Canopy by Hilton intros four new restaurants to Deer Valley East Village
PARK CITY, Utah — Residents and visitors have four new places to eat, drink and gather now that Canopy by Hilton has officially opened at Deer Valley East Village.
The hotel debuted an all-day café, two Italian-inspired restaurants and a rooftop lounge, all under the direction of Executive Chef Scott Rackliff. The properties are designed to serve both locals and out-of-town guests.
Rackliff, who has 25 years of culinary experience, including stints at New York City’s Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park and Daniel, now leads all food and beverage operations at the property. He said that experience shaped how he leads his team in Park City.
“My experience at those amazing places helped develop my attention to detail and taught me a lot about a winning culture,” Rackliff said. “I learned what happens when everyone strives for perfection and is willing and able to hold each other accountable in a respectful manner, all because everyone is striving for that same goal of being the best.”
Though he had never been to Utah before interviewing for the job, Rackliff said the move felt familiar. He grew up in New Hampshire and lived in Vermont, giving him what he described as a deep love for mountain towns.
“This is a beautiful property, and taking this role feels like a bit of a homecoming,” Rackliff said. “I am excited to bring my experience here and contribute something special to Park City’s culinary scene.”
Rackliff said his food philosophy centers on comfort food built with refined technique, an approach meant to trigger memories. He pointed to the Wagyu Salisbury steak at Alpine Attic as an example, a dish inspired by the TV dinners of his childhood but remade with Wagyu beef, Robuchon mashed potatoes, charred heirloom carrots, crispy maitake mushrooms and a porcini mushroom demi-glace. It’s even served on a plate designed to resemble a TV dinner tray.
Opening four restaurants at once took months of preparation, Rackliff said. His team completed recipe development ahead of time, then focused on training staff to execute the menus consistently before opening day.
“By opening day, the team had a deep understanding of not only the menu, but also our culture and expectations,” Rackliff said.
To build the Italian dining program, Rackliff worked with chef Daniele Uditi, an Italian-born chef and co-founder of the Los Angeles pizza restaurant Pizzana. Uditi developed the original menus for Tavolona and Fornetto before Rackliff joined the team, and the two continued to collaborate throughout the project.
“It has been amazing partnering with Daniele,” Rackliff said. “He is an incredibly talented chef who is also very humble, and when you can bring together talented chefs who show that kind of humility, the outcome is amazing.”
Uditi’s pizza dough, central to Fornetto’s menu, draws on techniques he learned as a child in Italy.
Tavolona is the flagship Italian trattoria, offering classic regional dishes the restaurant intends for both individual and family-style dining. The name comes from the Italian word for table, Rackliff said.
Fornetto pairs handcrafted pizzas and shareable Venetian cicchetti (snacks) with Utah craft beer, spirits and live sports in a more casual setting. His favorite dish there is the meatball smash burger, Tavolona’s signature meatball recipe griddled with Parmigiano-Reggiano, fior di latte and San Marzano pomodoro sauce.
Alpine Attic, a rooftop lounge, opened Aug. 21 with handcrafted cocktails and alpine-inspired bites. Rackliff said the food there leans on a bar-food approach, with finger foods and shareables suited to the space. Beyond the Wagyu Salisbury steak, he highlighted the Wagyu shepherd’s pie, made with beef from Wasatch Meats, heirloom carrots, hen-of-the-woods mushrooms and a porcini mushroom gravy, served in a camping tray.
Mountain Provisions, the property’s all-day café, serves coffee, house-made pastries, and grab-and-go options. Rackliff said the café’s stromboli, offered in a few flavors, was designed for guests on the move and served in an insulated sleeve to keep it hot and hands clean, including for guests eating it on the chairlift.
Rackliff said sourcing from local and regional purveyors, including Wasatch Meats, PaMaw Farms and Heber Cheese, was a deliberate process built on relationships rather than convenience.
“It is all about one of my favorite parts of the job, exploring,” Rackliff said. “When trying different places, we go multiple times to ensure consistency and quality are always there. Through this process, we also build real relationships with the owners and teams at these places.”
Asked about the restaurants’ first week open, Rackliff said the experience was rewarding after months of preparation.
“I joined the team about six months ago, and to see all of the hard work and dedication coming to fruition is so rewarding,” he said. “Seeing leaders and team members coming together to make our guests happy and create memorable experiences for them is what hospitality is all about. It is the most rewarding part for me.”
