LAYTON, Utah — At the "Little Taste of Britain" restaurant in Layton, one Utah Brit fondly remembers the queen as a "precious woman" with a beautiful smile.
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Mandy Island is the owner of the restaurant, which serves popular British foods like fish n' chips and meat pies.
"It's been pretty devastating," Island reflected. "We've had a lot of people coming in just sending their condolences."
Queen Elizabeth II passed away peacefully Thursday in her Scottish home at age 96. As Britain's longest-serving monarch, tributes from across the world poured in on Thursday, remembering the Queen's legacy.
"I've only ever known her as the queen, that's all I've ever known," Island said. "To lose somebody that precious and her beautiful smile, she's just a very very precious lady."
As the world mourns, Island hopes her restaurant can bring a little bit of home to Brits who are living in Utah.
"A lot of people from England come over here and they settle here and they visit our shop they get a little taste of Britain," she said.
She believes the celebration of the Queen's life will be just that - a celebration of her 96 years spent on earth.
"It's going to be a celebration in a way because 96 is a good age," she said, "but at the end of the day it is really sad."
