Starting From Scratch: Cupcakes, Climbing, and a Second Act in Tahoe
Tahoe-Truckee has seen an increased permanent population over the past five years, with new residents moving to the mountains to escape city life and enjoy a more relaxed, outdoor-oriented lifestyle. Many in this new group of residents have become an important part of the community. One example is Deb Wandell, who moved to Truckee in 2021.
Wandell had worked as an editor for the San Francisco Chronicle for over 25 years on feature stories on food, wine, and travel. During the Covid epidemic she separated from her husband at the same time that the Chronicle was asking employees to either come back to work in San Francisco or take an employee buyout. She decided it was time for a change and took the buyout.
“I didn’t know exactly what I wanted, I just knew what wasn’t working anymore,” said Wandell. “It took some courage to walk away from a familiar life, but what came out of that was the confidence to start doing what actually makes me happy.”
It was an emotionally risky step to dive into a new world, especially since in the midst of Covid she had no idea what the future would hold. Plus, Wandell decided that moving on with her life also meant leaving the Bay Area.
She had always loved Truckee, and her realtor and close friend Jackie Ginley found her a place in Tahoe Donner. “I looked at the house the next morning, I wanted it,” Wandell said. “I overpaid, but realized I wanted to live up here. I’d always felt sad leaving Tahoe and driving home to the Bay.”
After all those years in the newspaper business, she wasn’t sure what retirement would look like, but Wandell jumped head-first into the Tahoe’s lifestyle, spending just about every day outside engaging in something athletic.
One of her first new passions in Truckee was climbing. She had always had an interest in learning to climb, but never felt she had the time. Her former coworker David Perlman, a long-time science writer for the Chronicle, had told her his son lived in Truckee and was a climber. “Eric took me climbing on Donner Summit at School Rock,” Wandell said. “I was blown away. It was the most life affirming thing I’d ever done. We became climbing partners, and he is now my boyfriend.”
Wandell also fell in love with mountain biking on the extensive Tahoe Donner trail network and spent her winters both downhill and cross-country skiing. “I was reconnecting with all the things I wanted to do as a child,” she said. “A whole world opened up for me.”
She played hard for a year, developing the skills needed to enjoy her new outdoor passions, but then came to terms with the pesky reality that she needed to make some money. “I wasn’t having much luck getting a job like I had at the Chronicle,” Wandell said. “Amidst all that, I started baking. I’ve been a baker for years. It just came up organically, making cupcakes with flowers on them.”
She created a website, promoted it on Nextdoor, and after a few hours she had over 200 responses. “I knew I was onto something and decided to go for it,” Wandell said.
Her cupcake flavors include matcha, Earl Grey, chocolate, chai, vanilla, and lemon with vanilla buttercream frosting, artistically carved into a variety of colorful flowers, all with organic flour and eggs. She also makes cakes with similar floral toppings, and this fall is planning to teach cake decorating classes. Get the scoop on the cupcakes and cakes at edible-art-tahoe.com.
Wandell found the cupcake business to be a natural extension of the shift in her lifestyle. “It’s fun, it’s meditative, it’s creative, it tastes good,” she said. “And the bonus? I get to make other people happy too.”
She is also finding joy by involving herself in the community. This past year she worked at Tahoe Donner Cross Country as an instructor for the kids afterschool program, and she has spent five months at the Tahoe Donner Equestrian Center where she occasionally rides horses, but spends most of her time shoveling manure and strengthening her biceps.
While the move to the mountains might have been risky and challenging, it ended up being positive for Wandell. She says she is fitter than she has ever been, has found new friends, has been embraced by the community, and perhaps most importantly, feels more comfortable in her skin.
Wandell’s dream since she was a kid has been to have a cabin in the woods. “That’s all I wanted,” she said.
And at 61 years old, Wandell is enjoying this new phase of life. “You spend your life caring for others, and you get to a certain age and realize you can do whatever you want,” she said. “There is something liberating about that.”
