Events Archive - Page 29 of 117 - Rancho La Puerta
Events Calendar
Types of Events:
Spa Services

Hands-On Cooking Classes and a Mexican-Italian Culinary Journey with Palma Bellinghieri

Palma offers hands-on culinary experiences, 3.5 hours each, during which you will enjoy preparing your own meal along with fellow cooks. Classes take place at La Cocina Que Canta, our culinary center on Tuesday and Wednesday, at 4pm. In addition, Chef Palma will collaborate with La Cocina Que Canta’s Executive Chef Reyna Venegas and her team to create a special feast (with wine pairing!) on Thursday at 4:45pm.

Tuesday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM Sign Up
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

Wednesday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM Sign Up
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

Thursday Dal Campo alla Tavola: A Mexican-Italian Culinary Journey Dinner 4:45 PM Sign Up
Defy borders and celebrate cultures in this culinary event, which is a perfect blend of health, tradition, flavor, and fun! Cost is $150 per person, tax and wine pairing included. The maximum number of guests is 30. Sign Up at the Appointments Desk or through the link above.

 

Palma Bellinghieri is a second-generation culinary artist and chef. Born in Mexico City, she is a graduate of the Pierrefeux Institute and Glion Hotel Management School in Montreaux, Switzerland. A founding member of the Mind/Body Health Initiative, daughter of world-renown Sicilian chef and restaurateur, Alfredo Bellinghieri (“Alfredos” and “La Trucha Vagabunda” restaurants in Mexico City), Palma fuses generations of family and Bellinghieri-restaurant recipes and upbringing into nutritious and delicious foods. Palma has been a Demonstration Chef at the Vegetarian Cooking School of the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, assuring us that thoughtful food choices can be made, leading to prevention and reversal of many chronic conditions. Palma also caters delicious healthy food for special events and parties.

For the last 18 years during the summer months, she directs and teaches the popular camp series “For Young Chef’s,” teaching healthy eating, food preparation and cooking to children and teens with recipes and culture from Around the World!

For the past three years, Palma has been immersed taking over Hotel Las Palmas Hotel in San Felipe, Baja California, where her parents spent the last 30 years of their life. As a result, she has remodeled Alfredo’s Restaurant & Bar and has redesigned the gardens and 45 rooms in the hotel to create a culinary and hospitality legacy. Las Palmas is in the Sea of Cortez, a retirement community only 4:30 hours from San Diego, with warm beaches and fresh local produce.

Hands-On Cooking Classes and Bountiful Vegetarian Delights Dinner with Jeanne Kelley

Jeanne offers hands-on culinary experiences, 3.5 hours each, during which you will enjoy preparing your own meal along with fellow cooks. Classes take place at La Cocina Que Canta, our culinary center on Tuesday and Wednesday, at 4pm. In addition, Chef Jeanne will collaborate with La Cocina Que Canta’s Executive Chef Reyna Venegas and her team to create a special feast (with wine pairing!) on Thursday at 4:45pm.

Tuesday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM Sign Up
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

Wednesday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM Sign Up
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

Thursday Bountiful Vegetarian Delights Dinner 4:45 PM Sign Up
Join us in creating cherished memories with our loved ones while relishing the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine. This culinary event is a perfect blend of health, tradition, flavor, and fun! Cost is $150 per person, tax and wine pairing included. The maximum number of guests is 30. Sign Up at the Appointments Desk or through the link above.

 

Jeanne Kelley is an award-winning author of six cookbooks. A food writer, culinary educator and food stylist, she was a contributing editor at Bon Appetit magazine for twenty years. Jeanne is an edible garden expert who specializes in seasonal and sustainable cooking. Her articles have appeared frequently in the Los Angeles Times food section, Fine Cooking and Cooking Light.

Hands-On Cooking Classes and Whole Grains & Friends Fiesta with Roxana Jullapat

Roxana offers hands-on culinary experiences, 3.5 hours each, during which you will enjoy preparing your own meal along with fellow cooks. Classes take place at La Cocina Que Canta, our culinary center on Tuesday and Wednesday, at 4pm. In addition, Chef Roxana will collaborate with La Cocina Que Canta’s Executive Chef Reyna Venegas and her team to create a special feast (with wine pairing!) on Thursday at 4:45pm.

