Within Park City’s dining scene, John Murcko ranks among the town’s stalwart elite, keeping company with veteran chef-restauraters like Bill White (Grappa, Chimayo, Pine Cone Ridge, etc.), Seth Adams (River Horse on Main), and Zane Holmquist (Stein Eriksen Lodge). But before launching Firewood on Main in 2016, Murcko spent decades elevating dining programs for others. 

“I helped Bill White open Grappa on the first day of the Sundance Film Festival in 1992,” he says. Stints with Talisker Corporation and Sun Valley Resorts followed until Murcko’s daughter, Melissa, laid down the law. “We were living in Sun Valley at the time, and for years I had been talking about opening my own place back in Park City,” Murcko explains. “Melissa, then in eighth grade, told me I needed to either do it now or wait for four years until she was out of high school. So, I went for now.”

At Firewood, everything is cooked over a hardwood-fueled open flame, a medium Murcko perfected at his vacation home in Escalante, Utah. “I experimented with all kinds of wood, with some good results and some not-so-good results,” he says with a laugh. “But I kept thinking if I could create a restaurant with food cooked this way, over open flame and in a Dutch oven, people would love it.” And it turns out they do. 

Firewood’s menu changes seasonally and is almost all locally sourced and prepared in-house—think crispy pork belly, coal-smoked asparagus, bison rib eye, and more. “The bread we serve, from Hawk & Sparrow Artisan Bakery in Heber, is the only thing we don’t make on the premises,” Murcko says. That attention to detail has garnered Firewood a loyal clientele made up of both locals and visitors. “We have customers who’ve dined with us over 100 times,” he says. “It’s an honor.”

But Firewood is as much about the staff as it is about the food. “The staff have really grown into something,” Murcko says when asked about how Firewood has changed since its opening nearly a decade ago. “Many of them have been here since the beginning. It’s a special thing to see them take such pride in their work and grow and evolve on their own. And they keep evolving because they are so passionate about what they do.”

That doesn’t mean Murcko has stepped back. “To build that kind of team, you have to be present,” he says. He does all the butchering, using classic techniques learned in culinary school, and during service he can be found expediting, cooking on the line, or plating. “I used to spend more time in the front of the house, but now I put all my heart into the kitchen. Our servers know many clients by name and deliver an incredible experience.”

Since long before he opened Firewood, Murcko has been a fan of the Sundance Film Festival. “I just love the culture and the crowds it brings,” he says. “I get such a kick overhearing people make movie deals over dinner and hosting groups who come in to celebrate their movie being picked up.” With the 2026 festival slated to be Utah’s last, Firewood is planning a farewell. “We’ve created a special cocktail called the Last Dance and will have live entertainment most nights of the festival,” he says. “We want to give Sundance visitors one last great memory of Park City.”