I’m not a chef. However, I’ve been around enough (my sister included) to know that inspiration is a huge factor in their day-to-day operations – not just in where their inspiration comes from, but how they are using that to inspire dishes and their respective kitchens. If there’s one connection that could be made from all the chefs that follow, it’s that their desire for what they do is never compromised and always evolving. 

Chef: Andrew Shimer

Restaurant: Sylva (Tahoe City)

Since the start of his career, Chef Andrew Shimer’s journey has been driven by both passion and adaptability. What began as a practical way to support his professional snowboarding career (working night shifts in kitchens which included free food and beer) quickly turned into a lifelong pursuit once he discovered his natural talent and love for cooking. 

Shimer was influenced early on, from his mother’s home cooking to fine dining experiences shared with his father. While in the Bay Area, Shimer also was influenced by celebrated San Francisco chefs like Traci Des Jardins, Nancy Oakes, and Daniel Patterson. 

Those formative cooking years shaped his philosophy: know where your food comes from, respect the ingredients, and create dishes that are both thoughtful and entertaining. His cuisine blends classic dishes with modern twists, drawing inspiration from diverse cultures – a true reflection of the country’s melting pot of flavors.

“Over the years, back when I was working for top chefs, I would take little pieces of each of their thing and then change it into my own dish,” added Shimer. “A lot of inspiration is also looking at what seasonal ingredients you have available, too,”  

Today, along with his wife Chata, he channels his creativity not only into his food but also into the energy and atmosphere of his restaurant, crafting an experience that feels welcoming, lively, and unpretentious. Seasonal ingredients, curiosity, and a desire to stay current fuel his evolving menus. Through his dishes, leadership, and collaborative spirit, he continues to inspire both diners and the next generation of chefs.

Chef: Gabriela Chavez

Restaurant: Elements (South Lake Tahoe)

From a young age, Chef Gabriela Chavez was drawn to cooking, inspired by her Mexican heritage and the culinary traditions of their family – especially her grandfather, a taquero, and her mother, who still helps in the kitchen at Elements each summer. Her upbringing on a farm in Mexico instilled a deep respect for whole foods and the rituals of sourcing and preparing ingredients. Early experiences with on-site butchering and farming shaped her philosophy of honoring food from its origin to the plate.

As Chavez’ career evolved, she combined this foundational respect for food with a passion for education and mentorship. She began by teaching basic cooking skills to youth, especially those facing challenges, and continues to mentor high school and middle school students, emphasizing that success is possible regardless of background.

“All of that education and information is not out there, and I want to be a person that shares that,” said Chavez. “I actually do tortilla workshops to teach people how to make tortillas – it doesn’t have to be from corn; it can be from different things.”

Her culinary creativity is fueled by seasonal ingredients and a collaborative approach with her team. Rather than imposing a fixed menu, the chef invites staff to share dishes from their own cultures, learning from them and respectfully incorporating authentic recipes into the restaurant’s offerings. This has led to a diverse menu featuring Peruvian, Salvadorian, and Costa Rican dishes, each preserved in its cultural integrity.

The chef’s commitment to freshness, transparency, and education is reflected in the restaurant’s offerings and atmosphere. Through workshops, shared recipes, and seasonal menus, she continues to inspire others – not just with her food, but with inclusivity and an empowering approach to culinary arts.

Chef: Tyler Burges

Restaurant: Smoke Door (Kings Beach)

“I always say that my mom can’t cook, so I had to cook around the house,” joked Chef Tyler Burges. “I fell in love with working in the kitchen that way.” 

While Burges also cites growing up cooking with his grandmother, and honing his skills in culinary school, his biggest influence (especially in Japanese cuisine) came from Chef Ron Siegel who was the first and only American to win in Kitchen Stadium on Iron Chef Japan. Burges worked under Sigel for five years and was the one who encouraged Burges to take his first vacation to Japan. 

