edible notables
ELEGANCE AMID THE ELEMENTS
Ski, snowshoe, or trek to a cozy, rustic dinner.
WRITTEN BY ERIN MEYERING
PHOTOS BY ASA GILMORE
One of the best experiences winter offers is coming in from the cold to a warm room and good conversation over a comforting, hot meal.
Tahoe XC’s Yurt Dinners in Tahoe City, Calif. — Jan. 2, 3, 30, and 31 — offer this encounter, and, as a bonus, the dinners benefit local students.
The annual winter event allows participants to cross-country ski, hike, or snowshoe about a half mile to a comfortable spot for a cup of hot mulled wine next to a roaring fire. After the moonlit trek back to the Tahoe XC trailhead, diners check into a yurt — a circular tent-like shelter — containing a Norwegian wood-fire stove. Then they are welcomed with hors d’oeuvres, three thoughtful courses prepared by local chefs, live music, and dancing.
For the kids
The interesting dinners fund the Winter Discovery Center program, where Tahoe Truckee Unified School District students in grades three through five can visit the cross-country area’s yurt to participate in academic lessons aligned with California state science standards, as well as take part in physical activity. There, students can learn about winter ecology, winter plant and animal adaptation, animal tracking, natural history, and watersheds.
Skiing after 5 p.m., when Lake Tahoe trails usually close, is a memorable experience, says Valli Murnane, director of the Tahoe Cross Country Ski Education Association, which provides several educational programs to the Lake Tahoe community, including the Winter Discovery Center.
The 2015 Tahoe XC Yurt Dinners will feature Uncommon Kitchen in Tahoe City’s chef Doug Baehr on Jan. 2 and 3, and chef Douglas Dale of Wolfdale’s in Tahoe City on Jan. 30 and 31. The dinners are dependent on weather conditions.
Baehr, a cross-country skier himself, has participated in all four prior Tahoe XC Yurt Dinners.
“Every chef has [his or her] own take on what [he or she would] like to present,” Baehr says.
His take is to introduce people to cuisines they often may not eat in the Reno-Tahoe area. For previous dinners, he’s cooked Moroccan, Indian, and Thai street food. He says this event gives him an opportunity to be creative.
“It’s a one-of-a-kind dinner,” Murnane says.
The Tahoe XC Yurt Dinners are limited to about 45 people per night. Tickets are $70 each and include a three-course meal, a glass of wine or beer, and a trail pass. For details and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.Tahoexc.org or call 530-583-5475.
Erin Meyering is a Southern California native and sun lover. However, she looks forward to scenic Tahoe winters, as well as hot cider and mulled wine every year. She plans to cross-country ski for the first time this winter.
