TRUCKEE, Calif. – Unparalleled experiences in the Lake Tahoe basin are typically easy to find; but one industry that has been lacking for uniquely curated experiences in the local area is in dining. In an effort to bring together the North Lake Tahoe community over eccentric dishes, local catering company Hen of the Woods is making strides in the North Lake Tahoe food scene.

Pushing the limits beyond the traditional dining experience, founder, owner, and chef Michael Murray is dishing out one-of-a-kind food through catering events, as well as local community gatherings throughout the summer season, alongside his co-chef, Quinten Frye. 

“We believe that food should be an experience beyond simply [just] eating,” Michael Murray, founder and co-owner of Hen of the Woods said. “We are not-so-ordinary chefs who are cultivating your dining experience.” 

Murray moved to Truckee six years ago and immediately got a job at local business Old Town Tap. One day while working in 2018, he came across the backyard area at a neighboring store, and was inspired. 

“I came across the backyard at the California 89 retail store, and when I saw that space, I instantly inquired with the owners,” Murray said. “I had the crazy idea of doing a ‘dinner and a movie’ event in that space, and we showed “Kill Bill Volume 1″ and served up Japanese street food. I posted information about the event on Instagram, and the event sold out in 20 minutes.”

After this inaugural event took place, it was evident that the local community was interested in participating in popup-style events, and Murray was fired up to continue to host and grow. Upon a few more events taking place, Murray met with the owner of Gold Wolf Brewery in Truckee to host an popup event, where he was pushed to define himself with an official business name.

“Because these events were gaining so much traction in the community and so well received, Matt at the Gold Wolf Brewery pushed me to create a name for these events to create a brand,” Murray said. “I always loved the fact that the mushroom varietal Hen of the Woods had that name, so that name instantly stuck.”

Upon officially establishing the brand Hen of the Woods, Murray was slammed with popup events around the North Lake Tahoe area. Each time he hosted an event, the community showed up in strong numbers. However, after two years on the radar, the Covid-19 pandemic took place. 

“The party felt like it was over, but I wanted to keep the fire alive,” Murray said. “I pivoted and started doing driveway popup events. We’d make a ton of food in my apartment, and made the food so it could travel well and be taken home to safely eat. We’d do themed food menus from around the world.” 

Once the world began to open back up, Murray was navigating what felt like a brand new, post-pandemic world; however, he managed to alter his initial business model. 

“I began getting a lot of requests for private dinner parties, one of the first requests being a private, 50-person Thanksgiving,” Murray said. “My immediate reaction was to decline, but after thinking it over we took it on. After that event, I realized private events were fun, lucrative, and wondered how many private events I needed to pull off where I could support myself.”

While Murray was ramping up private dinner party reservations, he quickly realized he couldn’t do it alone. In late 2020, after making a curated menu for a private event, Murray met up with Frye and proposed the offer for him to join him in the kitchen and cook. 

“I made this wildly aggressive menu, and we joined forces on it seamlessly,” Murray said. “We broke everything on the menu apart and took our roles in the kitchen to knock it all out.” 

Once the duo was successful at their first event working together in the kitchen, Murray brought Frye on board to take on more events. Frye is an experienced chef, and has been in the kitchen for the past 20 years of his career. He had been the head chef at The Dog & Bear Tavern in Tahoma, and this past year, opened Cult Burger in the same shopping mall.

“Michael and I compliment each other incredibly well,” Frye said. “While we both bring our strengths to the kitchen, I’d say Michael is definitely the idea-maker, and I’m the one who works to elevate it the best way I can.” 

Ever since joining together with Hen of the Woods, Murray and Frye have been dishing up uniquely curated experiences to their guests, and Hen of the Woods has been successfully growing. 

“Our goal is to bring unique food through unique experiences to Tahoe, which I think has been lacking,” Murray said. “We are filling a void, and we are booked, and it’s so exciting.” 

Throughout the upcoming summer season, Hen of the Woods will be attending several community events serving up their food, including the upcoming TAMBA Mountain Bike Festival in Meyers, as well as popup events later this summer season hosted at the Truckee Library and the Tahoe Food Hub. 

Both Murray and Frye are grateful to be a part of the Tahoe dining scene, and are excited to continue to provide elevated experiences to their customers through both private events and popup events throughout the North Lake Tahoe community.

“The thing that makes me really excited is the certain amount of respect in the community that we get, it’s an honor and such a compliment to work and collaborate alongside other amazing chefs and creators in the community,” Murray said. “That prestige is really what instills that we are doing something right in the community, and it’s truly inspiring.” 

For more information on Hen of the Woods’ upcoming event schedule or to get in touch with Murray and Frye directly, visit: henofthewoodtahoe.com or follow Hen of the Woods on Instagram at @henofthewoodstruckee. 

Madison Schultz is a freelancer for the Tahoe Daily Tribune and Sierra Sun.