With the retirement of Chef Don Sanchez, LUX was in need of another wonderful culinary powerhouse.

Chef Tuli Ibanez joined the LUX family two and a half years ago as a culinary staff member and quickly showed us her talents. She was born and raised in Colombia, and has lived all over the world, including Chile and South Africa with her husband and two beautiful daughters. While living in these various regions she spent her time mastering new trades, from electronic engineering to teaching children to paint, Chef Tuli has done it all.

After moving to Utah in 2011 she attended culinary school alongside multiple LUX culinary team members. After graduating from culinary school she began a mentorship with a wonderful chef at the Alta Club. Her passion for food and flavor truly began with that opportunity.

Shortly after her time at the Alta Club Tulia opened her own food truck! Her food truck showcased sandwiches and flavors from around the world. She loved having her own food truck, creating the menus, and meeting new people through that venture. After the success of her food truck, she decided to sell it and found her home on the LUX team.

Chef Tuli joined the LUX family in the busy month of August as a member of our culinary prep team, soon after we realized just how talented she was! She was promoted to our Sous Chef by December of the same year. In her time as our Sous Chef she had the pleasure of training under Chef Don Sanchez and getting to know him as the amazing culinary artist he was. When retirement came into conversation for Chef Don he knew who he wanted to take over for him! Chef Tuli has been working side by side with Chef Don for many years and the transition was bittersweet to see him leave, but thrilling to be able to showcase her own talents as LUX’s new Executive Chef! 

One of Chef Tuli’s biggest passions in the kitchen is experimenting with the colors! She loves the colors of the menus, the creativity, and the wonderful people she gets to interact with and lead every day! We are ecstatic to be announcing Chef Tuli as our new Executive Chef and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for her and team LUX!

While we’re introducing you to our new Executive Chef you’re probably wondering who our new Sous Chef is. We are also very proud to introduce you to Chef Tyler Kay, or as he’s known at LUX, TK.  

Chef TK got his start in the food industry at the young age of 14 while working at Tiburon Fine Dining Restaurant. He did everything from plating to doing dishes, and everything in between. After his start in culinary he decided to follow another passion – Chef TK received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Utah in Sociology and Criminology, all while playing on the U’s baseball team. After graduation he worked with troubled youth for nearly 10 years before he was drawn back to his passion for food. 

Chef TK attended the same culinary program as Chef Tuli, in fact they were in the same classes! In order to fulfill all of his culinary hours for his program, Chef TK began working with a private chef in Park City and gained a fine dining background and experience. After his externship he worked in various kitchens in restaurants as a head chef until he found his home at LUX.

Chef TK was introduced to LUX by Chef Tuli! She told him how much she was loving the kitchen she was working in, and that he should come check it out for himself. He was brought on to our team as our Chef de Partie and maintained that role for about a year. Chef TK’s passion for the culinary arts made him an outstanding candidate for our new Sous Chef!

His love for LUX stems from his team, or as he likes to say, his work family. Chef TK loves new challenges and scenarios that are brought to him on a daily basis, and that each day is a new day to utilize his creative abilities. 

We are thrilled to be introducing you to both Executive Chef Tuli and Sous Chef TK as the powerhouse duo heading up our culinary teams. LUX is full of growth and opportunity for our teams, and we can’t wait to see what these two dream up next!

It is with great excitement and sadness that LUX is announcing Executive Chef Don Sanchez’ retirement, after an incredible 30+ year career in the culinary arts and hospitality. We want to show you a little background into his wonderful career and share his story!

Chef Don’s culinary career began in the Netherlands where he was trained in the classic French style of cooking. He continued his experience in Holland working at De Kromme Dissel and Kasteel Doorwerth – both Michelin Star award-winning restaurants! 

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After returning to the US in the 1990s, Chef Don began working with Temple Square Hospitality Group. He started his time with them as a Sous Chef at the Carriage Court restaurant for two years. While working at Carriage Court an opportunity arose with the newly renovated Hotel Utah, now the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, and Don jumped on it! He began working as the Executive Chef at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and helped to open the restaurants, as well as the banquet and catering division. His responsibilities included overseeing a robust and dedicated team of over 200 staff for the banquets and catering departments, as well as The Lion House, The Roof, and The Garden restaurants. He has written and executed hundreds of incredible menus for royalty, VIPs, and many other dignitaries, as well as the day in and day out menus for all of the departments in the company. In addition to creating those menus, Chef Don co-wrote multiple cookbooks with the culinary teams at Temple Square Hospitality. He spent a long and lovely 25 years with Temple Square Hospitality. 

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For many years Chris, Don’s son, tried to persuade his father to leave the Smith Building and come work with his company, LUX Catering & Events. Finally, in 2015 everything aligned and Chef Don came to work a single event with LUX. He was brought on to help execute a massive plated event for Lockheed Martin and was planning to go back to the Smith Building after working on this spectacular event. After helping to design the menu, executing a stunning plated presentation, and working hands-on in the field again, Chef Don was hooked. Chris and Don worked together with the other Managing Partners of the company and brought him on as the new Executive Chef for LUX. 

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Growth, creativity, and innovation at LUX are what intrigued Don the most about his move. He loved his career, and the people with Temple Square Hospitality, but missed the hands-on aspect of creating in the kitchen. LUX offered him a career move that would allow him to create new menus, processes, and teams within the company. He was thrilled to bring his classical training and background and meld them with the authentic passion for food and design that LUX showcased. 

During his time at LUX some of his biggest accomplishments included creating and strengthening an incredible team of like-minded culinary artists, working side by side with his son, Chris, and producing outstanding events. Chef Don’s first event with LUX is still one of the most talked-about events, and continues to be an inspiration to new events! Don and his team have produced thousands of events over the years, over 7,000 events in his time with LUX! 

After an extremely successful career with multiple top-rated restaurants and catering companies, Chef Don is hanging up his hat and retiring! While we are thrilled Don is moving on to a chapter in his life where he is able to spend more time with his family and his hobbies, LUX, and his team will miss him more than words can say! We wish Chef Don a lifetime of continued happiness! 

We will be hosting a retirement celebration for him on Saturday, November 2nd from 1-4 pm at the Jaden Event Center. Come join us in celebrating an amazing man and his career!

When it comes to bar service, LUX has you covered! From corporate to casual, weddings to pop-ups, bar service is a great way to get your guests flowing and mingling. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite elements of bar service, keep reading! 

Mobile Mixology

Just imagine it – a vintage inspired trailer turned bar rolling into your event! Retro Rentals has transformed every detail of these gorgeous trailers and the possibilities are endless! While the trailer is a stunning facet on its own, we decided to dress it up even more with custom shelving and florals. Consider adding a mobile bar to your next event!

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Butler Passing

Having a staff member strolling through the event with cocktails is a great way to promote mingling and discussion over the cocktail. Guests can ask the server questions about the cocktail or the event as they walk by. 

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Tableside Beverage Service

When hosting a plated dinner, tableside beverage service might be the best style to consider! With this service style guests don’t need to worry about getting up from their seat, the beverages come directly to them! For this event specifically, a sommelier was onsite explaining the wine pairings with each course the guests were served. It was a fabulous way to educate guests on the beverages and entrees they were consuming. 

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Custom Chalkboard Bar

Considering a custom bar menu but don’t know how to display the beverage options for guests? Chalkboard menu! Creating a custom design and description of the bar offerings is a great way to visually showcase the options!

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Stationary Bars

Last, but not least – stationary bar setups! One of the most popular bar options is to create a location for the bar and serve beverages from behind it. LUX has countless barfront options to select from, here are a few of our favorites!

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No matter what service style you choose, beverage service is a great way to make a lasting impression on your guests! Beverage service doesn’t have to be strictly alcoholic, our beverage team can transform any cocktail into a stunning mocktail as well!

Photos by: Sarah McClure Photo, Billow and Mull, David Daniels, Logan Walker Photo