Local Favorites Supply Concessions Items This Season
By Liz Armstrong Jenkins, guest writer
Shakespeare may bring the drama, but some of Cedar City’s favorite local eateries are bringing the flavor to this season’s concessions lineup. Alongside the Festival’s legendary tarts, patrons can now sample signature treats from favorite local places like The French Spot, Palette Bakery, and Ganache-d, in addition to local vendors like Nancy Lou’s Buttermints and Red Rock Chocolates.
“Our guests come to the Festival for an experience they cannot get anywhere else,” Concessions Manager Jimmy Twitchell said. “By featuring local products, we add a sense of place and community that elevates the entire visit.”
Park Place Eatery is back, having created our delicious and traditional tarts for the Festival for the past few seasons. Flavors include cherry berry, lemon, cream cheese, and apple.
“I remember traveling from Arizona to the Festival when I was young and enjoying the tarts,” said Park Place Eatery owner Cullaine Boone. “Now to be a part of it is amazing. We are honored and blessed to work alongside the Festival.”
In honor of the 65th season, Palette Bakery––another local favorite––is providing a new, personal Charcuterie Board with artisan meats and cheeses, dried fruits, olives, fresh herbs, and chocolate on a 65th Anniversary Commemorative Board. Twitchell highly recommends this charcuterie board, calling it a “standout this season.”
The French Spot is contributing yummy macarons in a variety of flavors like raspberry, coffee, coconut, mint, pistachio, rose water, and cheesecake. Also there are indulgent brownies by Ganache-d with flavors varying weekly, including triple chocolate, lemon raspberry, red velvet, mint, peanut butter, cookie dough, and coconut. Both are popular eateries in Cedar City.
Perhaps most exciting of all is the ice cream that has been added to the Randall L. Jones Theatre, once again sourced from Palette Bakery. Try the She Loves Me Vanilla Bean Ice Cream for the ultimate play experience. Ice cream sandwiches offer unique flavors like blackberry lavender with a cinnamon lavender shortbread, cardamom ginger with a ginger snap cookie, and chocolate macaron and pistachio ice cream.
New this year are Nancy Lou’s Buttermints, owned and operated by Ramona Jessop in Beaver, Utah. What started out as a personal project in a little back kitchen has grown into full-fledged production now found in over 100 stores. The Festival offers numerous flavors including coffee, cinnamon, key lime, vanilla mint, and lemon.
Red Rock Chocolates––founded by Jake Potter of Enoch, Utah––are also new on the menu this year. A local bean-to-bar craft chocolate business, it uses cocoa beans from around the world. The variety of soils in such places as Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Peru, Belize, and Indonesia help to achieve their unique flavors.
“Local vendors bring a quality that mass-produced products simply cannot match,” Twitchell said. “Concessions are far more than a convenience, they are an integral part of the Festival experience.”
The Festival spends an immense amount of time on the details with our patrons in mind. It is in all aspects of theatre, from acting and directing to set, costume, and sound design. It is even in the concessions, ensuring that each moment spent at the Festival ensures a quality experience.
“A world-famous tart in hand during The Greenshow, a local crafted treat at intermission, or a beautifully created charcuterie board before the curtain rises. . . these moments become part of the memory guests take home,” Twitchell said.
“Our local vendor partnerships bring the flavors of southern Utah to the table, and our traditional British treats connect guests to the Elizabethan heritage that makes the Festival unique,” Twitchell concluded.
To purchase tickets to the 2026 Season, visit bard.org, call 800-PLAYTIX, or visit the Ticket Office today.
To find out more about these vendors, please visit their sites:
