Tag: Podcast

The Pros and Cons of GMOs

In the latest episode of the Taste of Harmons Podcast, Dietitian Sarah Kiel joins our hosts Chef Lesli Sommerdorf and Brandon Young. Sarah and our hosts discuss produce hybrids and genetically modified varieties of our food. The somewhat controversial subject of GMOs has many pros and cons to it. The practice involves altering the DNA of a plant to improve or change its properties. We’re fortunate to have Sarah’s knowledge as she breaks the details down for us. 

GMOs basically come two ways: genetically engineered and genetically modified. An example of genetically engineered produce is seedless watermelon. An example of genetically modified produce would be corn that is altered to resist insects or tolerate herbicides. 

Harmons Produce Partners

Most of the GMOs grown in the United States have uses other than human consumption, specifically animal feed. But Sarah gives us a great list of genetically modified produce and how it affects us nutritionally and otherwise. 

GMO Resources

Purdue University

Utah State University

University of Connecticut

Sarah Kiel, RDN, CD

Sarah aims to make healthy living easy and accessible for Harmons customers. Providing individual and specialized nutritional services geared at achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, Sarah’s goal is to help Harmons shoppers recognize 

that shopping for and cooking healthy food can actually be fun. Sarah received a bachelor degree in dietetics from Indiana University. After a move to Utah and a visit to Harmons, she immediately knew that she wanted to be a part of the Dietitians Choice Program. And when’s she’s not helping Harmons customers discover their own health and wellness, you can find her discovering her own by mountain biking, running, hiking, or cooking.

This is Sarah’s third time as a TOH Podcast guest. We encourage you to tune in and listen to all the important facts she has to share with us. 

Her other podcast episodes include:

Isolation Health Tips with Dietitian Sarah

Eating for Exercise: Fuel Your Fitness

You can view all of our podcast episodes here. 

At Harmons, we’re lucky to have incredibly talented artists at each store, and we’re sure you’ve seen their amazing chalk art as you wander throughout every location. We’re excited to be able to feature some of their work as the featured art on our podcast blog. This art is the work of Ryann Meyers, the artist at our Mountain View location. 

Local Flour Power

Driving south on I-15 through Utah County, the Lehi Mills building is hard to miss. It’s a historic landmark on the west side of the freeway as you pass Lehi. If you talk about it, most people will know the name. Whether it’s because of the flour they’ve been producing for years, or the fact that parts of a well-known movie, Footloose, were filmed there, Lehi Mills is as local as it is famous.

Originally named Lehi Roller Mills, the company was recently rebranded to Lehi Mills, but is still producing the same quality flour as before. They also make baking mixes that make eating locally easy as pie…or muffins. Harmons not only carries Lehi Mills products in our stores, but we use their flour exclusively in our artisan breads.

In this episode of the Taste of Harmons Podcast, Sheri Brailsford Cutler and Steve Brailsford join our hosts Chef Lesli Sommerdorf and Brandon Young. Sheri and Steve are from KEB Enterprises, and their father Ken Brailsford purchased Lehi Roller Mills in 2013. You’ll want to listen to the story of how the original owner’s family, the Robinsons, are still involved in the mill, along with how the Brailsford family has managed to keep the Mills local. 

Another guest on this podcast is Todd Berry, who has a longstanding history with Lehi Mills going back 35 years. He has learned the business literally from the ground up (he started out sweeping flours), and he shares a lot of information about the past along with day-to-day doings in the business of making flour. 

The Turkey Red and Peacock Brand logos that were historically included on the cotton flour bags are still painted on the building.

You’ll want to tune into the podcast to learn more about this great local company and it’s past, present, and future. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, listen to our other episodes here. Recent episodes include “The Coral Reef Rescue” with Brent Anderson of the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium and “The History of the Hamburger” with Chef Aaron Ballard.

Sheri Brailsford Cutler is the vice president for KEB Enterprises. She oversees marketing for each portfolio company, regulates the work environment, serves as the point of contact for each employee, and makes sure that they are succeeding in their positions. She also aids in planning and logistics.

When she’s not in meetings, you can find Sheri hiking, biking, kayaking, or traveling to a new place. Sheri enjoys spending time with her husband, five sons, two daughters-in-law, and two grandchildren.

Steve Brailsford brings expansive leadership and management experience to KEB. As president, he oversees each portfolio company and investigates local companies for promising potential investments. Steve is a highly valued voice among top private equity firms.

