I first started tracking Cosmica (945 S 300 W) more than a year ago. The news that local restaurateur Ryan Lowder (Copper Onion, Copper Common) was to venture out again, had me more than a little intrigued. For those grey enough, Lowder’s opening of Copper Onion over a decade ago, was largely recognized as a gear shift in the SLC dining scene at the time.
All that said, from the very first meeting with Lowder he was anxious to underplay his own direct involvement (and that of operating partner Zak Pelaccio, whose CV is also stacked with awards). Instead Lowder would point to the talents of the team on the ground – notably chef and owner Zach Wade.
Wade arrives in Utah by way of Hudson Valley’s Hotel Kinsley and Lola, another gig alongside the James Beard winning Pelaccio. To say there’s talent behind the scenes here would be a slight understatement. It’s worth noting Wade spent time spent under the tutelage of Gianni Scappin, considered by a certain A. Bourdain as one of the “stand-up guys” in the biz…