After a long winter day of playing in the snow, oftentimes the quick solution is to satisfy your craving at one of the local dining options in the Lake Tahoe Basin. However, upon your arrival, you realize every single restaurant has over an hour wait, and you’re hungry now. 

Steer clear of the hunger pangs with a little planning and perseverance and avoid the restaurant wait times by supporting one of the locally owned and operated, personal women chefs in the Lake Tahoe area for a curated experience to add a special touch to your trip to the mountains. 

Tahoe Sweet Party, Chef Meghan McFarlin 

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Website: tahoesweetparty.com

Based in South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe Sweet Party’s owner and founder Chef Meghan McFarlin has been thriving in the kitchen for years by dishing out gourmet experiences. McFarlin has a deep passion for creative dining, and thrives with the creation of personalized menus, learning and implementing new recipes and techniques, and coins herself as an “absolute foodie.” Coinciding with her passion for cuisine, McFarlin brings her work experience as well as travel experience into each unique dish she creates. 

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“I would say my style of cooking is a mirror reflection of my travels, my friends, my family, and my work experiences, all wrapped into one, always changing and always evolving for the best,” McFarlin said.

McFarlin is passionate about bringing people together over food to share new culinary experiences. Tahoe Sweet Party offers food for any occasion, including creative themed party menus tethered specifically to the winter season such as the ’80’s Retro Ski Bum’ menu and ‘Holiday Ugly Sweater’ menu. The personal chef also offers seasonal fare fixed menus, including the ‘Winter Rustic’ menu and a large list of appetizers that are guaranteed to please. Along with fixed menus available, Tahoe Sweet Party also offers customized menus that fit your diet restrictions and satisfy your cravings. 

Fed & Full, Chef Amy Lynne Power

Website: fedandfull.com

Chef Amy Lynne Power is the face behind Fed & Full, a full-service, personal chef brand devoted to crafting dining experiences that bring a full table of loved ones together over delicious food. Power was a Bay Area-born turned mountain girl, who after various culinary and entrepreneurial experiences took place in her life, has fully embarked on food. 

“My favorite meal to cook is the food that makes my clients happiest,” Power said. “For some that’s healthy, balanced meals, and for others that’s over-the-top indulgence. I can do it all, and I enjoy all the different challenges that come with every style of cooking, and eating.”

Power boasts that nothing is more satisfying than seeing people happy, satisfied, and relaxed after a great meal. Fed & Full offers various personal chef services, including customized meals that are created by Fed & Full, then stored in your fridge with detailed instructions for reheating; as well as special occasions, where the guest works directly with Chef Amy on theme, decor, and preparation, and Fed & Full puts together the entire special occasion spread, then cleans up post-event. Lastly, Fed & Full’s signature service is gatherings, serving up a delicious, customized menu meal for groups of up to 20 individuals. With their gatherings service, Fed & Full does the grocery shopping, prep, table setting, and clean up. Powers prides Fed & Full’s services on being specifically tethered to what the guest wants out of their personal chef experience, with a sharp attention to detail and following dietary restrictions for all her guests. 

Fed & Full is there to do just that – keep their guests fed and full with their favorite foods, so they can fully immerse and enjoy what Lake Tahoe has to offer. 

Crave Lake Tahoe, Chef Alexis Amity

Website: cravelaketahoe.com

Serving up creative culinary experiences, Chef Alexis Amity is the face behind Crave Lake Tahoe, a personal chef business that services both California and Nevada. Amity began her journey in the dining industry at the young age of 12 years old, and over the years has dove headfirst into culinary. Amity graduated from the International Culinary Center in Manhattan, where she worked alongside powerful chefs. After her experience in New York, Amity moved back to her hometown of Salt Lake City to continue learning and growing in her career. Amity then moved to Las Vegas to continue growing in the personal chef and catering field. Now residing in Lake Tahoe, Amity brought Crave Lake Tahoe to Tahoe’s culinary landscape, bringing her decades of professional experience and education to visitors and locals alike. 

“Personal chef events inspire me because I get to share the experience of not only creations with guests, I also get to enjoy their experience,” Amity said. “Whether it’s a wedding, bachelor or bachelorette event, a corporate retreat, a special occasion or people just wanting honest, fresh, creative food by a good chef, I am there to serve.” 

Crave Lake Tahoe offers brunch, lunch, dinner, and customized gluten free and vegetarian menu packages that are customized to specifically cater to any dining party. Dining options include a vegan taco bar, country kitchen menu, Southern surf & turf menu, the Tahoe Gold Standard – where everything on the menu is covered in edible gold upon serving, and many more fixed menus. Amity works to provide a dining experience that pushes the limits and always leaves her guests with satisfaction. 

Private Chef Lake Tahoe, Chef Annamarie Greco 

Website: privatecheflaketahoe.com

Raised in an Italian family, Chef Annamarie Greco has taken her family’s passion for food and had it follow her into her professional career. After graduating from culinary school, Greco hit the ground running and began gaining professional experience in the dining industry, including an internship at a 5-star hotel in England, training under professional French chefs. After her internship, Greco moved back to the states, where she landed in California wine country, working at two different Michelin star restaurants. It was there she began her experience in the private chef industry. 

Greco was called to the mountains, and in 2018 opened Private Chef Lake Tahoe to showcase her talent and passion for food to hungry guests in the Lake Tahoe Basin and Reno-Carson valley. Since opening, Greco has established herself as a top-line private chef in the basin, offering customized dinner parties, brunch and lunch fixed menus, specifically curated vibrant meals, and customized boards. Her services cater up to 30 people, and are specifically created to tether to her guests needs and expectations. If you’re looking to bring a Michelin-star experience into your home, working with Greco at Private Chef Lake Tahoe is the answer. 

Yummy Fixins, Chef Arica Davis 

Website: yummyfixins.com

Born and raised in Louisiana, Chef Arica Davis has been around thoughtful, flavorful food from the beginning. Davis moved to California, where she was warmly welcomed with the endless abundance of seasonal produce, which brought her “culinary spirit to life.” 

Davis immediately immersed in the culinary industry upon her arrival in California, enrolling in courses at Lake Tahoe Community College and throughout the High Sierra region. Davis continued her education during her travels out of the country to Europe, learning new techniques to implement in her curated culinary experiences. Owned, operated, and residing in Lake Tahoe, Davis prides herself on the food she delivers to her guests. 

“From finger foods to four course meals, I will create dishes to fit any occasion while catering to your needs and taste preferences,” Davis said. “My varied culinary background translates into innovative cuisine that emphasizes the freshest of ingredients.” 

Yummy Fixins’ services include seasonal menus, such as the fall & winter menu, boasting grazing-style appetizer platters with options such as bourbon maple glazed wings and thyme caramelized onion baked brie, salad and soup options, and standout entrees such as espresso rubbed New York strip steaks with maple bourbon butter or prosciutto wrapped hard cider chicken. Yummy Fixins’ dining experiences are then finalized with a dessert, with several options to choose from, including her salted caramel apple and pear crumble, or black and blue galette. Along with the seasonal menus available, Davis also offers a Fiesta fixed menu, and a breakfast and brunch fixed menu; as well as customized grazing boards, with various sizes available starting at an individual-sized board, to charcuterie boards that serve up to 25. 

With an elaborate, customized experience from start to finish, Yummy Fixins is the perfect private chef to fulfill your cozy winter cravings. 

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the Winter 2023 edition of Tahoe Magazine.