RADIANCE

Adventist Health

Feather River Health Center

5125 Skyway, Suite A

Paradise, California

6283 Clark Road, Suite 5

Paradise, California

530-872-2000

AdventistHealth.org/RChristenson

Feel more at home in your skin. Cosmetic Botox and dermal filler injections can reduce signs of aging and help you look younger by addressing concerns with lines from your forehead and eyebrows to your eyes, lips, nose, chin, neck and earlobes. In addition, we provide treatments for jaws and face shape adjustments. Botox injections can last as long as 4 months, while dermal fillers can last up to 18 months.

Renee Christenson, PA-C, is a board-certified physician assistant specializing in dermatology. She provides a variety of treatment techniques including anti-aging treatments, Botox injections, cosmetic lasers and dermal fillers. All cosmetic treatments are cash pay only and can be scheduled following a consultation.

It’s easy to have big dreams, set lofty goals, and expect to achieve them with ease when starting a new business. That truth is even more poignant for young entrepreneurs who lack experience in the industry they’ve chosen to try their hand at. As any seasoned business owner will advise, you don’t know what you don’t know, and you’ll spend much of your career as a business owner learning those things in the most difficult of circumstances. Because of those experiences, you’ll likely become less of a dreamer and more of a pragmatist focused on the bottom line rather than the big picture. Wes and Jenn Salisbury of Lassen Steakhouse and Lassen Gardens are those dreamers. Without any experience running restaurants, they dove in head first with big dreams and lofty goals. They received plenty of advice to alter their strategy, hearing time and again things would change once the novelty wore off. A year and a half later, the novelty has indeed worn off, but their trajectory has remained the same. Their strategy, outlined in an article we wrote for their grand opening in January of 2022, hasn’t changed to this day. Their goals and dreams, however, have continued to grow, and as both are quick to tell you, they’re just getting started.

“Don’t get me wrong; it hasn’t been easy.” Wes laughs, “There was a lot we didn’t know getting into this business. I had experience working in kitchens as a cook, but I had never managed employees or run a restaurant before. It’s one thing to be in charge of the grill; it’s something else entirely to be in charge of a large staff full of different needs, personalities, and ambitions. We are really blessed to have an incredible group of people working with us at Lassen Steakhouse and Lassen Gardens who have made this experience absolutely wonderful over the past 18 months. Each position is so important, and we’ve been really fortunate to land the group we’ve got. The way everyone comes together each shift is really impressive—like a symphony.” Jenn continues, “We really couldn’t do what we do without them, and I believe they have all played an integral role in allowing us to remain laser-focused on the strategy we created when we first opened the business. Thanks to them, we have been able to provide our customers with an experience we feel is unparalleled in the Northstate.”

The couple has stuck to that original strategy through thick and thin, often being advised by local industry insiders to significantly raise their prices or risk failure. As Jenn said in our original article in January 2022, “We wanted to make the restaurant as accessible to as many people as possible, so we priced everything with that in mind. If we can keep seats filled with lower prices, without sacrificing quality, then we can make smaller margins per customer and still be successful. We like to think of our model like In-N-Out Burger—their prices are fair, their quality is impeccable, they always have a line around the block, and everyone leaves happy.”

Since then, Lassen Steakhouse has experienced multiple major equipment failures, a months-long shutdown of the entire Highway-99 corridor, family tragedies, and plenty of other experiences that would cause most to deviate from their original course, attempting to recoup those unexpected losses by significantly raising prices. Instead, they’ve done the opposite by taking the loss upon themselves and remaining customer-centric. Wes sums it up by saying, “Significantly raising prices would have been an immediate solution to a short-term problem, but we wouldn’t have remained true to our mission. Our customers are everything to us. It may take longer to reach our goals working through setbacks this way, but we have plenty of time. We aren’t going anywhere, and remaining true to our customers ensures that.”

Side-by-side with the other steakhouses in town, Lassen Steakhouse’s menu continues to prove their commitment to that mission with pricing at or near half of their competitors. To top it off, their steaks are all served with a choice of soup or salad; a side of vegetables including asparagus, Brussels sprouts, or squash medley; and one additional side consisting of loaded mashed potato, roasted red mashed potatoes, or rice pilaf—a considerable added value over the offerings of others. Their beef is still sourced from R&R Quality Meats & Seafood in Redding, all steaks are hand-cut and aged in-house, and the server will take your order for a different size cut even if it’s not on the menu to make sure the meal is just right. “Everyone has different needs and different tastes.” Wes says, “Some people have bigger appetites than others, and we don’t want either side to feel like they have to order a size that isn’t right for them. Our servers ask what the customer is looking for, and we’ll cut a custom size in the kitchen to match.”

