This is Her Place Episode 8: Good Taste: Maria and Lucy Cardenas of Red Iguana and Lavanya Mahate of Saffron Valley

Authors

Naomi Watkins
Mike Aguilar

Document Type

Other

Publisher

Utah State University

Publication Date

4-21-2021

Abstract

Utah may be famous for creating fry sauce, but its food scene is also full of diverse tastes from around the world. This episode highlights two successful restaurateurs who immigrated to the United States and shared more than a dash of their native countries’ flavors with the Utah culinary scene:

• Lavanya Mahate, who provides a taste of India as the current owner of six Saffron Valley restaurants and two Biscoff Bakery locations
• Maria Cardenas, who brought Mexican food to life as the co-founder of the Red Iguana and several other restaurants, and her daughter, Lucy Cardenas, who runs the Red Iguana today

These women came from different parts of the world, but both introduced the food of their homelands to Utahns as a way of sharing cultural experiences, bringing people together, and expanding all of our palates in the process.

Recommended Citation

Watkins, Naomi and Aguilar, Mike, "This is Her Place Episode 8: Good Taste: Maria and Lucy Cardenas of Red Iguana and Lavanya Mahate of Saffron Valley" (2021). Religious Studies Faculty Publications. Paper 8.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/rels_facpub/8