Guest Meals
Our meals are world-renowned and unique to Tassajara. The current incarnation of the vegetarian movement sprang from the hearts and minds of students that met in, and matriculated through, the Tassajara kitchen. Some honorable names of note are Ed Brown, Deborah Madison, Annie Somerville (Executive Chef, Greens Restaurant); and our amazing Tenzos and Guest Cooks, like Dale Kent, Michael McCord, Melissa Gilbert, and Yasi Payandehjoo.
Three vegetarian meals are served daily to our overnight guests and are included in the accommodation rate. Breakfast is served at 9am, lunch at 1pm and dinner at 7pm in our dining room. The day's fixed menu is posted each morning outside the dining room, alongside a napkin with your party’s name on it.
Our breakfast and dinners are served family-style, and are best enjoyed close to serving time. The breakfast menu rotates each day: eggs or tofu; pancakes, scones, or breads. It is always accompanied by fresh fruit and hot cereal (often oats, but occasionally rice, amaranth, or polenta). Dinner has the widest variety of possibility: the main feature being a homestyle or ethnic vegetable dish, grain, salad, and other complements. Dessert (often gluten) is offered every evening.
For lunch, guests may choose between eating in the dining room or making a “Bag Lunch.” Lunch in the dining room is served buffet style: soup, salad, and bread. Alternatively, guests can make a Bag Lunch between 9:30-10:15am. Bag Lunch is a selection of vegetarian gourmet spreads, fruit, hard-boiled eggs, as well as vegetables, nuts, cheeses, breads and cookies. While brown paper bags are provided, we do recommend bringing eco-friendly storage containers (also available for purchase in the Stone Office) for traveling outside of the dining areas.
An afternoon tea, consisting of cold teas, fruit, and a light snack, is served from 3:00pm to 4:30pm in the dining room. However, coffee and tea are always available at the beverage service station in the courtyard. We recommend bringing your own water bottle or thermos to keep a delicious beverage nearby (also available for purchase in the Stone Office).
Guests are welcome to bring their own meal supplements and store them in the Guest Refrigerator, and label them for their own use during their stay. Please note that space is limited. Because of our little mountain critters, we ask that guests not keep food stored in their cabin. Guest use of our kitchen is not permitted.
Dietary Restrictions
Tassajara may not be suitable for guests with severe allergic reactions due to its remote location. For guests who have food intolerances, allergies, or other sensitivities, the daily menu board is labeled to indicate possible allergens. Generally, guests find that there are sufficient gluten-free foods offered at each meal.
Tassajara offers a supplement to the dinner meal, known as the Restricted Diet meal. The Restricted Diet includes a grain (gluten-free), a protein (usually beans), and a vegetable – all plainly prepared. Even though the Restricted Diet option is offered every day, we ask that you inform Tassajara Reservations of any dietary restrictions that you have, particularly if you have severe allergic reactions. Though the Restricted Diet meal supplement is not provided for breakfast and lunch, guests with dietary restrictions can supplement these two meals with options from bag lunch as needed.