Chef Lily Doolin

Private Chef In South Lake Tahoe

Hi! I’m Lily. Growing up in Michigan, I always loved the change of seasons and the recipes that came with them. Sour cherries just in time for 4th of July pie, and hearty kale for cozy, winter soups. Our sink could often be found piled high with dishes and our black lab speckled in flour; but amidst the chaos was my happy place. When I started culinary school at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI, I couldn't have predicted where my love of cooking would lead - it took me half a world away to a fine-dining restaurant in Australia, to a rural organic farm in Michigan, and to the University of Alabama football stadium as a sports nutritionist.

Later, I answered the call of the mountains and moved to Reno where I catered destination weddings in Lake Tahoe and completely fell in love with the beauty of the area. Tahoe brings me so much joy—when I'm not in the kitchen, you can find me skiing on the slopes, polar plunging in Lake Tahoe, or biking the dusty trails—and there's no better place to make my vision for Faded Apron a reality. Faded Apron aims to bring memorable moments and delicious food to visitors and locals alike, who want to take in all that Tahoe has to offer, and eat well while they do it. From private gatherings to grocery stock and meal prep to on-the-go picnics in nature, Faded Apron has you covered for stress-free entertaining, thoughtful food, and friendly service.

For me, cooking is...

My passion and the best way to express my love for each season.

I learned to cook at...

Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI Bachelor of Science Culinary Nutrition Associates Degree Culinary Arts

A cooking secret...

Looking at all the ingredients on hand and making something delicious from it.

My menus

Pasta Menu

STARTER

All inclusive

Homemade Focaccia Bread with Salted Butter

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Pecorino Caesar | Crunchy Greens | Shaved Pecorino | Garlicky Breadcrumbs | Toasted Pine Nuts

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

DESSERT

All inclusive

Chez Panisse Almond Torte | Vanilla Bean Custard Sauce, Fresh berries, Lemon Zest

Winter Comfort

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Sticky Whiskey Short Ribs

Spiced Brown Butter Roasted Carrots | Baby Carrots | Maple Syrup | Roasted Pepitas

DESSERT

All inclusive

Malted Mousse | Espresso chip Ice Cream | Crunchy Malt Topping

French

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Cara Cara Orange Salad | Puffed Quinoa, Arugula, Feta, Pistachio, Shaved Fennel, Avocado, Citrus Vinaigrette

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Coq Au Vin | Wine, Mushrooms, Lardon, Herbs, Garlic

Pommes Puree | Potato, Creme Fraiche, Butter, Cream, Chives

Shallot Haricot Vert | Caramelized Shallots, Buttery Almonds, Lemon

DESSERT

All inclusive

Salted Chocolate Pot de Creme | Whipped Cream | Maldon Salt

New American Menu

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Braised Chicken Marbella Capers | Dates | White Wine | Olives | Molasses

Miso Butter Green Beans

Duck Fat Crispy Potatoes

DESSERT

All inclusive

Butterscotch Budino | Butterscotch Pudding | Salted Caramel | Whipped Cream

Winter Pasta Menu

STARTER

All inclusive

Homemade Focaccia Bread with Seasonal Butter

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Honeycrisp Arugula Salad Honeycrisp Apple | Pepitas | Pomegranate | Parmesan Cheese | Apple Cider Vinaigrette

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Spicy Sausage + Kale Orecchiette Italian Sausage | Kale | White Beans | Garlic Panko Bread Crumbs

Lemon, Garlic, + Chile Roasted Asparagus

DESSERT

All inclusive

Salted Chocolate Pot de Creme Whipped Cream | Maldon Salt

Alpine Dinner

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes

Summer Charred Corn | Serrano | Lime | Feta | Corn Nuts

Butter Basted Ribeye Steaks | Salsa Verde Butter | Thyme | Garlic

DESSERT

All inclusive

Skillet Seasonal Fruit Crumble | Vanilla Ice Cream

Taste of Summer

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Sea Bass with Aji Verde | Brown Butter Corn Puree | Serrano | Fresh Herbs | Macadamia

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Garlic Lemon Asparagus | Slow Cooked Garlic | Lemon Zest | Chile

DESSERT

All inclusive

Strawberry Chouxcake | Strawberries | Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream | Homemade Choux (Creampuff)

Thai Inspired

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Spicy Coconut Lime Braised Chicken Legs

Ginger Garlic Rice

DESSERT

All inclusive

Buttermilk Pudding | Berry Compote | Honeycomb Crumble | Fresh Berries

Pasta Menu

STARTER

All inclusive

Homemade Focaccia Bread with Salted Butter

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Pecorino Caesar | Crunchy Greens | Shaved Pecorino | Garlicky Breadcrumbs | Toasted Pine Nuts

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

DESSERT

All inclusive

Chez Panisse Almond Torte | Vanilla Bean Custard Sauce, Fresh berries, Lemon Zest

Winter Comfort

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Sticky Whiskey Short Ribs

Spiced Brown Butter Roasted Carrots | Baby Carrots | Maple Syrup | Roasted Pepitas

DESSERT

All inclusive

Malted Mousse | Espresso chip Ice Cream | Crunchy Malt Topping

French

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Cara Cara Orange Salad | Puffed Quinoa, Arugula, Feta, Pistachio, Shaved Fennel, Avocado, Citrus Vinaigrette

