Gastromaniac celebrates 1 calendar year of serving up genuine Italian food stuff

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Nicola Ambra understood he desired to be a chef at 4 several years outdated. Final year, on Dec. 21, childhood goals became a truth for Ambra who opened Gastromaniac with his wife Terri Wong in South Lake Tahoe.

Ambra and his wife just lately celebrated their a single calendar year anniversary of opening their cafe, bringing common, authentic selfmade Italian pizza and pasta to the South Tahoe neighborhood.

Gastromaniac also received “Best New Restaurant” in the Tribune’s Very best of Tahoe 2020 Awards.

Eighteen years ago, Ambra traveled to California for a rock climbing trip in Yosemite, and like lots of, resolved to transfer listed here. He first moved to San Francisco and frequented Lake Tahoe right after a buddy in Reno confirmed him around the basin.

“Tahoe blew my mind,” he reported.

The bordering snow-capped mountains and big lake felt like home to Ambra who grew up at Lake Como in Italy. Near the border of Switzerland, Lake Como is a modest town in the foothills of the alps.

“I was ready to move back to the mountains,” he stated.

Ambra moved to South Lake Tahoe four yrs back and commenced performing at places to eat to create his profession.

While Ambra has worked at 5-star motels these kinds of as Lake Como’s Grand Resort Tremezzo and Villa D’este spanning to everyday restaurants, he also went to culinary college at Alma Cooking College in Parma and Pizza Italian Academy in Milan in the course of his trip back again to Italy.

“I fell in adore with the pizza entire world,” he mentioned.

Throughout his time at the Pizza Italian Academy, his plan of Gastromaniac started to just take shape. With a fitting title that approximately translates to “food maniac,” Ambra was ready to commence a new journey.

Ambra manifested his dream of bringing genuine Italian foods to Tahoe in 2019 and opened his cafe.

Ambra imported recipes — alongside with ingredients like flour, rice, fixed meat, excess virgin olive oils, tomatoes to name a few — straight from Italy.

He would make an energy to source elements as near to his hometown in Italy as attainable. The gorgonzola and Taleggio cheese employed in the dishes comes from the very same town he is from.

“A couple great high quality components can make a fantastic dish,” he states.

1 pasta dish, the Mafaldine, is named in honor of his grandmother, Mafalda, who was Ambra’s initial inspiration and helped him find out his passion for cooking and “where it all commenced.”

Ambra claims he however remembers sitting following to his grandmother as she cooked, he would stick his hands in the flour and while he was just actively playing about, he thought it was just “so neat.”

30-five many years afterwards and Ambra suggests he however thinks it’s so great.

Ambra is at the cafe every day. Just one other staff and Ambra produce specialty, Italian dishes.

Gastromaniac provides basic, but basic pasta dishes. Consumers select their noodle and sauce from tomato basil, 3 cheese sauce, pesto sauce (if in time) or a meat bolognese.

They also offer you pizza that arrives in classic 13-inch one particular-measurement with several alternatives for toppings.

The very first few months of opening, Gastromaniac was flourishing. Then the pandemic struck in March.

Ambra jokes with his wife, “Baby, I continue to keep on the lookout at our organization approach but I just can’t come across the pandemic any place.”

Ambra claims he attempts to continue to keep a positive attitude about his enterprise and the worries they are facing.

“In February we ended up owning a wonderful reaction from locals and travelers,” Ambra claimed.

In March, they experienced to layoff their workforce. He says at 1st, they had been truly anxious.

“It was just my wife, our 2-calendar year-outdated toddler and I working the cafe,” he claimed. “The amazing Tahoe group has supported us the total time.”

He mentioned that they by no means predicted getting to near their dining place a few moments in their to start with 12 months of getting open up.

“The final few weeks have been seriously challenging, but we are still listed here,” he claimed. “This is nevertheless my dream, however coming correct.”

Gastromaniac is open for get-out and curbside pickup. For additional data stop by gastrotahoe.com.