A Brief History of the Soule Domain
www.souledomain.com
In
a place where businesses rise and fall with the uncertain tides of the
tourism industry, the Soule Domain is a unique success story. And the
man at the center of this story is no less unique.
Lifetime
resident of Lake Tahoe, Charlie Soule has faced the odds to follow his
dream of providing a distinctive fine dining experience in his
hometown. After graduating from North Lake Tahoe High School, Charlie
embarked upon his culinary journey washing dishes and making salads in
Tahoe City and cut his teeth in various upscale eateries in the area.
Charlie left Tahoe due to the brief distraction of attending college.
He soon realized that Tahoe's beaches and ski slopes were calling him
home, and cooking was his ticket back.
Charlie
worked hard in some of Tahoe's finest eating establishments honing the
skills he now employs on a nightly basis, but he didn't feel he was
getting anywhere. That changed in 1985, when opportunity knocked, or
rather rang. The phone. Soule's uncle, impressed by his exceptional
work at orchestrating his Mom's 50th birthday dinner party, had called
to ask Charlie if he thought he was ready to take off on his own.
Charlie graciously accepted the offer, and the Soule Domain (or simply
"the Soule") was born in the small log cabin behind the Tahoe Biltmore,
where it still stands. "My uncle and aunt gave me the most wonderful
opportunity in my life. And I've had fabulous help from the start."
Soule
had confidence that whatever he lacked in expertise and business savvy,
he could compensate for with his fiery passion for excellent food, his
driving ambition, and sheer force of will. Charlie threw everything he
had into his dream—literally. Moving in above the restaurant, Charlie
cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner for two years, giving explicit form
to his lifelong whatever it takes to do it and do it well work ethic.
How
Charlie made it through that two-yearlong blur of fiery saute pans and
flashing chef knives is anyone's guess, but once he'd established the
Soule Domain as a gastronomic real deal and a legitimate business (no
mean feat in the unforgiving seasonally oriented Tahoe economy), he
began to plot the course for the restaurant's next twenty years.
In
the beginning, the Soule's culinary signature was country French. Once
Charlie decided to focus solely on dinner, though, Mediterranean and
Asian Pacific rim flavors began to find their way onto the menu.
Charlie understands and embraces the eclectic and diffuse elements that
fuel the kitchens of the most daring and successful chefs, and when he
gets some time off, he pores over the food sections of city papers or
visits the city to see for himself what's happening. "Everything is a
learning experience and I think that's what keeps us unique. Cooking is
a challenge, it's competitive," says Soule. Not that that bothers him:
"I love the quickness and I love the freshness. I love the heat." A
visit to the Soule Domain provides ample proof of that, where on a
given night, one may find oneself seamlessly traveling from a ranch
kitchen in Guadalajara, Mexico to an open-air market in Morocco, to a
tea and fish shop in Bangkok. (Dessert will be served in Rome, Paris,
or New York.)
He follows trends in the
nutritional world as well: "Years ago, we weren't really educated on
the processing of ingredients or additives in the food we were buying.
Now, if my suppliers can't get me fresh, organically grown products,
I'll search them out. It may cost more, but that's what I want to
serve."
Ten years into his twenty-one
year run, Charlie's younger brother Stephen arrived to take control of
the floor as manager and head waiter. Steve's quick wit, easy warmth,
and consummate professionalism as the face of the Soule have endeared
him to regulars. His addition to the roster has only increased the
unforgettable appeal of an evening spent at the Soule Domain. "I asked
him to join me. He deserves a lot of the credit," says Charlie. "We
share the responsibilities—we get along well." And they do their job
well. I.e., providing a superb dining experience with exceptional food
and service. The high caliber of expertise and plain human warmth are
also reflected in the people who work for Charlie and Steve.
Charlie
explains his business model succinctly: "I want my guests to walk away
feeling like they had a complete experience—full of good food at a good
price, having had a good time."
Perhaps
that is why the Soule Domain has been voted the "Best Place to Take a
Date" by the North Tahoe Truckee Action Guide for thirteen years
running. Warm and cozy with a fire burning in the winter, open and airy
with the Dutch door ajar and ceiling fans lazily spinning in the
summer, tasteful cool jazz or classical music quietly playing as an
aural backdrop, an evening with that special someone at the Soule is
always romantic. The lighting is subdued, but not dark. The fresh
flowers on each table are an elegant accent. Steve is a wizard at
helping you to decide on the perfect wine from the restaurant's
surprisingly extensive fine wine list, and the servers have an uncanny
ability to sense when they're needed and when you'd like to be left
alone with your date.
The log cabin is
small and charming, but inside, it doesn't feel stuffy. With exposed
rafters under a high roof, there is a feeling of spaciousness combined
with the intimacy of the cabin's size. The decor is plain and
understated, yet distinctive. Soule family artifacts and heirlooms
abound, along with vintage photographs from around the lake. It all
lends itself to an alluring atmosphere which complements the excellent
food and service.
The essence of what
the Soule Domain is about is the nightly endeavor of transcending the
ordinary to make the taste buds sing, to make the heart happy, and to
make customers friends. After twenty-one years of rising to this
challenge and meeting it with self-assured deftness, it appears that
Charlie has proven that his uncle knew a sure thing when he saw it.
—P.D. O'Brien
