We didn't build Nettle from the outside in. We built it from Salt Lake out.
Here's what we mean. Every single person who touched this place - the logo, the brand, the space, the food on your plate - is someone who lives here, eats here, and actually gives a damn about this city. (Except for the website, that was a friend of mine from home). That wasn't a clever strategy we landed on in a meeting. It was just the obvious way to do it. When you want to make something real, you find real people. And it turns out this city is full of them.
So let's give some flowers.
The whole look and feel of Nettle came from Ryan Manning and Madelon Juliano. The logo, the brand, the thing your eye lands on before you've taken a single bite - that's them. We're not designers. We're salad people. They made us look like we know what we're doing.*
*We promise we know what we're doing with the salad part. Maybe.
Central Ninth Market’s focaccia; great on a tuna sandwich, incredible on a breakfast sandwich. Chop it off, toast it in some fresh olive oil and put it over a bed of fresh greens and whatever else you’re feeling that day? *chefs kiss*. Voila you have our croutons. We could have gotten amazing croutons from one of our food suppliers, but nothing will ever compare to what C9 can do. The C9 gang makes them better than anyone else, and Central Ninth is exactly the kind of spot we want to be in business with - serious about the food, not so serious about themselves. That's the energy. We wanted it on our menu. Find me a better loaf of focaccia and I'll give you $100.
The hot sauce sitting on your table is Dave's, from Heat Street. Small batch, made right here, and genuinely the best one we tried. It's not on the counter because we needed a hot sauce to check a box. It's there because we went looking for the best one and it happened to be made a few miles away. Funny how often that works out around here.
The cookies, brownies, hand pies, and more came from Cori at Pie Party. If you haven't been to Pie Party yet, go. Then come back and tell us we were right. Her cakes are drool-worthy.
Even our taps are filled with amazing things from down the street. It blows my mind that more people arent familiar with Cru Kombucha, but Zach makes some of the best brew around. Made just down the road off 2700 S, Zach does it right and you can taste it. Raspberry Mint kombucha out of a keg!? Are you kidding me?! Try it from us with your meal. Go buy it from him for your home.
A huge thanks to Rachael Galipo and Mary McIntyre for the amazing photos you see all over our website. They’ve been capturing the wondering of the outdoors for years and we’re honored and grateful to be able to include their incredible talents in showcasing what Nettle is all about: food to fuel your life so you can go enjoy it in the amazing place we all call home.
Here's the honest version of why we did it this way: we didn't really have a choice. We set out to make something that felt like it belonged here, and things that belong here come from here. Salt Lake, and the Mountain West in general, has quietly been building something for a while now - a food scene worth defending, an outdoor culture that's the envy of the country, a creative community that punches way above its weight. We didn't invent any of that. We just wanted to show it off.
So, genuinely, thank you. To everyone who lent a hand, a name, a recipe, or a little bit of trust to this little salad restaurant experiment thing we’re doing. We're not taking it for granted. Not for a second.