Hands On Cooking Classes and Chefs Dinner Sign Up

 

Tuesday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

Wednesday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

Whole Grains & Friends Fiesta Dinner 4:45 PM
Join us in creating cherished memories with our loved ones while relishing the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine. This culinary event is a perfect blend of health, tradition, flavor, and fun! Cost is $150 per person, tax and wine pairing included. The maximum number of guests is 30. Sign Up at the Appointments Desk or through the link above.

 

Baker Roxana Jullapat, a Los Angeles native of Costa Rican and Thai descent, pursued a degree in journalism before turning to cooking. For the last 20 years, she has held tenures at some of Los Angeles’ most celebrated restaurants including Campanile, Bastide, Lucques, and AOC. In May of 2017, she opened Friends & Family where every loaf of bread, morning pastry, and decadent cookie reflect her appreciation for regional grains and California’s seasonality. Earlier this year, her new venture, Friends & Family Pizza Co., opened at the Original Farmers’ Market in Mid City. Roxana’s first cookbook, Mother Grains: Recipes for the Grain Revolution (W.W. Norton), was released in April of 2021. Her second book, a deeper dive into whole grain cookery, will be published in 2025. Roxana lives in a craftsman bungalow in Silver Lake with her husband/business partner Chef Daniel Mattern and their sweet cat Gilbert.

Hands-On Cooking Classes and Whole Grains & Friends Fiesta with Roxana Jullapat

Roxana offers hands-on culinary experiences, 3.5 hours each, during which you will enjoy preparing your own meal along with fellow cooks. Classes take place at La Cocina Que Canta, our culinary center on Tuesday and Wednesday, at 4pm. In addition, Chef Roxana will collaborate with La Cocina Que Canta’s Executive Chef Reyna Venegas and her team to create a special feast (with wine pairing!) on Thursday at 4:45pm.

Tuesday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM Sign Up
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

Wednesday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM Sign Up
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

Whole Grains & Friends Fiesta Dinner 4:45 PM Sign Up
Join us in creating cherished memories with our loved ones while relishing the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine. This culinary event is a perfect blend of health, tradition, flavor, and fun! Cost is $150 per person, tax and wine pairing included. The maximum number of guests is 30. Sign Up at the Appointments Desk or through the link above.

 

Baker Roxana Jullapat, a Los Angeles native of Costa Rican and Thai descent, pursued a degree in journalism before turning to cooking. For the last 20 years, she has held tenures at some of Los Angeles’ most celebrated restaurants including Campanile, Bastide, Lucques, and AOC. In May of 2017, she opened Friends & Family where every loaf of bread, morning pastry, and decadent cookie reflect her appreciation for regional grains and California’s seasonality. Earlier this year, her new venture, Friends & Family Pizza Co., opened at the Original Farmers’ Market in Mid City. Roxana’s first cookbook, Mother Grains: Recipes for the Grain Revolution (W.W. Norton), was released in April of 2021. Her second book, a deeper dive into whole grain cookery, will be published in 2025. Roxana lives in a craftsman bungalow in Silver Lake with her husband/business partner Chef Daniel Mattern and their sweet cat Gilbert.

Hands-On Cooking Classes and Taste of Mexico dinner with Carlos Gaytan

Carlos offers hands-on culinary experiences, 3.5 hours each, during which you will enjoy preparing your own meal along with fellow cooks. Classes take place at La Cocina Que Canta, our culinary center on Tuesday and Wednesday, at 4pm. In addition, Chef Carlos will collaborate with La Cocina Que Canta’s Executive Chef Reyna Venegas and her team to create a special feast (with wine pairing!) on Thursday at 4:45pm.

Tuesday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM Sign Up
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

Wednesday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM Sign Up
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

Thursday Taste of Mexico Dinner 4:45 PM Sign Up
Celebrate the richness of Mexican cuisine! This culinary event is a perfect blend of health, tradition, flavor, and fun! Cost is $150 per person, tax and wine pairing included. The maximum number of guests is 30. Sign Up at the Appointments Desk or through the link above.

