Stuart Melling

Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC - Utah's biggest and oldest online food magazine; I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV shows. I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have covered the Utah dining scene for the better part of fifteen years. I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand. I started Shop Smart to catalogue my adventures in the grocery store and kitchen. Follow along on Instagram too!

Field Roast Hazelnut Cranberry Roast

February 23, 2020 by Stuart Melling

Stuart MellingHi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC – Utah’s biggest and oldest online food magazine; I’m also a former restaurant …

Mushy Peas – what you need to know

February 23, 2020February 10, 2020 by Stuart Melling

Lets start with the elephant in the room. Or should that be pea-misinformation in the room. You cannot – and should not – be making mushy peas with garden peas, …

Star Anise Foods Lemon Basil Vietnamese Simmer Sauce

February 6, 2020 by Stuart Melling

This is the second jar sauce we’ve tried from Star Anise and again I was attracted to the unique flavor profile. The sauce tasting promising fish from the jar but …

Are Sitka Salmon Shares any good? Updated 2021

November 29, 2021February 6, 2020 by Stuart Melling

I first heard about Sitka Salmon Shares when the Alaskan based brand reached out for me to review their product; so full disclosure up front, the company sent me a …

Review: Three Bridges Chicken Primavera

February 6, 2020 by Stuart Melling

Here’s another worth while pick from Three Bridges – their chicken primavera. It’s a decent dish inline with their other meals we’ve enjoyed, which you can see here: Three Bridges …

Trader Joe’s Traditional Latkes

February 8, 2020February 6, 2020 by Stuart Melling

There are a lot of things I love to make by hand. And then there are things that are time consuming, and well, messy! The older I get, and the …

Boca Original Chick’N Veggie Patties

February 8, 2020February 6, 2020 by Stuart Melling

Amidst the current plant based meal craze, there’s been little attention paid to chicken. At least for the time being. If you’re craving a meat like burger, ground meat or …

Divina Kalamata Spread

February 6, 2020 by Stuart Melling

I found this ground black kalamata olive spread on the shelves of Whole Foods and purchased it on a whim. There’s not a huge amount to report except to say …

Costco Polish Sausage – bring the food court home

May 7, 2021January 26, 2020 by Stuart Melling

Costco Polish dogs, be still my beating heart! Actually in more ways than one; let me start by saying you really want to ignore the sodium and fat content of …

Trader Joe’s Chicken Taquitos

February 8, 2020January 26, 2020 by Stuart Melling

Or Trader Jose Taquitos we should say, that’s the name the punny name the product sells under for $4.49 (January 2020). Ten taquitos come packaged inside the plastic box, but …