AMERICAN FORK, Utah — For eight years, Vessel Kitchen has been serving healthy and hearty meals to Utahns beginning with their original Park City location.
"Park City day one understood and went, 'Oh my gosh this is amazing,'" said Vessel Kitchen co-founder Brian Reeder. "We would literally see people in here twice a day six days a week for years, and it's truly our family."
Now in honor of their 8th location opening in American Fork on Sep. 7, they're giving back to the community where it all began through "8 Days of Giving."
"I wanted to make sure we did something that partnered with organizations in our own community to make sure that they felt that love as well and to make sure we could do something to express that gratitude to the community we're a part of," Reeder said.
For the next eight Saturdays, Vessel Kitchen in Park City is giving 25% of sales to different local organizations in the area. The first happening this Saturday is Nuzzles and Co. — a nonprofit that rescues at-risk and homeless animals and provides critical services in the Greater Park City area.
"A lot of the shelters now are just filled up unfortunately because of COVID, so the services are desperately needed to protect and save animals," said Leslie Barcus, the executive director of Nuzzles and Co.
Vessel Kitchen in Park City is also partnering with Summit Community Gardens and Eats — an organization whose mission is to gather, learn, and grow in gardens and schools.
"I really believe that all people have the right to fresh, healthy food, and having a space like Summit Community Gardens where we're growing food for folks in our community that are experiencing food insecurity is really important to me," said Helen Nadel, the executive director of EATS/Summit Community Gardens.
Vessel Kitchen is also helping remember the life of Sam Jackenthal — the 16-year-old skier who died in 2015 following a skiing accident in Australia. His family started the Live Like Sam nonprofit to honor the boy who lit up their lives.
"It's really hard as a society for us to elevate the conversation around mental and emotional fitness to be at par with physical fitness," said Sam's dad, Ron Jackenthal. "Really our journey is to keep elevating the message to bring resources that are easily accessible to the community."
Vessel Kitchen recognizes that they wouldn't be a local favorite without the community, which is why they wanted to give back to those who make our neighborhoods go around.
"The communities that have rallied around us have been really overwhelming to experience, and it's flattering to have as many people choose to dine with us every day as they do," said Reeder.
Nuzzles and Co.'s "Day of Giving" is Saturday, Aug. 31, Summit Community Gardens and Eats' day is Sep. 28, and Live Like Sam's day Oct. 5 — all at the Vessel Kitchen in Park City.