 

There are few who connect with the stories of their homeland more than Chef Carlos Gaytán. The first Mexican-born chef to earn a Michelin star, Carlos returned to Chicago in 2019 after a year of deep exploration in his native country to open Tzuco. Named after his birth city (Huitzuco) in the region of Guerrero, Tzuco regales Carlos’ life experiences through a range of authentic culinary creations. There, he presents the colorful flavors of Mexico while connecting to the techniques of French cuisine he has honed through years of training. The restaurant opened to wide acclaim, receiving a 2020 semi-finalist nod for Best New Restaurant by the James Beard Foundation, a prestigious Chicago Tribune Dining Award, the Jean Banchet Award for Best Restaurant Design and more. Chef Gaytán is a widely recognized ambassador of Mexican cuisine throughout the world. He shares his knowledge at global symposiums and has appeared on numerous cooking shows throughout the U.S., Mexico, Latin and South America. A documentary about Gaytán’s life – Vidas con sabor: De la tierra a la Estrella Michelin (Lives with Flavor: From Earth to Michelin Star) – premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival in 2019, revealing the fighter within that has led to his success

 

What Does Justice Look Like for Black Women in the US

Stephanie Davis facilitates a panel with:
Terrica Ganzy, Executive Director of the Southern Center for Human Rights,
Atteeyah Hollie, Deputy Director of the Southern Center for Human Rights,
Taina Bien-Aime, Executive Director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women.

This panel of activists, facilitated by a long-time RLP guest, will discuss the discriminatory treatment of Black women who get caught up in the criminal justice system and those who are specifically criminalized due to their exploitation in the sex trade. Through strength and resilience, many of these women survive and thrive in a society that has historically marginalized and punished them. We will look at solutions to current conditions and explore policies to ameliorate the ways women are targeted.

 

Stephanie Davis has been a guest of the Ranch for twenty years and is also a fractional owner of The Residences, and this place of respite has kept her in the fight for women’s rights and social justice. She is the Chair of the Board of Motherhood Beyond Bars based in Atlanta, Georgia and serves on the boards of the Southern Center for Human Rights and, recently, the Coalition for Trafficking in Women. Her career included being the founding director of the Atlanta Women’s Foundation, the Policy Advisor on Women’s Issues to Mayor Shirley Franklin, the director of Georgia Women for a Change which passed model legislation on human trafficking, made the pimping of children a felony and raised the age of marriage in Georgia.

 

Terrica Redfield Ganzy is Executive Director of the Southern Center for Human Rights’ (SCHR), where she leads the SCHR team in carrying out its mission to dramatically transform the criminal legal system through direct representation, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and public education.  Prior to becoming SCHR’s Executive Director, Terrica served in several different roles at SCHR, most recently as Deputy Director, helping to coordinate SCHR’s strategy and programs. Terrica also served as SCHR’s development director, designing and leading SCHR’s development strategy and building strategic partnerships. For nine years, Terrica served as a Staff Attorney in SCHR’s Capital Litigation Unit, where her work focused on representing clients on death row in Georgia and Alabama. For five years, she also served as the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) Death Penalty Resource Counsel, providing training and resources to capital defense attorneys throughout the nation. Terrica received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and an LL.M. in trial advocacy from Temple University Beasley School of Law. She received a B.A. in English and Humanities, summa cum laude, from Tougaloo College. She received a Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Social Enterprise from Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Public Policy. She is admitted to practice law in North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, the Georgia Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court of Georgia, and the United States Supreme Court.  Terrica is a member of Leadership Atlanta Class of 2022, a graduate of Leadership Clayton, a member of the 2015 Class of the Georgia Center for Nonprofits’ High Potential Diverse Leaders, a 2014 New Leaders Council Fellow, and a graduate of Georgia’s WIN List’s Leadership Academy. She serves as Vice-President of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation’s Board of Directors and as President of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys’ (GABWA). Terrica also serves on the State Bar of Georgia’s Professionalism Committee and as a member of the State Bar’s Seeking Equal Justice and Addressing Racism and Racial Bias Committee. She is also a member of the Judicial Council of Georgia’s Access to Justice Committee.

 

Atteeyah Hollie is the Southern Center for Human Rights’ (SCHR) Deputy Director. She formerly served as a Senior Attorney and more recently Managing Attorney in SCHR’s Impact Litigation Unit (ILU). Atteeyah originally joined SCHR as an Investigator in the ILU for four years before returning in 2010 as an attorney. Atteeyah has litigated cases challenging the denial of the right to counsel for poor Georgians, illegally closed courtrooms, wealth-based detention, inhumane prison conditions, and the denial of utility services because of court debt. In addition, Atteeyah, along with Managing Attorney Patrick Mulvaney, has spearheaded SCHR’s efforts to end extreme sentencing in Georgia. Atteeyah is a 2010 graduate of Gideon’s Promise and currently assists the organization with training public defenders. She was named a 2017 “On the Rise” Georgia lawyer by the Fulton County Daily Report. She received her B.A. in History from Dartmouth College in 2002, graduated from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law in 2010. Atteeyah is grateful to call Otis and Clive Stone her sons, and Nate Stone her loving husband.

