Hearth and Hill restaurant group opens three more locations in 2022

Co-owners and father son duo behind the Leave Room For Dessert Eateries restaurant group, David (right) and Brooks Kirchheimer are all in on local family-run business Photo: courtesy Carla Boecklin.

PARK CITY, Utah – Leave Room For Dessert Eateries restaurant group is expanding in Park City and Salt Lake City. Father and son duo David and Brooks Kirchheimer brought Hearth and Hill to Kimball Junction back in 2018 and always planned to, in David’s favorite word, “scale” the business.

Just two doors down from Hearth and Hill, Hill’s Kitchen opens in 2022 as a full-blown catering kitchen and grab-and-go retail location.

The restaurant group will open Urban Hill and a second Hearth and Hill in Salt Lake. Urban Hill is a high-end concept in the Post District west of downtown. Hearth and Hill is a fraternal twin of the Park City location with the same neighborhood gathering spot vibe but different menu offerings.

Brooks graduated from the University of Denver’s Hospitality Management. Post-graduate, he worked for the Montage Beverly Hills, then Montage Deer Valley, and was a manager at the now closed Park City staple and Robert Redford’s restaurant, Zoom. David Kirchheimer earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Colorado College and an MBA in finance and accounting from the University of Chicago. He held many c-suite positions, such as Chief Administrative Officer for Ticketmaster and Chief Financial Officer for Oaktree and Republic Pictures Corporation, just to name a few in a long financial career.

Around 2017, David Kirchheimer, during his retirement, and his son Brooks began their quest in a local restaurant venture. Serendipitously, other deals and offers fell through, and they found space in Kimball Junction.

“Kimball Junction was a space that we were excited about because three years ago, it was still in an infant stage of development, especially the New Park area,” said Brooks. “We wanted to build something special and something for the locals. I often think that Park City is built around the visitors, and we wanted to build something for the year-round residents so they could be proud of and not feel like they’re getting gouged every time they go out to eat.”

Hearth and Hill since day one offered catering services, yet the lack of space combined with bustling occupancy left it wanting more. Currently, the Newpark restaurant does lunch and dinner service and private dining in the front room, and catering. Hill’s Kitchen aims to be one among few Park City-based caterers to serve groups from 10 to 500 people.

“A lot of the bigger catering companies that come into Park City to do the catering events are based out of the valley,” Brooks said. “They then bring the taxes with them back down to the valley. And so, with us being a Summit County-based operation, all the money will stay right here.”

Urban Hill hopes to fit in with the flourishing Salt Lake dining scene through a slightly higher-end menu and experience.

“Salt Lake has been a destination that we’ve been looking at for a while…The culinary scene in the last ten years has grown and become somewhere that people can be proud about eating,” Brooks said. “We’re excited to be a part of that scene as an independent, family-run restaurant and, hopefully, add a little bit to it.”

The restaurant group’s moniker nods to the fact that Hearth and Hill is one of a few restaurants boasting its own pastry chef, Jessie Nakoneczny. And, as a family-owned and run business, the name refers to the Kirchheimer love for sweets (David and wife Sherry always keep a hefty amount of ice cream on hand) and the importance of not taking anything too seriously. Sit down, stay awhile, and save room for dessert.

The Leave Room For Dessert restaurant group feeds locals and supports local nonprofits and has donated over $10,000 to many organizations throughout the COVID pandemic. Hearth and Hill hosts matching nights benefiting various nonprofits like EATS, Hive Family Collective, Youth Sports Alliance, Shining Stars School, and many others.

Hill’s Kitchen, the catering and grab-and-go location is set to open in early 2022. The Salt Lake City locations, Urban Hill and Hearth and Hill, are slotted to open six months apart in early 2022 and mid to late 2022.