Do you know about the New American restaurant Cucina Wine Bar of SLC?

“Our crab cakes are the finest in the state of Utah and perhaps the best I have tasted anywhere in the world…”

Originally from Boise, Idaho, owner Dean Pierose realized his true passion for the restaurant industry when he moved to Utah in 1991. With a background in hospitality administration and management and a sincere love of wine, it was only natural that he purchased Cucina in 2001. Under Dean’s tutelage, the much-loved Avenues gem has evolved into the highly-rated and highly-awarded Cucina Wine Bar. Speaking of wine, through thoughtful research and travel, Dean is a self-created wine aficionado which is easily reflected in the expansive wine list Cucina Wine Bar offers. His building a world-class wine list was certainly based on Dean’s philosophy of being extensive, but not pretentious. As a person, Dean is also known for his constant humor, love of fly fishing, and appreciation of food.

“A good palate is never given, but is earned through practice and a sense of adventure.”

Bret has been in love with cooking since a young age, growing up cooking with his Mother and Grandmother. His love for working in kitchens has taken him across the country to live in and experience different cuisines, taking in the flavors of the locals to help build his unique cooking profile. Working in kitchens has been very rewarding to him and he loves the fast-paced counter culture that is the hospitality industry. He has been working at Cucina for the past 7 years and has been loving this nice little slice of the Avenues.

Cheers to many more years of him honing his skills at Cucina.

“Nothing beats the taste of fresh pasta, unless it’s covered in one of our signature sauces.”

Grant grew up in the Pacific Northwest, specifically in Seattle. He spent his time scuba diving in the Puget Sound. There, he found his passion for the culinary industry through his hard work in a few different restaurants being surrounded by fresh seafood and fish.

He has been working in the hospitality industry for a decade now, and has spent the last 4 years full-time at Cucina. Grant enjoys pushing himself to learn new techniques and experiment with flavors to invent creative dishes and grow as a chef. He finds peace through cooking multiple course meals for friends, utilizing interesting ingredients like miso that he makes himself, that everyone swears could be the best in the world.

Erika has worked at Cucina for 5 years, shifting careers from office management. She started her own catering company before coming to Cucina, so she brings a lot of food industry knowledge as well as business knowledge.

Utah is home to her, and she enjoys all the outdoor activities that it has to offer, like going to the lake on her days off, hiking, and camping. You may even see her on one of her many long walks through the avenues; one of her favorite past times.

While Erika loves Cucina for the people she works with, as well as the incredible customers, she loves trying all the delicious dishes.

Wine is a way of life. We believe wine brings people together. If you don’t believe us, all you have to do is visit us and we will prove it to you. In the meantime, you can check out our expansive wine list and read through our wine stories to discover how we bring the best wine in Salt Lake City to you.