Taina Bien-Aimé has three decades of experience defending the rights of women and girls at the national and global levels. She is currently the Executive Director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW), one of the oldest international organizations dedicated to ending trafficking in women and girls and commercial sexual exploitation as practices of gender-based violence and discrimination. Prior to her position at CATW and for twenty years, Taina was involved with Equality Now, a global organization working to promote the human rights of women and girls, first as a founding Board member and subsequently as its Executive Director for ten years. She was also a Director of Business Affairs at Home Box Office and practiced international corporate law at the Wall Street law firm, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. Taina holds a Juris Doctor from the NYU School of Law and a degree in Political Science from the University of Geneva/Graduate School of International Studies in Switzerland. Taina has extensive media experience and was honored with a number of awards for her campaigns to secure equality for women and girls globally, among which being listed on the 2021 Forbes’ inaugural of 50>50 Women Who Have Made a Social Impact. Earlier this year, she was pinned with the Knight of the Legion of Honor Medal, the highest distinction bestowed by the Government of France in recognition of civilian merit.

Ayurvedic Wellness

Ayurveda and Biohacking
Ayurveda & Self -Assessment – Discover What Your Body Is Telling You
Ayurveda & Customized Healing – Tailor Treatments to Your Needs

Siva Mohan, MD, MPH, is a big picture person. An integrationist. A pattern seer.

As a UN Social Affairs Officer and working globally with private clients for over 13 years, Dr. Siva realized that even educated, active people are missing the basics of wellness. Across cultures and continents, we are leading lives set up for chronic disease and discontentment.

Siva’s mission is to teach people to feel again; to be able to hear what their bodies and hearts are guiding them to shift. And then, to give them tools and approaches to accomplish those healthy shifts.

With an MD, and background in behavior change and education, Siva presents an empowering East-West Mind-Body version of Ayurveda. She guides her audience to individualized wellness lifestyle with tools and approaches from Ayurveda, emotional wellness, and modern science.

Her book, courses and content can be found at ayurvedabysiva.com.

Can’t Draw and You Can Too!

I have a secret to tell you. Right now, you already have all the skills you need to make sketching a satisfying life-long practice. Join me to see for yourself the habits you can develop that will make this practice an on-going part of your life. You’ll find that a drawing practice does more than fill scrap paper and sketch books with random images. It will give you a method to see things in a new way, and a habit of being more present to your surroundings. Like a puzzle, a game, or sports, sketching keeps you grounded in the here and now. It is a practice that will enhance mindfulness and attention…and it might even improve your drawing skills. Let’s learn some simple sketch exercises that are all you need to begin a lifetime of drawing enjoyment and satisfaction.

Session One
Finding a way in | Finding a way out – Let’s learn to see together, let’s learn how to find a way into interpreting what we see through the language of sketch. There are so many ways to get started, we’ll try a few, and you’ll begin to find what works for you.

Session Two
Portrait roulette – For most of us there is nothing more intimidating than drawing another person. Let’s throw caution to the wind, pick up our pencils and take our new found skills of observation for a spin. We’ll take turns quick-sketching one another and see how satisfying it is to capture people on paper.

Session Three
Fifty shades of green – Pine trees, Pepper trees, Azaleas, Olives, Avocados, Weeping Willows
and a fresh cut lawn. They are all green! How can we use a limited palette of paints to respond
to the greens we see and build a symphony of green. Starting with blue and yellow, and even
muting it with a bit of red, you’ll discover just how beautiful an array of greens can be.=

Session Four
Only you have your point of view – learning to find satisfaction in sketching means learning to
see the world in a different way. Today we’ll explore elements of composition and point of view.
We’ll learn to eliminate distractions and how to place the point of interest on our paper. You’ll
see how changing your view point, even just a little, can greatly enhance your sketching
experience.

Session Five
Putting it all together – Now that we’ve gotten our feet wet, let’s take sketch to a new level. Using line and color we’ll compose a study from nature. We’ll look at simplifying the complex world and narrowing our point of view so that we can create a color sketch that captures a moment in time and renders it as a keepsake.

