On Thursday night, the last run of ChefDance Social during the Sundance Film Festival kicked off, a bittersweet celebration after 22 years operating as a 10-day culinary pop up.
The first night, per usual, was also the birthday party for the venue’s co-founder, Mimi, wife of Park City local Kenny Griswold, and it was far from a formal gathering.
“Speech, speech, speech, speech!” the room chanted as Griswold made to address the room.
“A long time ago, Woody, you gave a toast,” Griswold said, pointing to his guest, actor Woody Harrelson. “You said, ‘There are some wonderful people in this room; make sure you meet one of them.’ So if you can meet somebody here that becomes part of your life, this night will be memorable.”
That’s what ChefDance has been for many of the return guests: memorable. During the night’s dinner, created by Chicago-based chef Stephanie Izard, the crowd reminisced on dinners past and speeches mourned the end of a beloved era with the festival’s move. But it was far from a melancholy night, and the crowd, linked through Griswold and Mimi, seemed determined to make the most of this last ChefDance Social.
The social began “as all good stories start” when owner Griswold met a girl, Mimi. Together, first for personal benefit, the two committed their resources to bring renowned chefs to town for the annual film festival crowds.
“She is not a Red Bull-and-vodka girl for 10 days of Sundance,” said Griswold of Mimi. “What I did was I invited 10 of the top chefs in the country. … And that was the beginning of ChefDance, and so their objective was to create the best meal you’ve had all year 10 different days in a row.”
And the idea stuck, bringing a culinary-centric vigor to the town every year, something that Griswold said it sorely needs.
“If you ask people in this town their favorite restaurants, they’re struggling a little bit; not that there’s not good restaurants, but there’s no urgency,” he said. “Main Street has been difficult for people sometimes because we haven’t invited our town back to their town … and so if you bring great chefs that are renowned, there’s a certain urgency.”
Urgency to brave the parking nightmare that is Main Street, for one, he said. But also, while film festivals like Sundance bring excitement around the art, it’s temporary; whereas food is something people need every day.
“I love movies, but I’ve gone a month without going to a theater. I’ve never gone days without a great meal. Culinary is really the heartbeat of a town. There’s no such thing as a great town without a great culinary offering,” Griswold said.
Since its creation, he estimated there’s been roughly 140 chefs featured at the dinners held next to his Main Street venue, The Marquis. This year, four more culinary leaders — Izard, Adam Sobel, Viet Pham and Claudette Zepeda — will join the ranks which include celebrity chefs like Rocco DiSpirito, Nancy Silverton, Tyler Florence, Todd English and Tom Douglas.
And, like many have said, it being the last year with the festival is poignant, Griswold said. The now-Park City native started his career in the entertainment industry, first learning of the town when he came to the U.S. Film Festival in 1984 to premiere “Perfect” with Jamie Lee Curtis and John Travolta. He said it was then that he fell in love with the area and began investing in its development.
“This is my 42nd Sundance. Half of my friend group came from or as a result of Sundance because it was a big reunion for me every year,” he said. “It has just been a joyous, celebratory chapter of my life.”
But, he said, it’s just that: a chapter. Just like he loved his time in college, those good times end, and as a town, it’s time to move on.
“Sundance was great. I’m sorry to see it go, but I think that, for one thing, movies are struggling a bit right now. The theaters, the studios are struggling right now,” Griswold said. “But music is at an all time high, and the restaurants, culinary people, they want to be social. They want to get out.”
That’s what he’s tried to do every year with the ChefDance concept, and while there’s no clear timeline, Griswold said he hopes to continue the venue even after the festival has left.
“What I hope to do is to be one of the best five restaurants in this town in one place,” he said. “In other words, have chefs on a revolving residency for seven days, for three days, for 10 days, different chefs from different parts of the country and the world.”
But right now, the focus is on the present, enjoying the last week with ChefDance as he and Mimi first envisioned it.
Utah chef Pham, who will be featured this week for the first time, said he’s excited and grateful to lead the kitchen just in time for the impending change.
“I’ve always heard of ChefDance, but I was never involved or invited. And honestly, I was kind of jealous,” he said with a laugh. “This is my opportunity to not only represent myself, my cooking, my restaurant, but also Utah.”
In the past, ChefDance brought in chefs from other states or even countries, who had each earned a name for themselves. Now, with his success in the Food Network world — like beating Bobby Flay on the namesake TV show — Pham said he belongs on this roster.
The four chefs selected for this week are all featured on the show “Tournament of Champions,” and Pham said the dinners serve as a reunion of sorts for the chef friends. On Thursday night, Pham worked on Izard’s team, and as a local, he plans to participate with each chef’s dinners.
For his nights, Jan. 26 and 27, Pham — the owner of Nashville hot chicken restaurants “Pretty Bird” — plans to showcase a new side of his culinary training.
“What has recently resonated with me is my own cuisine, Vietnamese cuisine, which is something that I never really cared for for a long, long time,” he admitted. “It was always available. So it never really excited me. It never really inspired me.”
But now, without access to those dishes from his family, he’s found himself exploring those roots. So his four-course meal at ChefDance will be heavily Vietnamese inspired, but still approachable.
The dinners are served family style, something Griswold said encourages the social aspect of the nights. Pham said he’s especially excited to share his food that way.
“Sundance brings so many people together, and it makes a lot of sense to do a dinner that is in the format of family style,” he said. “The greatest conversations and ideas come when people are together, breaking bread.”
In addition to his two-night run at ChefDance, Pham also worked on the Mexican-inspired menu for Trago Tequila Lounge, the newest project which had its grand opening on Thursday. The lounge is one option that will continue after the festival leaves, another way Griswold hopes to continue culinary options at his venue.
“It’s a piece of Sundance that’ll continue to live on. So it’s not really ending, it’s continuing. And who knows how this menu is going to evolve and change?” Pham said. “Hopefully, we’re going to introduce even more items as the weeks, months pass by.”
Griswold said after the festival leaves, he’s excited to see how Park City steps up to fill the gap. And culinary is one area he said is essential.
“I really do think that Park City has a great opportunity ahead of it, but it’s got to take itself seriously,” he said. “We need to do a little soul searching to decide what Park City wants to be, and so I really want to build that around music, culinary and camaraderie.”
Izard has one more dinner on Friday night, followed by Michelin-starred chef Sobel’s dinners Saturday and Sunday evenings. Pham is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, and then Zepeda will end the run on Jan. 30 and 31. For tickets, priced at $175, visit chefdance.com.
To stay up to date on Trago Lounge, follow its Instagram account, @tragoloungepc.
“Park City has to really dig deep,” Griswold said. “This lack of snow might be a good thing for the town, contrary to popular belief, because it gets people to understand that you have to keep transitioning, keep building, keep creating.”