April 16, 2003 BRIAN NICHOLSON/Standard-Examiner Jeremiah's Restaurant owner Hal Peterson talks recently with members of his family and employees at the newly renovated restaurant on 12th Street in Marriott-Slaterville. The mural behind him depicts Ben Lomond Peak. Jeremiah's expansion complete Restaurant doubles its staff and adds new chef after face lift By JEFF DeMOSS_ Standard-Examiner staff MARRIOTT-SLATERVILLE - The morning lines just got shorter at one of Utah's favorite breakfast stops. Jeremiah's Restaurant, 1307 W. 1200 S., reopens today after a six-week overhaul that transformed its atmosphere and expanded seating capacity by 60 percent. "It's not just a face lift," general manager Scott Lunt said. "We have a brand-new restaurant, inside and out." R & 0 Construction, who built the original Jeremiah's in 1979 and the Best Western High Country Inn next door, was the general contractor on the project. Restaurant manager Maureen Sletten said she was amazed at the quality and quantity of work accomplished. "R & O did an outstanding job, from stonework to woodwork to floors. It's hard to believe this only took them six weeks," she said. A rustic lobby, a completely renovated kitchen with new equipment and four new banquet rooms themed "The Den," "The Back Porch," "The Mountain Room," and "The River Room" are the centerpieces of the project. New stonework and woodwork can be found throughout the building. Jeremiah's also doubled its staff, Sletten said. The restaurant now employs about 30 in the kitchen and 40 "up front." Also new is the addition of a full-time chef, Frances VanderStappen, who spent three years as the executive chef at Ogden Eccles Conference Center. The original banquet facilities remain unchanged with a seating capacity of 150, but the new portion now seats 160 instead of 85. 22 "The breakfast famine is over," Sletten said. "Hopefully, people know there won't be as long a wait now." Voted best breakfast in the state for several consecutive years now by readers of Salt Lake Magazine, a line out the door and into the parking lot was becoming a regular sight at Jeremiah's on weekends. Sletten said the design goal was to create something new while incorporating elements of the old Jeremiah's. Long-time customers will see some familiar furniture and decorations, but each new room will feel like an all-new dining experience, she said. Local artisans contributed stained glasswork, a wall-size painting of the Wasatch Front mountains, and other decorative touches. Also adding local flair are the fireplace mantles carved from rare trestle wood that has been curing in the Great Salt Lake for 75 years. You can reach reporter Jeff DeMoss at 625-4226 or jdemoss@standard.net