This exposure shaped his food philosophy: minimal manipulation of ingredients, letting their natural quality shine, and a commitment to zero waste – using every part of an ingredient, from vegetable peels as bases for sauces to fish heads for soup.

Much of the chef’s inspiration now comes from travel, especially through immersive experiences in Japan, such as tasting prawns fresh off the boat or visiting katsuobushi farms with centuries-old traditions. These moments fuel his creativity and inform his dishes, often blending Japanese techniques with local California ingredients.

“You always want to do something that’s really creative and excites you as a person, something that you’d want to cook and something that you’d want to eat,” he added. 

He also prioritizes mentorship, and with a sister restaurant in Yokohama, he regularly brings his team to Japan to experience its culinary culture firsthand – and vice versa to Tahoe. This not only educates and inspires his staff but fosters a sense of shared passion and respect for the craft. Through thoughtful sourcing, cultural exchange, and a deep appreciation for ingredients, the chef continues to evolve while nurturing the next-in-line of culinary talent.

Chef: Nicola Ambra

Restaurant: Gastromaniac (South Lake Tahoe)

Chef Nicola Ambra’s culinary inspiration began in childhood, rooted in memories of cooking alongside his grandmother in Italy. From a young age, he was immersed in the rhythm of authentic Italian kitchens – cleaning vegetables, shaping pasta, and learning to cook by feel rather than formula. His grandmother’s influence shaped his deep respect for tradition, simplicity, and authenticity, creating values that would define his career.

As his career progressed, he trained in prestigious Michelin-starred kitchens, mastering refined techniques and complex presentations. Yet, over time, he felt disconnected from the overly decorative and chemical-driven trends of modern gastronomy. This realization brought him back to his roots: the humble, honest food of Italy’s trattorias. He rediscovered joy in tradition, focusing on the purity of ingredients and the soulful connection behind every dish.

“I’m not inventing anything. I’m just representing what is tradition,” Ambra said. “I think a few high-quality ingredients with the right technique; they make a great dish.”

That philosophy became the heart of his restaurant: to bring a true corner of Italy to Tahoe, with genuine flavors, careful craftsmanship, and no shortcuts. His approach emphasizes simplicity, balance, and respect for both Italian heritage and California’s local ingredients.

In early 2025, that approach paid off as Ambra’s restaurant (Gastromaniac) officially earned a spot in the internationally recognized Gambero Rosso guide (aka the Michelin Guide of Italy) as a top Italian Restaurant. 

In turn, he passes these values on to his staff, teaching them the time, care, and patience required to create real Italian food. Whether someone stays two months or six years, he hopes they leave with skills and inspiration to carry forward. His leadership blends mentorship with authenticity, ultimately cultivating a kitchen rooted in passion, humility, and tradition.

Chef: John & Nyna Weatherson

Restaurant: Trokay (Truckee)

The husband-and-wife team of John and Nyna Weatherson approach their restaurant as both owners and chefs. John, with a background spanning the Culinary Institute of America along with working under world-renowned chef Daniel Boulud, and Nyna as a former head cheesemonger in New York City. 

John’s initial inspiration to pursue cooking began with a simple desire: to make food as good as his mother’s. That pursuit of mastery soon revealed the need for daily repetition, driving him toward the professional kitchen where he’d receive profound advice from Boulud, shaping his philosophy: “The best thing you can do for food in the United States is to take what you’ve learned and go somewhere where it doesn’t exist.”

Growing up in a Navy family that moved frequently, John internalized a sense of exploration and adaptability, later expressed in both his cooking and their approach to building a restaurant culture.

This mindset (curiosity, craftsmanship, and place-based innovation) guided the creation of a restaurant rooted in Truckee’s mountain identity, where each dish reflects the flavors and ecology of the region. His experiences living in culturally diverse places like Houston also taught him to embrace American food as a “melting pot,” blending global influences through an authentic personal lens.

