North Shore

EVERLINE RESORT & SPA UPDATES

After working in multiple culinary positions at Everline Resort & Spa (formerly the Resort at Squaw Creek) nearly 20 years ago, Matt Hale has returned as executive chef, responsible for the property’s food operations, from managing menus at the on-site restaurants to banquet operations for meetings and events. Hale, who grew up on a small farm in Sierraville and received his degree in culinary arts from South Lake Tahoe Community College, also served as executive chef at Skamania Lodge in the scenic Columbia River Gorge for some six years. Most recently, he held the executive chef position at the Tahoe Donner Association, including The Lodge restaurant.

In another encore, Chris Watkins, Cordon Bleu grad and veteran of Jardiniere, Coi and Aqua in San Francisco, Hotel Zermatterhof in Zermatt, Switzerland, and Ritz Carlton, Lake Tahoe, is also returning as chef de cuisine at Everline’s Six Peaks Grille. Watkins, who had moved over to Truckee’s Stella restaurant for the past two years, updated the seasonal menu with starters such as scallop ceviche with salmon roe, a lobster bisque with crème fraiche and a roasted beet salad with burrata. The new entrée selections include a filet mignon from Durham Ranch, a grilled double bone pork chop from Niman Ranch and a Madeira-braised lamb gnocchi served with hon-shimeji mushrooms.

In addition, Tahoe locals with ID receive 15 percent off food and beverages at any of Everline’s five on-site restaurants. everlineresort.com

TAHOE ARTESIAN WATER PARTNERS WITH TAHOE FUND

Tahoe Artesian Water, naturally filtered through the Sierra Nevada and sourced from a family-owned well, is donating $1 from every case of still or sparkling water sold to the Tahoe Fund’s $1 for Tahoe program which, among other efforts, supports hiking and biking trails, watershed restoration projects, environmental stewardship programs and open spaces for wildlife habitat and scenic views. tahoeartesian.com, tahoefund.org/ways-to-give/green-bucks

APRÈS POP POPS

A designer by trade and full-time popcorn fan, Truckee resident Daniel Feldman has launched Après Pop popcorn with three flavors—curry leaf, Sichuan chili, and salty and savory with olive oil and nutritional yeast, with more flavors in the works—sourcing organic kernels from Pleasant Grove Farms in the Sacramento Valley. Après Pop is currently sold at Truckee Alibi, Bear Belly Brewing, Tahoe Food Hub, West Shore Market, Glenshire General Store and Z Marketplace. aprespop.com

CHAR-PIT FOR SALE

The Char-Pit, the long-running, no-frills Kings Beach burger joint, is listed for sale for a cool $1.65 million (that includes the property). Owner and North Tahoe High grad Bobby Starbard, who has worked at the eatery since he was 16 and bought the place just five years later, hopes to sell to someone who will continue the North Shore institution.

COFFEEBAR BAKERY UPGRADES

“Because nobody likes a stale scone,” Coffeebar Bakery moved into a larger space next door to their Donner Pass Road store in Truckee. The former Tri-County Bank storefront, remodeled and outfitted with finishings by Roundwood Furniture and Mountain Forge, features more seating and a larger kitchen that turns out freshly baked breakfast and lunch selections daily, including breads and pastries, Roman-style pizza and, on weekends, doughnuts. Find here also, of course, all the usual Coffeebar beverage offerings. coffeebar.com

REVELSHINE WINE

Tahoe-Truckee athletes Jeremy Jones, Michelle Parker, Emily Harrington and Adrian Ballinger (along with nine other founders) partnered with fourth-generation Sonoma winemaker Jake Bilbro to launch outdoor-focused Revelshine wines, sold in 500-milliliter lightweight aluminum bottles that hold about 3.25 glasses of red, rose and white blends. Find Revelshine at West Shore Market, Alice’s Mountain Market at Olympic Valley, Everline Resort & Spa, and in South Shore at Kings Beverage Company and 7-Eleven on Emerald Bay Road. revelshinewines.com

South Shore

AZUL LATIN KITCHEN RAISES $17,000 FOR SOS OUTREACH

Every year, Azul Latin Kitchen raises money for a local nonprofit that supports kids and families. This year it donated $17,000 to SOS Outreach, which engages area youth through mentoring programs at Heavenly, Kirkwood, Northstar, Palisades, Diamond Peak and Mt. Rose. Funds mostly came from a $1 per queso fundido appetizer program and annual fundraiser held in November. azullatinkitchen.com

CHICKEN IN A BARREL BBQ MOVES

Chicken in a Barrel BBQ has relocated from what was once an A&W restaurant at the Y in South Lake Tahoe to a new 2,600-square-foot space across from Whole Foods at the corner of Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Herbert. Improvements include seating for over 100 inside and another 60 on the patio in good weather, a state-of-the-art audio system with speakers inside and out for broadcasting sports and hosting entertainment, and smoking barrels now visible behind glass windows inside. chickeninabarrel.com

LUCKY BEAVER GIVES $25,000 TO LAKE TAHOE WILDCARE

Lucky Beaver Bar and Burger, with locations in Stateline and Reno, donated $25,000 to Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC), the South Lake Tahoe-based nonprofit dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of orphaned and injured wildlife within the Tahoe basin. The restaurant has given LTWC over $20,000 in previous years. This round of funding will aid with LTWC’s expansion of buildings and enclosures. ltwc.org

SNO-FLAKE CHANGES HANDS

Salvador Davalos and Edith Lizaola have purchased the long-running retro Sno-Flake Drive-in (well, walk-up) on Lake Tahoe Boulevard with hopes of bringing the 63-year-old eatery famous for its soft serve, shakes and burgers back to its former glory. Look for an upgraded patio area with a fire pit along with menu additions and pup cups for four-legged friends.

REMODELED TOULOUSE REOPENS

Toulouse, the New Orleans-style restaurant on Park Avenue, which took over the former Lewmarnel’s space three years ago, has reopened after a two-month interior remodel. Upgrades include rebuilt booths with fresh coverings, new tables and lighting, old carpet replaced with hardwood flooring and an expanded bar topped with a marble counter. toulouse.wtf

FLIGHT DECK CLOSES

Flight Deck Sports Bar and Grill on the second level of the Lake Tahoe Airport closed this winter; owner Sheila Benson shuttered the business due to rising costs. Charles Barkley, who plays in the American Century Championship every summer, was among its famous patrons. Stay tuned for a new eatery arriving in its spot.

Carson City

STELLAR SNACKS EARNS HONORS

Headquartered in Carson City, Stellar Snacks, which produces flavored pretzel twists made from sustainably harvested flours and packaged in arty bags, received the North American Agricultural Marketer of the Year award. Owned by mother-daughter partners Elisabeth and Gina Galvin, it’s the only woman‐owned pretzel manufacturer in the western United States. stellarsnacks.com

RESTAURATEUR PAUL ABOWD PASSES AWAY

Chef and restaurateur Paul Abowd, who, along with his wife Adele, founded the long-running, award-winning Adele’s restaurant in a Comstock-era Victorian in Carson City in 1977, passed away in March at age 96. After son and daughter-in-law Charlie and Karen took over the restaurant in 1994, renaming it Cafe Adele’s, the elder Abowd launched additional eateries—Reno’s first Peg’s Glorified Ham and Eggs and Stone House Cafe, run by his daughter, Cyrina. In 2002, Paul and Adele were honored by the Nevada Legislature for their contributions to the state’s restaurant industry.