After graduating from North Tahoe High and attending college in Chico, Tahoe City native Andrew Shimer got his start in the culinary world in 1999 by working in Bay Area restaurants like Aqua and the Waterfront before getting the executive chef title at Oakland’s Mezze.

After running into an old family friend, his calling to come back home to Tahoe City came in an offer to work as a chef at Fiamma restaurant.

“I’m a small-town boy. I paid my dues in a big city,” said Shimer.

After running the kitchen at Fiamma for a while, Shimer ultimately found a home at Christy Hill where he worked for 12 years and where he was working when he met his now wife, Chata Villa.

“I was born and raised in Peru,” said Villa. “I started coming here with friends to do the whole J1 exchange. I was a liftee.”

After coming to Tahoe for multiple winters, Villa finally decided to make the full move to Tahoe in 2008. Working as a bartender at the Bridgetender is where she met Shimer.

“He was this quiet chef that would come for a drink after Christie Hill,” said Villa. “We just kind of started talking, and then we started dating in 2015, and got married during COVID.”

It wasn’t until recently Shimer was approached by a friend from high school about the open restaurant space that was previously occupied by Pioneer Cocktail Club. The couple took the opportunity to open what is now Sylva.

“I knew that deep down he was ready for a change and to cook a little bit different food,” added Villa.

But, before opening, the duo would need to make some decisions about the concept of the new endeavor. Villa, who still works in accounting, would handle much of the back end while Shimer would run the kitchen. They also knew that they wanted a place that was all about the food.

“When we were developing the concept, we basically were looking for a restaurant that we wanted to eat at once a week,” said Shimer. “Something that was inviting. No table cloths. Casual, very social, really focused on shared plates, kind of family style – no commitment kind of food.”

Shimer describes the menu as being high finite innovation – not a special occasion place, but a place that you feel like you’re getting an evolving menu (all made from scratch) that continues to change so people want to come back and see what’s going on from week to week. Availability of fresh ingredients will also be a big part of the menu.

Shimer added, “I don’t like to change the whole menu every season. I like to have it evolving. So, if my forager tells me chanterelle mushrooms are coming in and they’re killer, that gets my brain thinking and then I can get a new dish out there.”

And while the evolving menu will capitalize on the availability of specialty ingredients, that doesn’t mean the menu will be without its staples. Their crispy tequeños, a play on a Peruvian dish, showcases duck confit and cotija cheese wrapped in a wonton wrapper and served with a chimichurri aioli. Or their maiale tonnato dish, which Shimer describes as a carpaccio on steroids. It features house-cured pork loin sliced super thin and served over a tuna conserva, anchovy and caper aioli.

“Once they understand what it is, they are really blown away by it,” said Shimer.

“It’s kind of like, oh let me tell you about this, and people venturing to have tonnato, and just a little bit of bringing something new that people didn’t know, without being annoyed,” added Villa.

After a couple of soft openings with their vendors and friends prior to Thanksgiving, the restaurant officially opened its doors the day after the holiday and the buzz from the community has been positive.

“I think that we just brought something special to our community, and it’s very special for me growing up here,” said Shimer. “We feel the community is really excited about this. After so many years seeing Tahoe City going up and down, I think it’s going to be the start of something new and exciting.”

While Villa says it’s been very humbling to see people so happy as well as noticing how great the service and staff is, she’s also very happy to see her husband back in his element and doing what he loves. That love is quite evident from the moment you walk in the door, and it follows you through the entire dining experience.

Sylva restaurant is located at 521 N Lake Blvd in Tahoe City. For menu, hours of operation and further information you can reach them online at sylvatahoe.com or by phone at 530-807-1099.