Traci Des Jardins, the award-winning San Francisco chef, has quietly planted her flag in the Sierra with Yarrow, a new mountaintop restaurant inside Sugar Bowl’s Village Lodge. It is a centerpiece of a sweeping $100 million revitalization of the 87-year-old resort and brings elevated California cooking to Tahoe’s après scene. For Bay Area diners, it marks a high-profile return for a chef whose name has long been tied to Jardinière and other San Francisco projects.
Menus Built For Sharing And Après
Yarrow’s plates lean seasonal and shareable, pairing mountain comfort food with refined technique. In a press release via PR Newswire, the resort highlights signature items such as togarashi fried Brussels sprouts, duck-fat potato rosti, and lamb meatballs with labneh and mint chimichurri. Per the resort's dining page, Yarrow offers both indoor and outdoor seating and a beverage program led by head sommelier Clay Reynolds, and the venue is positioned as an all-day option for guests and locals alike.
Part Of A Major Resort Overhaul
Sugar Bowl’s dining upgrade is one piece of what the San Francisco Chronicle describes as the largest investment in the mountain’s history. Plans approved in winter 2024–25 and work that began in spring 2025 include a two-tier terrace with fire pits, completed in November, and an eight-person gondola expected to be ready before the 2026–27 winter season. Resort leaders say the project is focused on modernizing guest flow and amenities while preserving Sugar Bowl’s historic character.
Des Jardins' Bay Area Pedigree
Des Jardins has long been a Bay Area culinary fixture: she won the James Beard Foundation’s Rising Star award in 1995 and Best Chef: Pacific in 2007, according to Traci Des Jardins. After closing Jardinière in 2019, she shifted toward consulting, including work with Impossible Foods, and the resort lists her as its culinary advisor for Yarrow and other Village Lodge projects.
What This Means For Tahoe Dining
Yarrow’s arrival follows a wave of higher-end openings across Tahoe and underscores a growing appetite for refined mountain dining. As SFGATE reported, recent debuts such as Smoke Door and Sylva have helped shift expectations for meals off the mountain.
Locals and passholders will likely see Yarrow become a regular stop for post-run meals and fireside evenings, and the menu is expected to rotate as the season and suppliers dictate. For Des Jardins, Yarrow is a new foothold in Tahoe that could shape the area's evolving dining scene.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to correct information regarding the public availability of an event.
