Pop-Up Dinner to raise funds for grow dome at Sierra House Mountain Academy

The kick off event for this weekend's Sample the Sierra will be a fundraiser for the Geodome/Grow Dome at Sierra House Mountain Academy.

Pop-Up Dinner will be held at the Lake Tahoe Community College from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The menu is curated and cooked by Chef Stephen Moise, the Executive Chef of The Ridge Tahoe and former Corporate Chef for Tommy Hilfiger. The meal will highlight local ingredients, including produce from the University of Nevada-Reno, ribs from the Carson Valley and crayfish from Tahoe Lobster Company.

A long proponent of the farm-to-fork movement, Chef Stephen has long sourced local ingredients to create delectable culinary delights during his tenure at The Ridge Tahoe. This dinner will prove to be no different!

“Inspiration comes from limitless opportunities offered once I can cook outside the restraints of what I ‘should’ do with my food versus what I want to do with my food,” Chef Stephen said.

This dinner will be presented in the pop-up style, which became popular in the early 2000s as chefs sought out new ways to gain exposure in an oversaturated market. These one-day restaurants are set in unexpected places and feature menus unique to the date and location. This dinner, like other pop-up restaurants, will have limited seating and a menu that is only available during this event. Chef Stephen’s personally curated menu features the following and will be served with complementary wine:

Appetizer: Asian Spring Roll with a Ginger Green Tea Sauce
First course: Warm Corn Cake with Lake Tahoe Crayfish Ceviche and Herb Sprig
Entrée: Merlot Braised Carson Valley Short Rib with Organic Sierra Wild Mushroom Risotto
Dessert: Lavender Panacotta

To compliment the evening’s purpose, “Elevate Tahoe,” a documentary that highlights the innovations of growing food at 6,000 feet, will be shown prior to dinner. This documentary uncovers the North Shore community’s attempts to overcome the unique hurdles associated with growing food in alpine climates and offers valuable lessons for the South Shore as they attempt to do the same.

The dinner is $75 per person and includes wine. Lake Tahoe Community College is located at 1 College Way in South Lake Tahoe, CA. Tickets for this event, as well as tickets for Sunday’s festival, are available at www.samplethesierra.com.

The Sierra House Mountain Academy’s “Let It Grow!” project will place geodesic greenhouse designed specifically for alpine climates on the school grounds. This greenhouse would rely on solar heating to yield organic produce that will be used in students’ lunches at the school and also for students’ scientific study. “Let It Grow!” was designed to provide nutritious food for our local schools, educate students about the benefits of growing your own food and increasing awareness about the importance of good nutrition, as well as ecological stewardship.