Tom Birmingham is an artist and photographer living and working in Big Sur, California. After years of being intimidated by the perceived rigor of developing drawing skills, he embarked on a sketch practice that immediately brought satisfaction and enhanced his experiences in his travels and his daily life. Tom is a founder of the Peninsula Sketchers in Monterey, California. He teaches line and watercolor sketch around the country and on his annual Italian sketch tours. For thirty years, Tom has taught creative expression in photography, theater, and visual arts to artists and novices, adults and children around the world.

Art Lab for Teens

Sequential Artistic Explorations

  1. The Cosmic Doodle – channeling your inner artist in pure color and line play. Pen, Marker, Paper, and Go!
  2. The Magic Dot – let the water do the work! Exploring the wonderful world of watercolor.
  3. Fantasy Collage – let your imagination be your guide! A little paint, paper, scissors, and glue – the sky is the limit!
  4. Taking a Line for a Walk – drawing exercises for people who don’t draw.
  5. Let it Rip! The landscape of the Ranch is in torn paper collage, putting color to shape and imagination to observation to fashion your own interpretive landscape “paintings.”

                     

An award-winning painter and author, Erin Gafill has inspired people around the world with her inspirational art, heartfelt stories, and uniquely engaging teaching methods. Her work bridges art, craft, and community, weaving observation, intuition, and imagination into her painting, writing, teaching, and public speaking. A fifth-generation California artist, she was born in Big Sur, California in 1963, the daughter of a beatnik and a hippie and the great-great-granddaughter of Carmel’s first artist-in-residence. Growing up at her grandparents’ legendary restaurant, Nepenthe, a mecca for poets, bohemians, and dreamers, she drew inspiration from its ever-changing cast of characters as well as the stunning and mystical beauty of the coast. Erin is the founder of the nonprofit Big Sur Arts Initiative and a founding member of the Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters Association. In 2001 Erin was honored to serve as the first American Artist-in-Residence at the Hamada International Children’s Museum, Hamada, Japan. In 2009, she and her husband Tom Birmingham were named Champions of the Arts by the Arts Council of Monterey County and were honored by the United States Congress for their service to the community through the arts. Her exhibit Color Duets was the featured Spring/Summer show for the Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, California, in 2022, and her solo exhibit, California Atmosphere, was featured this summer at the Morris Graves Museum of Art, Eureka, California. She is the author of a coffee table art book, Color Duets, with Kaffe Fassett, and a memoir about life/work balance, Drinking from a Cold Spring, and a Little Book of Hope. Both books are available at www.colorduets.com. 

Self-Defense for Tweens, Teens, and Women

5 Ways to Keep Children Safe and Stay Connected at any Age
Women’s Personal Safety: How to feel confident, safe, and in your power
Self-Defense for Tweens
Self-Defense for Teens

Amy Oliveyah Salvage Fisch (known as Liv) is a master coach and international best-selling author with over 15 years of experience in the coaching industry. As a self-defense and personal safety instructor, she has empowered countless individuals to transform their lives. Liv’s impressive qualifications include a master’s degree in Exercise Science, certifications in Yoga, Meditation, Reiki, Health Coaching, Life Coaching, and Awareness and Mindfulness Training. She’s a Performance Enhancement Specialist and holds a Black Belt in Kung Fu San Soo, with expertise in fighting tandem, staff, sword, nunchuk, cane, and escrima sticks. With a prestigious list of corporate partners like Forager Project, YouTube, Salesforce, Allbirds, and Google, Liv’s programs are praised for being refreshing, fun, educational, engaging, and results-driven. She offers practical tools and techniques that bring value to her audience and create lasting change. Passionate about personal safety, empowered health, and fostering joy, Liv is dedicated to helping others achieve transformation. Join her on a journey to unlock your true potential and embrace a future filled with safety, vitality, and boundless joy.

 

David Williams (aka Super Dave) has studied martial arts for 30 years, starting with Tae Kwon Do. Then 29 years ago, he met Grand Master André Salvage, who opened his eyes to the Master’s path of Kung Fu San Soo. Dave received his Master’s Degree (8th-degree black belt) 12 years ago and continues to work on his art as he teaches Kung Fu San Soo and Assault Prevention. Teaching self-defense to all ages is a passion of his, and he strives to empower all with his knowledge. As a business owner since 2000 of Super Dave Dog, Inc. in San Francisco, he walks and trains dogs through exercise, discipline, and affection. Another passion is pickleball, which he picked up five years ago at the Ranch and now plays almost daily and in amateur tournaments. His routine of fitness and meditation keeps him grounded and enables him to be a loving husband and father of two sons, both of whom are assisting him at the Ranch this week.

