TAHOE CITY, Calif. – Savoie, the refined new alpine dining destination from Michelin-starred Chef Mark Sullivan and Chef Alison Sullivan, has opened in Tahoe City. This marks the first restaurant that the husband-and-wife team has opened together, where the cuisine of the French, Swiss, and Italian Alps meets the seasonal bounty of the Lake Tahoe basin.
A fixture of Bay Area dining for more than two decades, Mark Sullivan was named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in America, has earned Michelin recognition at three of his Bay Area restaurants—Spruce, The Village Pub, and Selby’s—and has earned accolades from the James Beard Foundation, among others. Alison Sullivan spent time in Paris apprenticing with Pierre Hermé and Laurent Duchêne, where she cultivated a deep knowledge of French pastry, culture, and language. After years refining her craft under Michelin-starred chefs Laurent Gras and Ron Siegel, Alison Sullivan founded and oversaw the celebrated pastry program at Boulettes Larder in San Francisco and worked alongside Craig Stoll at Delfina and Anthony Strong at PRAIRIE—where she also deepened her knowledge of pasta and savory cuisine—before moving to Tahoe for this project.
“Alison and I have always believed that Tahoe belongs alongside the country’s great dining destinations, and Savoie is our chance to help bring that recognition home,” said Chef Mark Sullivan. “This is the next chapter of our careers and our marriage—reviving this building to serve food and provide hospitality that’s a true reflection of the Sierra Nevada, for the people who live here and for the ones who travel to experience it.”
Taking over Tahoe City’s historic Pfeifer House, a longtime local mainstay, Savoie is an entirely new restaurant concept. Initial stirrings of the project began when Maureen Sullivan—Chef Mark Sullivan’s stepmom—noticed a “For Sale” sign on the building. With a vision of the family resurrecting the restaurant, she purchased the property in 2019. In partnership with Maureen and support from other members of the extended family, Mark and Alison spent nearly six years thoughtfully renovating the space, honoring the building’s storied past while introducing an entirely new culinary vision and dining experience. The space consists of a spacious dining room featuring vaulted ceilings and bright skylights, an eye-catching bar with 360° seating for 24, a private upstairs dining room for 20 with wraparound windows, a subterranean wine cellar accommodating an intimate group, and an outdoor patio for the summer season. Mark spent an entire year designing a signature Molteni range that anchors the open kitchen and provides a stunning setting for the Chef’s Table, which seats up to 10.
Led by designer Annie Sullivan Cobb of Sullivan Matthews—and sister of Chef Mark—along with her husband, Oliver Cobb, the interior design draws upon the architecture of the European Alps while honoring the building’s history and natural surroundings. A palette of creamy walls, deep loden greens, and warm taupe tones sets the stage, accented by dark oak furnishings and textiles nodding to the wool-and-plaid traditions of Alpine tavern interiors. The private dining space leans into rich reds, while the wine cellar features chocolate brown and deep velvets. The bar accentuates the natural tones with built-in banquettes in olive green leather and vintage-inspired bar chairs. Original stonework, a restored fireplace, and a handful of taxidermy pieces, preserved from the building’s earlier life, anchor the main dining room. An antler chandelier from the Lake Tahoe home of Maureen and Craig Sullivan, Mark’s dad, hangs at the entrance, and commissioned landscapes and portraits from renowned painter—and Oliver Cobb’s brother—Charlie Cobb line the walls.
“As Tahoe locals, Mark and I wanted to build something in our community that felt both familiar and aspirational,” said Chef Alison Sullivan. “We wanted it to evoke the cabins and lodges we grew up in and around and serve the type of cuisine that we love the most. Drawing on our unique training and experiences, Mark and I poured ourselves into a concept and a menu that we feel is equally deep, authentic, and made for lingering over with people you love, and this restaurant truly became the perfect marriage—reaching for the stars, but rooted in what we love.”
The menu translates the rustic, communal spirit of Alpine cooking into a range of registers—hearty fare to share after a day outdoors, lighter plates for an easy weeknight, and more refined à la carte dishes for an occasion—that draw on farmers, ranchers, and purveyors from across the Sierra Nevada. Highlights include Tartiflette Savoyarde, a hearty gratin of tender potatoes, lardons, and caramelized onions, finished with a wheel of local, washed-rind cheese, standing in for the traditional Reblochon; Pâté en Croûte Périgueux, served with frisée salad, Madeira gelée, and black truffle; Truffle Roasted Pintade for two, with pommes mousseline; and the Beaufort Hamburger served with Beaufort cheese, French fries, and dijonnaise. À la carte mains range from $28 to $68, with shareable, family-style dishes priced individually—the Tartiflette Savoyarde serving two to four people at $78, and the Truffle Roasted Pintade for two at $185. To finish, a Crème Caramel infused with alpine honey and fir, and a Mousse au Chocolat layered with Gianduja Crémeux and hazelnut sherbet. The wine list draws from both the Alps and California, and the cocktail program builds around Alpine apéritifs and digestifs, including Génépy and Chartreuse, alongside a roster of classic, spirit-forward drinks.
Mark and Alison are joined by a team with deep roots in fine dining and hospitality, many of whom relocated from the Bay Area for the opportunity. Chef de Cuisine Jason Landas most recently served as Tyler Florence’s Executive Chef at Miller & Lux, Director of Wine & Service Jennifer Belmont previously worked at The Little Nell, The Ranch at Brush Creek, and Edgewood Resort, and Director of Hospitality and Beverage, John Smith, joins after managing the beverage program at Saison and serving as Operations Director at Drexel Hospitality Group.
Alpine in spirit and Californian in sensibility, Savoie is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. For reservations and information, visit Savoietahoe.com and follow along on Instagram at @savoietahoe.