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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
Phil Muir enjoys the fruits of his labor. And every time I eat at a fine-dining restaurant such as the Metropolitan in Salt Lake City, the River Horse Restaurant in Park City or even the California Pizza Kitchen, I enjoy them as well.
You see, Phil is the chief executive officer of Muir Copper Canyon Farms, a wholesale produce and specialty foods distributor that serves many of the restaurants, hotels, universities and other food service establishments throughout Northern Utah.
My first question for Phil when we met to tour his company's warehouse on the West side of Salt Lake City was "What exactly are specialty foods?" So Phil showed me.
The first room I saw held many different items ranging from exotic cheeses like French Morbier and goat cheese gouda to imported Valhrona Manjari chocolate. Most of these items are specifically requested by chefs and aren't carried by anyone else in the area. Some of you will have to see it to believe it when I say I saw a 75-pound wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese that has to be cut by a saw.
I happened to be there on a Monday, which was a receiving day to restock the warehouse. Major shipments come in usually twice a week. Some items like fresh herbs and mushrooms are received daily. For those who love to cook or eat great food, the warehouse, which carries sometimes as many as 15 varieties of tomatoes and at least five different salad greens, is truly inspiring.
Copper Canyon Farms carries "seasonal" items like raspberries pretty much year round. If they are growing somewhere, the company finds them and purchases them. The chefs the company serves are always looking for hard-to-find ingredients to give their restaurants that extra edge.
Tomorrow, I'll tell you more about how Muir Copper Canyon Farms became one of the leading fresh food distributors in Utah.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