Unlike the restaurant side of the business,

Jenn had a decent amount of experience with planning and hosting corporate events, weddings, and birthdays. She decided to double down on their restaurant philosophy when she opened the doors to their wedding and event venue, Lassen Gardens, late last spring. “Just as no two appetites are created equal, no two events are quite the same.” Jenn says, “We wanted to extend the same concept we had for Lassen Steakhouse to our event venue and make our stunning property affordable and approachable to as many people as possible. We have four standard packages for those looking to plan their event as quickly and efficiently as possible, but we also have an a la carte menu that allows clients to custom-tailor the venue to their exact needs. It gives customers the the opportunity to better work within their budget while still getting the things that matter most to them.” That mindset received quick support from the community, and Lassen Gardens’ calendar quickly filled up. Within a few short months of opening, they were completely booked for all the events they were comfortable hosting in 2022.

Much like the steakhouse, they used the revenue from those events to bring even more to the community, inviting visitors to experience Lassen Gardens with programs like Lassen Idol, their hugely popular karaoke competition, and live music on their outdoor stage. That generosity played an even more impactful role this year when an oversight in Chico High School’s prom left hundreds of students without a means to attend the event as tickets to the original venue were sold far beyond capacity. Jenn saw a post on Facebook from a number of frustrated parents and students, and without so much as a second thought jumped in to make a difference. “It was the right thing to do.” Jenn smiles, “Everything was just sort of serendipity. We had the venue, and it surprisingly wasn’t booked for that particular evening. I just figured we had the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of students, so why shouldn’t we? Those kids had been through a lot. The seniors started high school in 2019 and only made it through one semester before the pandemic hit. The juniors started high school in 2020 with online learning. Both of those classes have been through enough and not having prom would have just sealed the deal, in my opinion. We were honestly just thrilled we could help.” Not only did they help, but they did so at no cost to the students or Chico High School, simply donating the venue entirely. Choking up so subtly, Jenn remembers, “It was really just a beautiful experience. So many parents reached out to us to tell us how thankful they were that their students were able to experience prom with their friends. The students who attended prom here were so sweet, thankful, polite, and respectful. Everything just came together in such a wonderful way. It was the perfect event.”

After a year of events at Lassen Gardens, it’s fair to say Jenn has honed her skills when it comes to wedding and event planning and coordination. It’s no easy task either, as anyone in the industry will attest. With no shortage of moving parts and plenty of opportunities for something to go wrong or fall through the cracks, it takes more than just a detail-oriented individual to keep all those plates spinning; Jenn and her team have proved time and again that they can do just that. “Just like anything else in business, it isn’t easy, but we do our best to make it look like it is.” Jenn says, “At the end of the day, we’re in the business of making memories. We want to make sure the venue is picture-perfect for all those oncein-a-lifetime photos. We try our best to take everything off the plate of the people who the event is honoring so they can focus on being in the moment and fully experience everything. Finally, we do our best to create the most fun atmosphere possible so everyone can enjoy those moments together with them. It’s a big undertaking, but we love every part of it. Whether a wedding, birthday, anniversary, or any other event, we put the same level of attention to detail into each and every minute of the process and give it the same care we would if it were our own.”

Wes finishes with, “It’s all part of what we’ve come to call the Lassen experience. We want everyone who walks through our doors or onto our property to know that they’re family. Their support and consideration means the world to us, and it’s allowed us to do so much more than we ever imagined in so much less time than we ever thought possible. This has been a dream come true for both of us, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Besides supporting two of the kindest and most generous people at the helm of a local business, there are plenty of reasons to visit Lassen Steakhouse and Lassen Gardens. If you’re looking for entertainment, Lassen Idol is set to kick off its 2023 season of karaoke competitions on July 8th. Live music returns to the outdoor stage in July as well with a list of performers we can’t wait to see. Club Lassen, an exciting new late night experience, is also in the works with plans to launch later this summer.

On the end of dining, the first Thursday of every month is Tomahawk Thursday with delicious 40oz tomahawk steaks on special; Lassen Steakhouse’s signature clam chowder is available every Friday night; and there’s word that their elusive brunch may become a mainstay in the very near future. Finally, the beautiful patio overlooking Lassen Gardens is open for outdoor dining nearly every night of the summer, and Lassen Gardens itself has opened up more days in its calendar for event bookings throughout 2023.

If you’re looking for an out of this world experience, you’ll find it at Lassen Steakhouse and Lassen Gardens. Reservations, menus, and more information are available online at www.LassenSteak.com and don’t forget to follow them on Facebook and Instagram for specials, events, and announcements. If you’re looking for more information on Lassen Gardens, visit the venue online at www.LassenGardensEvents.com