culinary arts

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Superintendent Dr. James Tarwater of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) has announced he'll retire in one year.

Dr. Tarwater has been with LTUSD since 2005.

During their last meeting on June 11, the Board concluded its annual evaluation of Dr. Tarwater's performance. Though details of that evaluation are not available, they extended his contract one extra year until 2022 until they were notified of his notice of retirement.

At their June 25 meeting, the Board is scheduled to accept his retirement.

South Lake Tahoe, CA - Starting in Fall 2018, all first-time, full-time California residents or AB540 eligible students attending Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) will pay no tuition their first year. The Lake Tahoe College Promise is available to any student who is attending college for the first time. LTCC offers associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and vocational certificates in more than 40 areas of study, including Psychology, Business, Fire Science, Culinary Arts, and Allied Health.

UCCE Master Gardeners of Lake Tahoe will be holding an evening of not only culinary fun, but one with free food as they bring together the community, local produce, food and gardening.

On Thursday, April 19, the Soup Night will be held at South Lake Brewing from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Soup will be prepared by South Tahoe High School Culinary Arts Program and the bread will be prepared by Lake Tahoe Community College Culinary Arts Program.

There is a new chef at the helm of Edgewood Tahoe's three restaurants after the retirement of Frank Stagnaro, the resort’s executive chef for over 25 years.

Executive Chef Charles Wilson was amazed at the view from the resort that sits on the shore of Lake Tahoe.

“One of the reasons I’m here is this property,” Wilson said. “Walking into the Great Room and looking out the windows was the moment. The culinary team’s job is to match the ambiance of the resort, and this setting is truly spectacular.”

Its time for the Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation's Food Fest on Saturday, October 7 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Hard Rock Tahoe Hotel and casino. This fundraiser raises funds for grants to support enrichment programs for the Lake Tahoe Unified School District.

Also a fun time, this year's Food Fest has a new twist, Silent Disco! Event goers can check out a headset tuned to the one of three varieties of music allowing everyone to dance to their own preferred tunes while letting conversations flow among the rest of the crowd.

To get a look at the properties the County owns, and to get a look at services and programs going on in South Lake Tahoe, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors (BOS) met on the South Shore last week for tours and discussions.

The County owned properties in SLT were highlighted during a morning tour. Each of the properties, the Senior Center, the Museum, the Art League building and the Visitor's Authority building, are owned by the County and maintained by the City.

Brad Deeds has been hired as the new Dean of Workforce Development and Instruction at Lake Tahoe Community College where he will manage the college’s various Career and Technical Education programs. Deeds will be over the Fire Academy, Culinary Arts, Commercial Music, Allied Health, the new Adult Education program, and other vocationally-focused departments on campus. He will also oversee workforce development and select instructional programs at LTCC.

The LTCC Board of Trustees gave approval for the hiring at their meeting on Tuesday night.

The annual Fall Festival and Chili Cook-off is just a week away. The event which features local businesses on display as well as a chili competition is at the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Center on September 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is also a cake walk for the kids.

The Lake Tahoe Humane Society, the El Dorado County Jail Inmate Culinary Arts crew and Cardinale Way Toyota are just three of the participants in the chili cook-off. Attendees can sample each chili (for a small entry fee) and vote for their favorite along with the judges.

Inmates from the Tahoe jail's culinary arts program won 17 awards at this summer's El Dorado County Fair, something they've done consistently for the past nine years. Since 2007, inmates have had food entries at the fair, bringing home a total of three best in shows, 51 first place awards, 47 second place awards, and 13 third place awards.

This year the inmates entered 18 items winning 17 awards. They received 10 first place and 7 second place ribbons. The ribbons are all posted down the walls at the jail's kitchen.

Knowing that not all South Lake Tahoe kids plan on heading to a four-year college, John McDougall wanted to help those students find their vocational path.

And he is accomplishing this in two ways: Pay it Forward Scholarships and with a High School Mentoring Program.

"I'm helping kids that are taking the vocational path," said the 1972 South Tahoe high graduate.

The Lake Tahoe Community College District was voted into existence 40 years ago, on March 5, 1974. The College has big plans to celebrate its anniversary with a number of fun and educational events this year. Members of the media, the community, and college staff and faculty are all welcome to attend a press conference on Wednesday, March 5th at 11 a.m. to hear the College’s plans to mark its 40th year, and to honor its history. The conference will be held at the Econo Lodge at 2659 Lake Tahoe Boulevard, where the College first offered classes and welcomed its first students.

In 2007 the El Dorado Sheriff’s Department formed a partnership with the Lake Tahoe Community College to expand the College’s existing culinary arts program to the Sheriff’s Tahoe jail.

Every year the inmates test their quality by entering the El Dorado County Fair in the Baking and Fiery Fair categories. Since 2007 the inmates have amassed over 70 first, second, and third place ribbons. This year was no exception. The inmates in the culinary arts program earned a total of 31 ribbons: 12 First Place, 11 Second Place, and 6 Third Place ribbons.

The South Tahoe High School Performing Arts Booster Association will host its 2nd annual special fundraising event ‘Stars Night Out’ on Friday, Dec. 14 at 5 p.m. The fundraiser dinner is $30 per person and will take place at South Tahoe High School.

Participants can purchase their discounted ‘White Christmas’ show ticket for $10 at the theatre where they will be seated in a special section (show ticket not included with dinner fundraiser). Catering by the STHS Culinary Arts and entertainment by the STHS music department.