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Patrick Ford Co-Founder Beehive Cheese Co. http://BeehiveCheese.com

Patrick Ford - In 2005, brothers-in-law, Tim Welsh and Pat Ford, left the fast-paced world of software and real estate seeking a more simple way of life as artisan cheese makers. Their creation, Barely Buzzed has won three straight blue ribbons from the American Cheese Society and numerous other awards. Ryan Crafts - Culinary crafts has been creating catering perfection for over 24 years and has received such acclaim as Utah’s best of state 5 years in a row, the New York Times’ Unquestioned Favorite for Desserts, and many more. They cater over 600 events per year with a staff of more than 100 including 15 certified chefs. Art Pollard - A Physicist by training, Art Pollard has developed his own chocolate methodology focused exclusively on quality. Amano Chocolate has received 31 awards in the last two years including 13 this year alone ranging from best dark chocolate, best milk chocolate, top artisan chocolatier, best bars, best in salon, most gifted, and on and on with 5 this year from the Academy of Chocolate. “every step is the most important step”

An awakening, a renaissance of sorts, has come to Utah and there are lessons for all of us in how it came about and where it is going. In this article we detail some of the starts of the Utah culinary and entertainment scenes and how it all came to emerge quite uniquely in Utah.

Let’s start with a small creamery from Ogden Utah that is catching the eye of foodies worldwide: Beehive Cheese Company. Without traditional rules to hold them back, they decided to try an experiment - an espresso and lavender rubbed cheddar. Resulting awards and orders are the result of their customer-centric innovation-based approach.

Amano Chocolate’s 70% Madagascar Premium Dark won the bronze medal from the Academy of Chocolate for overall process “bean to bar”. Digging a bit deeper we discovered that more often than not they produce their product from the beans of a single farm allowing Amano to pick and choose exactly that tastes they want for their products.

The pattern continues on consolidated scale with the culinary master of Culinary Crafts - a catering company that creates innovative combinations using local ingredients. Innovation, inspiration and a splash of adventure are the recipe for great food, and a great business.

The hot topic here worthy of a 5th Monday, is the emergence of Utah as a playground for culinary and artistic innovation. For each of these companies, the reasons for basing out of Utah, staying in Utah, and using the local capabilities were the same: freedom to innovate...no preconceived notions...no limits. Each of these companies had the freedom to try anything, to take a risk, and to innovate along lines that most would not dare.

Businesses and organizations can gain an advantage from Utah’s emerging trend in several ways. No matter what your business is, allowing room for the innovation process, freedom to try and fail, will result in phenomenal products and services. In addition to freedom and an innovative spirit, there is much to learn from Utah businesses that enjoy true work-play balance that keeps employees coming back as often as the customers. Enjoy these amazing Utah talents, and take the lesson for your own organization.