Redefining Prosperity

Out of the Fire has had many prosperous years thanks to a wonderful community of patrons and supporters that have made it possible. Three years ago (but who's counting!) this "prosperity" arrived at a screeching halt when the economy took an inauspicious turn. Dining out requires disposable income which has disappeared for many. For the past three years I am asked on a daily basis how the restaurant is faring the storm. The consistent answer has always contained the word "struggle." Then one day, I came to the realization that I cannot continue to associate the restaurant or my personal life with the word struggle since it is realistically anything but that. If we are to compare our standard of living with that of other countries we are thriving. My commitment to redefine the word prosperity to preserve my emotional well-being has given me a new tool to cope with the reality that life is different for all of us. The narrow view of defining my prosperity solely on materialistic terms was not serving me well. So my new answer to that question is: "I am paying my employees, my taxes, my rent and my bills and to me in this environment THAT is thriving! I also have access to clean drinking water, don't go to bed hungry, I have a roof over my head and have a great family and amazing friends!" So, according to my redefinition of prosperity I am highly prosperous!

Purity: High West Style

Everyone has their own definition of purity. Mine happens to be a dedication to an uncompromising pursuit of rarity and authenticity. It is my belief that this is a pursuit that lacks ubiquity these days and I think I know why. It takes time, patience and focus which is something that is not present in most lives these days. Most want to do things fast and easy. Focusing on that attention to detail is tedious. So, I make it my job to seek out those that embrace purity, particularly in the realm of food and drink.
I recently had the good fortune of discovering High West Distillery. I checked out their website (www.highwest.com) and was intrigued by their attention to detail and commitment to distilling artisinal whiskeys. I ordered a bottle of their Rendezvous Rye and began offering tastes to customers. It received a 100% approval rating!
I was planning a trip to Colorado to visit my nephew and decided, since I was going to be out west that I would just hop over to Utah to visit a friend (we hadn't seen each other since our early 20's!) and visit High West Distillery. So, my friend Bruce and I headed up to Park City to High West Distillery and had a wonderful experience. Great folks, great concept and an uncompromising pursuit of great spirits. Bruce made a big sacrifice for me and tasted 5 whiskeys. He was my whiskey tasting savant. My role solely included my nose, which, by the way was very happy because each whiskey provided an olfactory pleasure.
I currently offer their Rendezvous Rye which is the only blend of young and old straight rye whiskies in the US. It it distilled in the single malt scotch fashion which makes it unique. I will be offering their Bourye which is their proprietary blend of bourbon and rye. Everyone that was present in the tasting room unanimously agreed that this was their favorite. The next time you are in Park City check out High West and the next time you are in Out of the Fire ask me for a taste! Thank you, High West, for your commitment to ducking out of the mainstream and pursuing intense quality. I can't forget to thank Bruce Bilodeau for being my whiskey tasting dude! I know it was a significant sacrifice!