South Lake Tahoe, CA…Lake Tahoe’s only farm-to-fork festival returns to Bijou Community Park in South Lake Tahoe 12 – 5 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 6. The 6th annual Sample the Sierra celebrates the unique talents and flavors of the Sierra Nevada region with mouth-watering pairings of food and drink from leading vendors in the area. Live entertainment and a robust festival marketplace make it a family friendly Labor Day weekend event. www.samplethesierra.com

Music from local band Little Town on the Main Stage will kick off the festival and headlining act The Connor Party, a favorite local rock band, will create the perfect soundtrack for a wonderful Sunday afternoon spent amongst the towering trees of Bijou Community Park. Festivalgoers interested in picking up some cooking tips can head over to the Sierra Stage at 12:30 p.m. for “From Pit to Stem,” a cooking demonstration with local cookbook author Joanne Neft. The audience will discover the innovative ways to use all parts of a fruit or vegetable to create a delicious and sustainable dish while learning about the benefits of eating locally.

The main event is the annual Sierra Chef Challenge, which pits four local chefs against one another in an Iron Chef style cook-off. Beginning at 3 p.m. on the Sierra Stage, these chefs will be presented with a mystery box of locally grown ingredients, which they will create dishes that are judged on creativity, presentation and taste standards. Chefs Glenn Simpson of Blue Angel Café, Sal Delgado of Echo Lounge at Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel and Justin Kaplan of Cold Water Brewery and Grill will face off against two-time champion Peter Brinckerhoff of Riva Grill to determine who takes home this year’s title.

The festival marketplace offers locally handmade goods from the talented artists and artisans that call the Sierra Nevada home. Ranging from home goods to body care and fine art to custom clothing, attendees can get a head start on holiday shopping with a variety of unique, locally made gifts.

The real stars of Sample the Sierra are the food and drink provided by dozens of local restaurants, farmers, producers, wineries, breweries and distilleries. Booth pairings between food, drink and farmer provide tasting ticket holders with flavors uniquely Sierra Nevadan. Taste the vast talents of the region with Tahoe Moonshine Distillery to FOLK Brewing Co. with kombucha on tap, as well as El Dorado wineries like Boeger and Crystal Basin Cellars. South Shore restaurants like Cold Water Brewery and Grill, MacDuff’s Pub and Primo’s Italian Bistro will entice your tastebuds for another bite with their farm fresh ingredients and signature dishes.

Tastings begin at 12 p.m. and end at 4 p.m. so plan accordingly to hit all 18 booths for a full flavor experience.

Visit www.samplethesierra.com for more information online ticket sales end Friday, Sept. 4 at 12 p.m. Tickets will be available the day of the event at the festival gates.
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Sample the Sierra is a collaborative effort on part of El Dorado County, Tahoe South and the Tahoe Chamber. This one-day festival focuses on geotourism in the Sierra Nevada with the goal to increase awareness of the region’s bounty, heritage, culture and activities.

This event is possible due to the support of our generous sponsors including our Festival Wine Glass Sponsor Cardinale Way; Festival Napkin Sponsors Camelot Party Rentals and South Tahoe Alliance of Resorts; Main Stage Sponsors Winters Construction Group, Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association, Michael Hohl Motor Company, On Course Events and Carson Valley Golf Course; Sierra Stage Sponsors Granite Rocx, Deb Howard & Co., RPM Mortgage and South Tahoe Refuse & Recycling Services; Sierra Chef Challenge Sponsors Tahoe Beach Retreat & Lodge, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe, Edgewood Brooks’ Bar & Deck and Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel; and our Media Sponsors Getaway Reno/Tahoe, Sierra Heritage, Lake Tahoe Television and Tahoe Daily Tribune, KRLT/KOWL, K-Tahoe Radio and Tahoe Quarterly.