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Coq Au Vin | Wine, Mushrooms, Lardon, Herbs, Garlic

Pommes Puree | Potato, Creme Fraiche, Butter, Cream, Chives

Shallot Haricot Vert | Caramelized Shallots, Buttery Almonds, Lemon

DESSERT

All inclusive

Salted Chocolate Pot de Creme | Whipped Cream | Maldon Salt

New American Menu

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Braised Chicken Marbella Capers | Dates | White Wine | Olives | Molasses

Miso Butter Green Beans

Duck Fat Crispy Potatoes

DESSERT

All inclusive

Butterscotch Budino | Butterscotch Pudding | Salted Caramel | Whipped Cream

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Chef Lily's reviews

4.98

•

85 services

Lily is amazing!

We decided to go for a lunch with chef lily and after a long morning of outdoor activities, it was such a delight to come back to. The food was delicious, lily was so accommodating and friendly. Would definitely recommend!

I’m so glad I booked this experience with Chef Lily! I surprised my family and we were all blow away at the amazingly delicious gourmet “winter comfort” dinner that was prepared for our dining delight:) Chef Lily was prompt, professional, and very personable! When we discovered we were from the same region in Michigan, the conversation flowed easily & we shared many laughs!! I would strongly recommend this experience to anyone staying in the area!!! Thanks Chef Lily :)

We had never hired a private chef and didn’t quite know how the evening would go with only two of us dining. But Lily was so pleasant and conversational while efficiently making delicious food. She helpfully answered our questions about the food and her techniques (except for a few “secret” recipes!) and put us at ease. Wonderful evening!

Chef Lily is a great chef. Food was amazing. Communication was great. She accommodated our special requests on diet and left the kitchen spotless! Thank you, Chef Lily. Unfortunately, she’s not available during our second trip to Tahoe!

Chef Lily made our family the most delicious 3 course dinner. Every course was superb. And it was a treat to sit at the dining table, and have every course served to you.

My fiancé and I wanted to do experience something different and hired a private chef for the evening and it was SO worth it! Chef Lily was so professional, kind and interesting to talk to, she was incredibly efficient, and of course her cooking was phenomenal! The 3-course meal was delicious and would love to hire Chef Lily again next time we are in Lake Tahoe. Thank you so much! Private Feedback: Thank you again for a wonderful evening and dinner! We are looking forward to whenever we visit next so we can hire you again!! Kaitlyn & Cody

Had such a wonderful experience with chef Lily coming to our Airbnb to cook dinner. She took the time to make every dish look beautiful & it tasted delicious! Would definitely recommend & sign up to do again ourselves!

Lily is amazing! The group absolutely loved the meal and could not stop raving about it. She’s a joy to be around and so professional. The perfect addition to your next Tahoe weekend getaway. Private Feedback: Thank you Lily!! My husband and his friends LOVED dinner and had such an amazing time.

We had an amazing time with the chef and the food was great! I most definitely recommend, the pancakes and cinnamon rolls were to die for! Private Feedback: Thank you Chef!

We had a wonderful experience with Chef Lily. The food (braised short ribs) was all delicious, her service was efficient without being rushed, and she left the kitchen spotless. Hope to repeat this experience in the future.

Lily served an absolutely perfect and delicious dinner for our group of 14. She was punctual, responsive and flexible. Thank you Lily

Lily’s pasta was fantastic. Very fun and friendly.

Chef Lily was great exceptional food and very patient with us it was a great dining experience would highly recommend!

We were staying in South Lake Tahoe and hired Chef Lily to cook dinners for us for multiple nights. From the time we hired her until the end I could not have been happier as she was wonderful to work with. We have hired many private chefs over the years and she has been one of our favorites. Her communication was great, she was always on time, and she left the house spotless. Most importantly her food was wonderful. Every dish we had was good and it was the perfect amount of food. She is one of those chefs where anything she cooked would be good and I’d trust her to just make anything. She also easily accommodated our dietary restrictions without a problem. Beyond all that it was easy to work with her. We have kids and were in the kitchen at the same time and felt totally comfortable. The house we rented had one large shared space and so it was important to have someone you are comfortable with there. I’d highly recommend having her cook for you if you are considering a private chef.

Chef Lily was absolutely amazing! After a long day of skiing, we got to celebrate my dad‘s birthday with a very special meal, and didn’t have to lift a finger. Our family has a ton of food allergies, all across the board, and chef Lily was able to accommodate everybody. She made the perfect menu that every single person in our family could enjoy! She even helped with the kids! Thank you so much Chef for Lily! We highly recommend

Lily was an awesome chef. Her food was delicious and she was friendly and professional too! We had a great night!

Amazing service! Great food and Chef Lily was spot on with the flavors in our plant based menu request. Great experience and highly recommend Chef Lily!

if you are going to Tahoe & want a nice dinner, do this! She’s incredibly talented, a joy to be around and the food is amazing.

Lily and Take a chef were AMAZING! Lily created a delicious menu that took our dietary restrictions into consideration. It was so so good, highly recommend! Her and her server were so sweet. Thank you!!

Lily is amazing!

Chef Lily made our family the most delicious 3 course dinner. Every course was superb. And it was a treat to sit at the dining table, and have every course served to you.