It was while Adam Kreisel was studying architecture in Florence, Italy, that he discovered cooking. He enjoyed architecture, but disillusionment with the working environment led him to pursue a professional cooking career instead.
Kreisel says he found architecture and cooking strangely similar in their mutual blending of art and science. After a couple of years apprenticing in Salt Lake City restaurants, he headed to the Bay Area, where he split 16-hour days between culinary school and work in some of the city’s best kitchens, such as San Francisco’s Mecca (now closed).
Upon returning to Utah in 2001, Kreisel set out to revamp The Globe, then a downtown breakfast-and-lunch spot. He speaks of it like a long-lost lover who met a tragic end. It opened well, serving 60 guests on the night of Sept. 10, but woke up to more than just a typical celebration-induced hangover.
After the 9/11 attacks, The Globe never quite found its footing, despite rave reviews and multiple awards. It closed down just shy of two years after opening.
After a few years of disappointments, head-butting and what he calls “mercenary work,” Kreisel is back in the groove. He was chef at Acme Burger Co. in 2007, and retains an equity stake there to this day. What gets him excited today is the new dinner service he’ll oversee at Tony Caputo’s Market & Deli (314 W. 300 South).
The concept is a “risotteria,” prospectively opening in mid-April. The menu is small but ambitious, featuring risotto and pasta dishes steeped in fresh, local, organic and sustainable ingredients.
It’s the kind of food that got Kreisel excited about cooking back in Florence—and cooking it again is, to him, like coming home.
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