crazy Rich Asians and what representation really means.

2 Strike Bunt Podcast (Chris Rawle, Clint Betts, The Beehive)

Aaron Rodgers.

Featured Event: Strangerville Live

Come join us for a night of fantastic storytelling with stories from featured storytellers Rebbie Brassfield, Irene Stone, Whitney Call, and Eli McCann.