When people mention Bernie Butcher it is often to recommend his Tallman Hotel or to praise the neighboring Blue Wing Saloon. Perhaps they consider the sounds of the annual blues festival, held at the Upper Lake facility or the parade of talented musicians who entertain throughout the week. While it seems as if everybody knows him, Butcher is a relative newcomer to Lake County. He and his wife built a summer home in the area back in 1984, traveling from San Francisco. They purchased the Tallman property in August of 2003. Three years later, both the restaurant and hotel had been rebuilt, dressed up, staffed and opened. But hotel owner and restaurateur are only the latest entries on a resume that includes decades in investment banking, a turn in graduate school at Stanford and ten years teaching high school history.
1. Why go from the cushy world of teaching high school to the grind of a fine hotel?
My wife was looking for a project. We thought that Lake County would be a good place. One thing led to another.
2. This property was pretty rough at the time. Why not build new?
I like the historical aspect of restoring something old rather than building something new.
3. What went through your mind when you first saw the place?
It was pretty much a disaster, but with an interesting history and decent bones. It had obviously been a quick build, but had a strong redwood frame. It was something we could restore.
4. You clearly have a great interest in history.
That was my major in college — maybe because I wasn’t smart enough to be an engineer or scientist. The challenge of high school is that history is the subject of least interest to most students, so making them see the relevance of it in their lives — I like the challenge of that. This panel discussion [last night’s Big Read program] will bring out some of that, too.
5. You seem to be everywhere.
After 10 years we have a first rate manager, first rate maintenance, a first rate chef, so we’re doing what an owner should do and interacting with the community.
6. What’s your favorite dish at the Blue Wing?
Meatloaf. We do a very good bacon-wrapped meatloaf. You think when you come to Lake County with the farms that this would be a heavy meat eating area, but you’d be surprised at how many light eaters and how many vegetarians there are. So we’ve evolved the menu and have salads and vegetarian dishes in addition.
7. The most surprising thing about Lake County is …
We’ve been here a long time. I first came up here in ‘62 with friends. We’ve always found it a pleasant experience as guests. What has been the most positive experience is how open the community is to new ideas and new business. You’re accepted immediately into the community. We probably have more close friends here after ten years than in San Francisco.
8. You keep this place busy.
The thought is if you look at where we are, most people have to drive 15 minutes or 30 minutes to get here. Good food is important, but it’s also important to create some buzz, to give people a reason for coming. We found that there are more quality musicians in Lake County than places to play. Blues on Monday — almost no other venue is open on Monday, so musicians are happy to have a place to play. We have two bands on Sunday, we have one on Tuesday …
9. Are you a blues fan?
I always liked blues. But it’s important to stick with one genre on a specific night. People might not know the name of the band, but they know on Monday we will have blues. And it’s over at 9 so they can get home.
10. Any other projects in the works?
We’re just keeping the things we do going. That’s a lot to organize. We did open the retail store [Upper Lake Mercantile] last year. That’s a new project.