Steve loves to escape—his favorite places to be are the water and the mountains. Steve is an avid scuba diver and also loves spending time with his family in the mountains (away from cell coverage). He is also a passionate cyclist and often commutes 12 miles to work on his bike. One of Steve’s dreams is to sail around the world, but first he needs to learn how!

Todd Berry has worked for Lehi Mills for 35 years, literally from the ground up. He is currently the milling superintendent and director of quality of assurance, but he started out sweeping floors, packing flour, driving delivery trucks, and as a flour miller, production supervisor, warehouse manager, customer service manager, and a food safety audit specialist.

He worked his way through college while at the Mills, and after graduating from Utah State University he was asked to be a part of the management team. He likes to spend his off time with his family. He and his wife Sherri have seven children two daughters-in-law, and one grandson, and is looking forward to more grandchildren.

At Harmons, we’re lucky to have incredibly talented artists at each store, and we’re sure you’ve seen their amazing chalk art as you wander throughout every location. We’re excited to be able to feature some of their work as the featured art on our podcast blog. This art is the work of Jeffrey Hansen at our Station Park location. 

Utah’s Botanical Garden—Red Butte

Red Butte Garden Concert Series, sponsored by Harmons

Harmons is deeply involved in our community, and so is Red Butte Garden. So the fact that we partner with them is pretty much a no-brainer. Today’s Taste of Harmons Podcast guest is Eddy Dawson. He’s the director of programs at Red Butte, and he joins our hosts Chef Lesli Sommerdorf and Brandon Young to talk about something a little different from food we eat—the plants we grow.

Red Butte Garden is a museum of living plants, according to Eddy. Its history is long and storied. In the beginning, Dr. Walter Cottam, a professor at the University of Utah from the 1930s through the 1960s, had a special interest in plants and trees. He shared this by planting them in the ground around him, turning the University of Utah into part of an arboretum.

The History of Red Butte Garden

Eddy shares the interesting story of Dr. Cottam and how his beginnings led to the eventual forming of Red Butte Gardner, located in Research Park at the University of Utah.

The visitors center was opened in the 1990s and while it’s more than 35 years old, it’s still young in the terms of arboretums around the country and world.

Red Butte Garden consists of 21 acres of highly maintained gardens, with another 78 acres of natural area and 5miles of hiking trails.

It is a unique arboretum. Most arboretums around the world are in cities. But Red Butte Gardens is located in the foothills of Salt Lake City. The end result is there is a lot of wildlife that also enjoys roaming around the garden. Moose, deer, bobcats, and turkeys are regular visitors. Eddy says they also saw some cougar tracks this past winter, but never did spot the wily cat.

Like most of us during the COVID-19, Red Butte Garden had to alter how they did things. They instituted virtual classes and zoom lessons featuring videography, held with teachers and their classes. And like the rest of us, they are anxious to get back to normal, in particular, the very popular and oft-asked about Red Butte Concert series.

Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series 2021

Eddy says the series is “brewing” this year, but he doesn’t have any information because he’s the “plant” guy. Even so, he’s excited for some of the amazing talent that is in the lineup of performers at the Garden. The beautiful venue, in the amphitheater, is a one-of-a-kind experience. Everyone should get a chance to enjoy it. That said, the concerts usually sell out during the “presale” which is exclusive to members of Red Butte Garden. This is just one of the perks of membership at Red Butte Garden. 

And if you’re wondering how you’re going to keep your little humans entertained this summer, check events and ideas they have listed on their awesome website. The “boredom busters” offer great ways to keep your kids learning and entertained at the same time. 

Buy A Membership

A good way to stay up to date on what’s happening at Red Butte is to support them by purchasing a membership. (Hint: as we mentioned above, membership means you get to take part in the presale for the Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series, which often sells completely out during the presale.)

You can also volunteer and of course they happily accept donations. Choose your favorite program or initiative, or simply give to the greatest needs of the Garden.

The Garden is also a great setting for a wedding or other private event.

Harmons is a proud partner with Red Butte Garden and we sponsor the concert series, which is one of the biggest forms of income they receive to keep the garden running. along with Bootanical.

Bootanical at Red Butte Garden, sponsored by Harmons

If you enjoyed this podcast, you’ll want to listen to our other episodes. You can find them here. Recent episodes include Understanding CBD and The Salt of the Earth with Darryl Bosshardt, of Redmond Real Salt.

