Adolph Imboden photograph collection, 1970-2020

Adolph Imboden was born in Switzerland during World War II. As a youth, he was a passionate ski racer; however, his mother encouraged him to learn a trade. At the age of 16, he enrolled in a 3-year apprenticeship at the Hotel Palace in Gstaad, Switzerland, after which he attended hotel and restaurant management school. Imboden later moved to the United States, working as a cook and ski instructor in Vermont and at the Hotel Gasthof Gramschammer in Vail, Colorado. There, in 1971, he was connected to the Stern family, who owned the Park City Ski Area before it was sold to Deer Valley Resort. Imboden moved to Park City, Utah, in 1971 to work as food and beverage director for the Park City resort.

Imboden opened his own restaurant in 1974, where he served European food. Called Adolph’s White Haus, the original location was located at the bottom of Park Avenue. In 1977, Imboden moved his business to the nearby golf course. He operated Adolph’s Restaurant in this location until the 1990s, when the area was redeveloped into the Hotel Park City. In 1997, Imboden moved Adolph’s Restaurant to 1500 Kearns Boulevard. Throughout the moves, Imboden built a loyal customer base; his restaurant was particularly popular among local and international skiers. The restaurant was decorated with autographed photographs of athletes and celebrities who had visited the establishment. In 2021, Imobden retired and closed Adolph’s Restaurant. At the time of its closure, Adolph’s Restaurant was considered Park City’s oldest fine-dining restaurant.