A Game Maker’s Life: The Inside Story of the Toy and Game Industry

Join Jeffrey Breslow, the man behind the scenes, to hear about where your favorite toys and games have come from and spark your imagination to create your own toys and games.

These presentations will provide you with a fascinating look into the game industry. You will hear about where some of your favorite games have come from. Then you will learn how you can create your own games, how you learn from failure and celebrate fun by reaching into your own inner child.

How Do You Spark Genius?
Jeffrey will also talk about the importance of the concept and idea of failing and how failing contributes to the creativity of genius work. He will also discuss how deadlines and pressure stimulate inspiration and innovation.

Game Designing 101: Where Do You Start? Where Do You Go from There?
In this presentation Jeffrey will talk about where do ideas come from to make a game. He will then provide a pathway for those ideas to turn them into reality. Your friends and family will have a blast hearing about the games you may be able to create after attending this presentation.

 

Jeffrey Breslow is a preeminent toy and game designer having spent 41 years inventing and playing games since graduating with a BFA in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois. Jeffrey became the youngest managing partner of Marvin Glass and Associates, the leading toy and game design company in the world. And he was a founding partner of Big Monster Toys which is a landmark tourist destination in Chicago. Jeffrey has been inducted into the Toy Manufacturers Hall of Fame and he won two Good Housekeeping awards for best game of the year. Currently he is a full-time sculptor and author.

Tidbits of Love – Art Creation

Tidbits of Love – Art Creation – Children, Tweens and Teens
With bright and colorful pens and metallic shimmer markers, create your own set of Tidbits of Love! On the back of each small piece of artwork, write an inspiring message while imagining giving it away. What would brighten your day?

Teens – other projects
Mandala Magic
Sketch in Nature

 

Sharon Belknap joins us with her unique blend of creative and healing art skills. She received her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from CSU Long Beach in 1982, leading her to a career in graphic design and illustration. In 1987, she took the leap into her own one-gal design studio serving heart-centered clients such as; UC San Diego, Children’s Hospital, La Maestra Community Health Centers, Meals on Wheels and BeBenefits Insurance Services.

In the healing arts, Sharon practices the Usui method of Reiki at the Master/Teacher level and received her training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and LIGHT Hypnotherapy at the UC San Diego Centers of Integrative Health. She is a Certified Hypnotherapist trained at the Hypnotherapy Institute in Marin County and has active life coaching practice utilizing ancient wisdom and alchemical principles.

Sharon’s passion for positive social engagement inspired her to create Tidbits of Love. These little cards with colorful sketches paired with inspiring words, are creating heart centered connections between people around the world. Sharon is recognized in her community as an environmental artist creating massive sand art mandalas at low tide. Her sand art has been featured on the cover of Ranch & Coast magazine covered by the San Diego Union Tribune and ABC 10 News. Her love of guiding all ages in heart centered creativity has spanned over 35 years the education, spa, retreat and wellness center spaces. She brings the fullness of her passion for authentic connection, along with her intuition, to guide those she serves.

With the Music Inside

Guadalupe Villar will show us ancestral musical instruments and tell their stories. We will listen to some musical themes, and we will accompany them with percussion.

 

Jose Guadalupe Del Villar Soto was born in 1969 in Fresnillo, Zacatecas, Mexico. He comes from a family of artisans and traditional musicians.

His plastic art studies were with maestro Marcos Brambila and maestro Salvador Magaña. His work is permanently exhibited in churches and parishes in Baja California.   He is currently a teacher of plastic arts in grade schools. As a musician, he has been part of the University of Baja California Renaissance Ensemble and the Corazón de Piedra Verde Ensemble. He is currently a member of the Tercer Raíz group of Tecate, Baja California, and is also a workshop leader at IMACTE (Instituto Municipal de Arte y Cultura de Tecate – Tecate’s Municipal Institute of Art and Culture) teaching Ukulele. As a Cultural Promoter, he has worked at ICBC (Instituto Cultural de Baja California – Baja California’s Cultural Institute) leading the Ancestral Music Workshop.

Ukulele Classes

Fabián Sigala works as a keyboardist and percussionist for Rancho La Puerta Fiesta Band and has significantly transcended his experience in popular music through artistic tours of Mexico and the United States with different musical groups and his versatile skills as a drummer, percussionist, keyboardist, and guitarist.