“Ultimately we can derive and grab things from all over the world and incorporate them onto our plate,” added Nyna. The cuisine might be based in French or Japanese technique, but the flavor profile is uniquely ours and was influenced from the entire spectrum of spice.”

Their ongoing sense of purpose now extends to mentoring their staff, emphasizing integrity, enthusiasm, and work-life balance, even closing the restaurant twice yearly to give everyone rest. The team is inspired not only by John’s culinary creativity but by their belief that a restaurant’s soul lies in its people, where each member’s growth and honesty shape the shared experience of hospitality, ensuring that every meal feels like being welcomed into their home.

Chef: Charlie Soule 

Restaurant: Soule Domain (Kings Beach)

As a longtime chef in Tahoe, Charlie Soule began his career more out of practicality rather than passion. Cooking offered a flexible schedule that could fit around his love for skiing and the Tahoe lifestyle. After that initial experience, and a brief stint in the construction business, he found himself on the line at the Hyatt’s restaurant in the early 1980s, where the energy and teamwork of the kitchen sparked something deeper. The competitive, fast-paced environment reminded him of sports, and he began to see each service as a shared challenge to create great food and memorable experiences.

Over time, his culinary inspiration evolved through mentors like Matt Adams of Christie Hill (who encouraged him to open his own restaurant) and from early cookbook influences such as Jeremiah Tower and Barbara Tropp, whose China Moon cookbook inspired him to incorporate Asian flavors into his dishes. 

Eventually, his food philosophy became rooted in doing what he and his team do best: focusing on quality ingredients, seasonality, and dishes they can execute consistently and with care.

“I want customers to have a complete dining experience with good service, good atmosphere, and good food,” he said. “I want them to have a good time and feel like they got the value that the food, and the experience, was worth the amount of money they spent.”

After decades in the kitchen, his creativity is now expressed through refinement and mentorship. While he leaves most of the new innovations to younger chefs, he continues to inspire through leadership – teaching his team the “why” behind every technique and fostering a sense of camaraderie like that of his early days. For him, the reward lies not only in the satisfaction of guests but in seeing his team take pride in their craft. His journey from necessity to mastery has come full circle: from being inspired by others to becoming the one who inspires.

Chef: Douglas Dale 

Restaurant: Wolfdale’s (Tahoe City)

Another longtime Tahoe chef, Douglas Dale launched his journey with a deep love for cooking, creativity, and connection. Growing up around his family’s nightclub in Buffalo, he learned early on the energy and camaraderie of hospitality. However, his true culinary inspiration took shape in Japan, where he lived in a temple and studied traditional Zen purification cuisine while apprenticing as a potter. That experience, which blended art, discipline, and simplicity, became the foundation of his cooking philosophy: food should be natural, wholesome, and sourced responsibly.

After training under chef Hiroshi Hayashi in Boston, he opened his own restaurant in Lake Tahoe at just 24 years old. Over nearly five decades, his style has evolved from bold experimentation – to what he once referred to as “cuisine unique” – to a refined, consistent expression of craft and balance. His dishes now blend Japanese and Mediterranean influences, highlighting California’s seasonal ingredients while maintaining a focus on health and honesty in flavor.

“As natural and clean and wholesome as possible,” he added. “I feel it’s the responsibility of the chef to keep it healthy and easy in California because we have so many great local sources.”

Nowadays, his inspiration comes from collaboration and mentorship. Working alongside his daughter, who now manages the restaurant, has renewed his passion and creativity. He also empowers his longtime kitchen team – some of whom have been with him for over 20 years – by encouraging them to contribute ideas and shape the menu. 

Through his leadership, he fosters a spirit of trust, artistry, and community, both in his kitchen and beyond. From his early influences to his modern legacy, he continues to inspire through consistency, creativity, and a genuine love for feeding people well.

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the Winter 2025/26 edition of Tahoe Magazine.