History
Tuscany's setting has long been a prime location for food establishments. In 1912, Rudolph Knudsen established "Knudsen’s Grove,” a popular campsite with nine sleeping cabins and a creek side dining room. Thriving for ten years, mostly due to its widely known "toasted buttered-bun hamburgers" and sandwiches, the now 6200 South and Holladay Blvd area began its journey from a quaint, quiet, country lunch-stand to two elegant fine-dining top-rated restaurants.
In l919 Knudsen continued this journey by building the east half of Knudsen’s Inn and expanded the west half four years later. In 1927, Knudsen sold his property to the Dyer family and it became "Dyer’s Inn" for some 20 years. 1947 began the new ownership of Bill and Edythe Smith, with Smith’s Inn continuing until the 1970’s when Skip Eatchel transformed the space into what resembled an old Scottish Lodge, naming it "The Heather". In l988 Theus Webb, Eatchel’s financial backer, renamed The Heather and operated it as the "Bridlewood Restaurant" until 1994, when Mark Eaton, Aaron Ferer and Associates greatly enlarged and redesigned it into "Tuscany," the elegant Italian restaurant that stands today.
In the spring of 2006, Tuscany owners renovated a small brick home on the lot transforming it into Franck’s, an intimate single dining room restaurant featuring the culinary creations of Chef Franck Peissel. Together, these two restaurants provide two unique and separate ambiances that come together as a hidden gem in Knudsen’s Grove, from what was once a quaint creek-side dining room to an elegant, fine dining landscape.
