Bear Paw Cafe remains a St. George Staple.

• Author: Madison, Rachel
• Position: SOUTHERN AREA

St. George -- For more than 15 years, the BEAR PAW CAFE on St. George's Main Street has been a staple in the community, but surprisingly, the cafe didn't get its start in Utah's Dixie. The cafe's first location was in Anchorage, Alaska, where it was started by the Pizzuto family. The Pizzutos had family in St. George, and when they moved to Utah to be with them, they decided to bring the cafe along as well. Today, the cafe is owned by Lance Snarr and Eugene Pizzuto, both members of the family of original owners.

"[The Bear Paw] has been in the same spot running ever since then," says Jo Miller, general manager at the Bear Paw Cafe. "We've made a few tweaks to the menu, but it's pretty much the same recipes they came up with in the beginning. We're trying to carry on tradition."

The Bear Paw's extensive menu offers both breakfast and lunch, but most diners come in for breakfast--no matter the time of day. The most popular items on the menu include the cafe's pancakes, French toast and waffles, as well as its eggs benedict. Though lunch isn't as popular as breakfast, the cafe does serve up club sandwiches and halibut sandwiches. On Fridays, customers will come in specifically to have a crab omelet, crab benedict, or fish and chips.

"One thing that's really popular with people in St. George is the peanut butter syrup we serve with our peanut butter pancakes," Miller says. "That's something that's [unique] to...