Chef Kyle and Katina Connaughton are proud to unveil Usu-Zan by SingleThread, presented by Chase Sapphire®, their singular wintertime hot pot dining experience inspired by their many years living in Hokkaido, which will debut in the alpine climes of Park City in January 2022. The limited 10-day engagement that will run from the 20th-30th of January, is inspired by the name of the small, active volcano overlooking the remote village where the Connaughton’s lived and where they honed their education in farming, cooking, and warm hospitality.
The Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Resorts Collection which encompasses 3,500 acres, is a retreat in and of itself, and will become home to the entire SingleThread staff during their winter sojourn in Utah. Upon escaping the busy streets of Park City for this culinary adventure, guests will be welcomed into the Arena, a beautifully appointed and expansive barn to be reimagined by the premiere production company Shelter Co. Upon arrival, they will be greeted with SingleThread’s signature first course that best captures the essence and moment of the day, a collection of seafood from the California Coast and Hokkaido along with vegetables from the SingleThread Farm and Gracie’s Farm at Blue Sky.
The 7-course dinner’s main event will be a special donabe hot pot to be shared amongst guests at the table. Cooked in special handmade donabes from the Nagatani Family in Iga, Japan, this will be a choice of a Hokkaido King Crab Seafood Miso Hot Pot, an A-5 Wagyu Shabu-Shabu Hot Pot, a Roasted Duclair Duck Hot Pot, or a Shojin Style Vegetarian Hot Pot. Each reservation will include wine pairings, featuring Dom Pérignon Champagne along with some of the best producers from Sonoma, CA and around the world. Post dinner, guests will be led to a whiskey bar lounge for dessert bites and digestifs.
SingleThread Farms will release limited nightly bookings to Usu-Zan exclusively for Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardmembers within Chase DiningSM Additionally, Sapphire will be hosting two Reserved by Sapphire℠ special private dining events during opening weekend of the limited engagement run. Sapphire Reserve cardmembers can purchase reservations using their card and points, and can access these exclusives by logging in to dining.chase.com within Ultimate Rewardsstarting on December 14, 2021.
Additional bookings will be available through Tock and starting on December 16th at 9am PST. Only 25 tables are available per evening with seatings starting at 5:00pm. Dinner packages are $800/person or $900/person (depending on main course selection) and inclusive of beverage pairings. Exclusive of gratuity and taxes.
States Kyle, “To be able to recreate this experience at The Lodge at Blue Sky is incredible. Our winters in Hokkaido were some of the most formative in our lives. Katina and I would sit for hours fortifying the broth, sharing sake and talking. It was a way of cooking and a way of life that changed us forever. The experience of gathering around the table with friends and family while enjoying rich, soulful donabe hot pots inspired many of the ideas of what SingleThread would one day become. We had this amazing opportunity to create the Usu-Zan at SingleThread in early 2021 and are now excited to bring it to Park City for this limited engagement.”
“Through our collaboration with SingleThread, guests will explore curiosity, discover community, and find a much needed respite from the hustle of Park City in the winter,” adds Joe Ogdie, general manager, The Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Resorts Collection. “We are thrilled to welcome Chef Kyle and Katina to The Lodge at Blue Sky for a once-in-a-lifetime culinary journey guided by local ingredients and the philosophy of heart-warming alpine cooking.”