Eddy Dawson

Eddy Dawson has a passion for connecting people with the importance of plants in all aspects of life.  His life’s mantra is “everyone loves plants, not everyone knows it.” He has spent 20 years working at Red Butte Garden in a variety of roles, including curator of plant records, director of information technology, and currently serves as the director of programs.  In addition to his Red Butte Garden experience, he has 30 years combined experience in the plant science and horticulture industries and is a 

volunteer leader engaged in the national American Public Garden Association. As part of the mission at Red Butte Garden, Eddy strives to continue learning and making new connections with plants and people  He has degrees in horticulture and botanical informatics from Texas A&M University. 

At Harmons, we’re lucky to have incredibly talented artists at each store, and we’re sure you’ve seen their amazing chalk art as you wander throughout every location. We’re excited to be able to feature some of their work as the featured art on our podcast blog. This art is the work of Ryann Meyers, the artist at our Mountain View location. 

The Salt of the Earth

Redmond Real Salt is the “real” deal when it comes to salt. At Harmons, when creating our made-fresh-in-store items it’s the only salt we use. And there is a very good reason for that. It’s natural, clean salt, which tastes very different than iodized salt. And not only is the taste better; so are the health benefits.

The Sundance Sea

So, where does Redmond Real Salt come from? Darryl Bosshardt, grandson of one of the original founders, joins our hosts to share the backstory behind the successful business. Salt is a natural topic in the state of Utah, considering we still have a large body of salty water, the Great Salt Lake, which is visible from the Harmons offices. But that’s not where Redmond gets their salt from. About two hours to the south of the Great Salt Lake there is an ancient seabed, a remnant of the Sundance Sea, an inland sea that existed in North America during the mid-to-late Jurassic Period of the Mesozoic Era (think dinosaurs).

Fast forward to 1958, when a prolonged drought forced the Bosshardt brothers to abandon their farming lifestyle in central Utah. Aware that Native Americans had once harvested salt rock from their farmland, Milo and Lamar Bosshardt borrowed a little money and went into the salt business with little more than sledgehammers, picks, and a determination to provide for their families. Their salt deposit provided a naturally balanced mineral salt that local ranchers credited for healthier herds. As the salt’s reputation grew, the Bosshardt brothers purchased land from their neighbors, giving them access to the entire deposit, estimated to extend several thousand feet below the surface of the earth.

Natural Clean Salt

Today, the family continues to mine the salt and Darryl is proud of their legacy, one that started with his grandfather and great uncle.

While many salts contain anti-caking agents and even dextrose, and others have been heat-processed and stripped of their natural trace minerals, Redmond Real Salt is unrefined and full of natural minerals and flavor. Not only is the taste different, but so is are the benefits to your health, as everyone needs salt to survive. Just not the high sodium, processed, chemical-tasting salt many people are used to.

The mine where they work is underground and large but does not really resemble other dangerous types of mines that quickly come to the mind. You’ll want to visit their website to see the very cool pictures of just exactly what the mine looks like and tune into the podcast to hear Darryl go in-depth into the fascinating world of salt mining. 

You Can Taste the Difference

As we mentioned before, Harmons exclusively uses Redmond Real Salt, including in our artisan bread and Kitchen items. We believe you can taste the difference. 

Along with their culinary salt, they also provide products for salting roads and agricultural purposes. They also have a body care line, including toothpaste, and you can even buy some clothing featuring their amazing products. 

Make sure you listen to the podcast to get the skinny on Redmond Real Salt’s unique product and learn all the ways you can enhance your food and elevate your cooking. 

Darryl Bosshardt

Darryl Bosshardt is passionate about healthly living, healthy eating, and life-long learning. Darryl grew up working for the family mineral business in Redmond, Utah, and then earned a bachelor of science degree at Southern Utah University followed by an MBA at Western Governor’s University.

If you enjoyed this podcast, you’ll want to listen to our other episodes. You can find them here. Recent episodes include The Science of Bread with Jason Lindsay and Meet Harmons Cooking School Chef Daniela Oliveira.

At Harmons, we’re lucky to have incredibly talented artists at each store, and we’re sure you’ve seen their amazing chalk art as you wander throughout every location. We’re excited to be able to feature some of their work as the featured art on our podcast blog. This art is the work of Kirsten Beitler, the artist at our Santa Clara location.