INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – Fragrant Mexican spices transform Cutthroat Saloon into a slice of Mexico City this week, as two hometown chefs bring Dia de los Muertos traditions to the shores of Lake Tahoe. Their authentic menu at the restaurant inside the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe doesn’t just feed the living, it honors their ancestors with every dish. 

“Come experience a new culture, different flavors, and create memories,” said Sous Chef Fortino Corona. “I always believe that food is to create or to remember memories. So just come and make some memories and learn something different.” 

Drawing from their family traditions, Chef Corona and Culinary Supervisor Jesus Sanchez crafted this heritage-rich menu, available alongside Cutthroat Saloon’s regular offerings through Nov. 2. 

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“We want to share this part of the tradition with you,” Chef Sanchez said. “We want to have this experience with this menu we made … Just for you to come to share with us and experience a little bit of a great tradition, which is this day.” 

The festive menu honors tradition with hearty pozole verde, handcrafted tamales, sweet-candied pumpkin (dulce de calabaza), and pillowy pan de muerto, the celebration’s signature bread. Toast to loved ones with a spiced Cinnamon Sugar Skull cocktail or seasonal Pumpkin Spice Martini. 

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On Friday and Saturday, Nov. 1 and 2, local mariachi band El Trio de Dos will perform from 6 to 8 p.m. 

“We’re thrilled to celebrate the rich traditions of Dia de los Muertos by offering these special experiences at Cutthroat’s Saloon,” said Andrew De Lapp, resort manager. “This culinary experience not only honors the vibrant flavors of Mexican culture, but also invites our guests to join in a meaningful celebration of life and remembrance.” 

When Chef Corona was five, he remembers making pan de muerto with his grandfather, while his mother and grandmother fixed pozole and tamales for his family’s Dia de los Muertos celebration. 

“I helped prepping those ingredients when I was a kid,” Chef Corona said. “It’s in my brain, like those memories have the scent, the taste and all those emotions. We wanted people who tried our food to feel that way, to feel an emotion.” 

Pan de muerto is a cherished Mexican sweet bread that lies at the heart of Día de los Muertos celebrations. It is part of graveside tributes and home altars, traditionally placed alongside the favorite foods and drinks of departed loved ones. 

These alters are adorned with the deceased’s pictures, flowers and everything they used to love. 

“That’s why we make the bread,” Chef Corona said. “The bread is for that motive (an offering to departed loved ones). It represents the skulls and the bones … that’s to take the essence with the spirits for the next year’s visit. They come to your house, and they take the essence (nourishment) of all the elements that you leave for them. Then they take it with them for the trip to the afterlife again.” 

On the bread, there’s raised strips of crisscrossed dough like bones while a knob in the middle represents a teardrop mourning those who’ve passed. 

Executive Sous Chef Istvan Erdos (all hotel food outlets) said the bread of the dead is his favorite. 

“It’s very light,” Chef Erdos said of the traditional Mexican sweet bread infused with delicate orange blossom water. “It’s filled with spiced pastry cream. Very tasty … it’s really delicious and sweet. Absolutely everybody who comes here should order it.” 

Each item on the curated menu has meaning and memories. 

“You’re going to experience one of the most delicious dishes that we have in Mexican cuisine,” Chef Sanchez said about the pozole. “It has different varieties, like red, green, white … you’re going to be introduced to a different flavor and you will love it after you try it the first time for sure.” 

The green pozole features tender braised pork swimming in a fragrant broth, topped with crisp shredded cabbage, delicate radish slices, and a splash of lime, served with crispy tortilla chips. 

The red pozole was such a hit during the first Dia de los Muertos celebration in 2023 that it became a permanent offering on Cutthroat’s menu. 

Chef de Cuisine Shay Prince recommends the tamales. 

“The tamales are delicious,” Chef Prince said. “Me, Fortino and Jesus, we roll them by hand so there’s our own labor in it. The mole that Jesus put together is very authentic, very flavorful … we rolled every one by hand in banana leaves. We steeped the (corn) masa ourselves. Just between the flavors and the presentation and the effort we put into it, it’s my favorite.” 

The candied pumpkin is a little different, Chef Shay explained. When people read about it, they’re not sure what it is. 

“But when they see it, it’s just amazing,” Chef Shay said. “It’s basically a poached mini-Cinderella pumpkin that’s been hallowed out. The flesh of it has been candied, skinned, and fleshed inside and then we fill it with vanilla ice cream that we make here in house, and we lay it with marshmallows, a pepita crumble and finish it with a reduced syrup that the pumpkins were poached in.” 

Chef Prince developed this weeklong event after chefs Corona and Sanchez started at Cutthroat Saloon. 

“We really wanted to make sure the food was authentic, so I engaged them and sought out their help coming up with this menu,” Chef Prince said. “Really, those guys deserve all the credit because they’ve really put a lot of heart into this food. Everything we’ve done has been handmade. Nothing out of the bag. Everything has been made with love and care.” 

In 2023, it was successful. 

“We had a lot of fun with this celebration,” Chef Shay said. “We had music, face painting, and people enjoyed the food.” 

Because of that, the Dia de los Muertos celebration is back.