The Scoop
There are certain rituals at Tahoe Beach Club that members come to count on - gathering with friends, sunsets on the Main Deck, dips in the heated spa with snow on the mountains, and ice cream.
Not just any ice cream…Stella’s ice cream.
Inside the Starboard Bar and Grille is a rotating lineup of gourmet, house-made ice creams that have quietly (and quickly) become a member favorite. The flavors change weekly. The combinations are imaginative, seasonal, and just unexpected enough to spark curiosity. And because they’re made in micro-batches, when a flavor is gone, it’s truly gone. Regulars know: if something sounds interesting, order it now.
Just ask anyone who showed up a little too late for Spruce Tip.
When Stella introduced Spruce Tip ice cream, it sold out almost immediately. Members described it as citrusy, woodsy, and floral, think something like lemon, rosemary, and pine in perfect balance. It tasted unmistakably alpine, which makes sense because it quite literally was. Spruce tips are the bright green, young spring growth, foraged and infused into heavy cream to create a dessert that feels entirely true to Tahoe. It wasn’t just ice cream; it was the landscape in a bowl.
The creative mind behind these flavors is Stella, our restaurant Sous Chef, who has been part of the Tahoe Beach Club culinary team since the summer of 2020. Over the years, she’s developed a reputation for thoughtful, inventive dishes, and her ice creams follow the same philosophy. She approaches each flavor the way a chef approaches a seasonal tasting menu—layered, balanced, and inspired by what’s happening right now.
One week it might be Earl Grey with dried plum and chocolate bits, and another week brings cardamom with burnt orange peel and caramelized sugar bits. Of course, black walnut swirled with banana bread and chocolate chips feels nostalgic, while strawberry Thai basil lands sweet and herbaceous, like summer in motion.
Because everything is made in small batches, the texture is impossibly smooth and the flavors feel intentional, not manufactured. Nothing is rushed and nothing is pulled from a catalog. Inspiration comes from the seasons, from Tahoe’s natural surroundings, and from Stella’s own curiosity about how flavors play together in unexpected ways.
So the next time you’re at the restaurant, don’t skip dessert. Ask what Stella’s been dreaming up this week. Order the flavor that sounds slightly outside your comfort zone. It might be the one everyone talks about all season. And if it sells out? Well, that’s just part of the magic.
