Far from Historic Main Street, a new restaurant row is gaining momentum in Park City. Kimball Junction has long been home to a few underappreciated local mainstays (and a few too many chain restaurants) but a new culinary expansion is taking root and transforming the area. Hearth and Hill, serving contemporary American cuisine—which in this case means everything from the short rib and oxtail tostada to chilled soba noodle salad to an asparagus melt—is the latest addition to the slate.
“The growth of people moving to Park City, and Snyderville in particular, is huge. People coming here from places like New York, Chicago and San Francisco have high expectations of what the dining scene should be,” says Hearth and Hill proprietor Brooks Kirchheimer. “We have an eclectic menu and a boundary-pushing concept, but we wanted a location that was local-centric, which meant we wouldn’t be a great fit on Main.”
Between seasonal ebbs and flows and a transitory population with finicky, vacillating tastes, Park City can be a difficult place to make a restaurant stick. Hearth and Hill is meeting the challenge with a staff composed of people with restaurant experience in Park City. Kirchheimer and head chef Jordan Harvey previously worked together locally at Apex in Montage Deer Valley and Zoom on Main Street.
“I’ve been around the block and this is by far the best location I’ve been in,” says Kirchheimer. “At my previous restaurant on Main Street, 90 percent of our customers were visitors. At Hearth and Hill 75 percent are locals, which is exactly what we were hoping for. New businesses are moving in adding vibrancy to the area, and it’s created a sense of community that helps everybody succeed.”
To thrive away from Main Street, a restaurant needs the local community on board, which starts with accessibility. Newpark has more than 300 free, covered parking spots near the restaurant, and hungry Parkites don’t have to battle traffic all the way down Utah Highway 224 to get their food. “We offer online ordering so people can run in and out to pick up food if they’re just grabbing lunch after soccer or skiing. And our location provides an approachable, laid back atmosphere gathering place for families year round,” Kirchheimer says.
Hearth and Hill is committed to being more to the community than just another restaurant. One dollar from every children’s meal sold is donated to EATS Park City, a local non-profit benefitting Park City students by helping them develop healthy habits gain access to fresh, nutritious food through hands-on cooking classes, indoor and outdoor school gardens, cooking camps and more.
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