Gratitude, Generosity and Wellbeing for Families

Come learn the surprising science behind Gratitude and Generosity, how Gratitude and Generosity contribute to our wellbeing, and how we can bring them into our lives each day

Gratitude, Generosity and Wellbeing for Families

  1. The Science of Gratitude and Generosity, and the connections to Wellbeing
  2. The Virtuous Cycle of Gratitude and Generosity
  3. Stories of individuals and families living out their values through gratitude and generosity
  4. Challenges to Giving
  5. How to Cultivate Gratitude and Generosity everyday

Workshop: Gratitude, Giving and Wellbeing for Families

One-on-one coaching sessions
We offer private, confidential, one-on-one coaching sessions for people who:

  1. Would like to explore any of the topics presented in greater depth, or apply it to themselves or their families;
  2. Work on particular questions or challenges with their family gratitude and giving;
  3. Discuss issues that they aren’t comfortable bringing up in a larger group.

Sessions are first come first served, by sign-up sheet in the lounge.

 

Ann Shulman is the Executive Director of Philanthropy Associates, providing customized consulting, training and facilitation services to foundations, families, and nonprofit organizations. Ann delights in helping people do their best work.

As a facilitator, mediator, trainer, program designer and executive coach, she has over twenty years of experience helping the philanthropic community overcome challenges and work more effectively. In addition to consulting to foundations and nonprofits across the U.S. and internationally, Ann is the Environment Program Director for the Lampert Byrd Foundation in San Francisco. She served as President of the Northern California Mediation Association and currently serves on the Board of Directors of multiple organizations.

 

For over twenty-five years, Steve Colwell has helped foundations, families, and individuals “give effectively,” so they can have the greatest impact with their charitable giving. As a foundation executive, Steve has been directly responsible for distributing more than $500 million in philanthropic gifts and grants. He has advised major foundations, such as the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, as well as individuals and families with private, donor-advised funds. Steve has founded three non-profits and has served on the Board of Directors of multiple organizations. His dedication, vision and ingenuity have been recognized with awards and honors including the Stanford University Sloan Fellowship for Non-Profit Management.

For more information, please see our online Bios:
https://www.philanthropyassociates.org/about-us/

 

 

 

 

Yarn Painting and Prayer Arrows

A great, great, grand-nephew of Ralph Waldo EmersonTimothy Hinchliff was born an artist and poet with one foot in the wilds of nature and one foot in the garden. He began to follow a path that would train him to become a recognized Shaman-Artist in the Huichol yarn painting tradition. Timothy has guided guests at the Ranch for over thirty years in creating their Prayer Arrows and Yarn Paintings on a weekly basis, enchanting each with magical stories of pathways that lead one to the doorway of personal discovery creating their own yarn paintings.

Yarn Painting and Prayer Arrows

A great, great, grand-nephew of Ralph Waldo EmersonTimothy Hinchliff was born an artist and poet with one foot in the wilds of nature and one foot in the garden. He began to follow a path that would train him to become a recognized Shaman-Artist in the Huichol yarn painting tradition. Timothy has guided guests at the Ranch for over thirty years in creating their Prayer Arrows and Yarn Paintings on a weekly basis, enchanting each with magical stories of pathways that lead one to the doorway of personal discovery creating their own yarn paintings.

Pickleball and Tennis with Jaimi Foster

Jaimi Foster has been teaching tennis and pickleball in the US and Canada since 2012. Her family was one of the early adopters of pickleball, and she holds several junior national pickleball titles. She first visited the Ranch in 2021 and fell in love with the beautiful facilities and the welcoming community. She is so excited to be joining the coaching team for her second year of Family Week! In her free time Jaimi enjoys live music, paddleboarding and yoga.

Tennis and Pickleball with Dan

Dan Dinenberg, MD, is an avid tennis player who has been teaching tennis to adults and children since he was 12 years old. Prior to a career in medicine, Dan was the head tennis pro at Club Med as well as being in charge of beginner, intermediate, and advanced tennis workshops at UCLA. Currently, Dan practices a unique blend of conventional and holistic medicine, drawing on his extensive experience with integrative techniques like healing touch, guided imagery and yoga. Dan’s enthusiasm for tennis, coupled with his extensive knowledge of the human body, allow a focus on stretching, visualization, footwork and injury prevention. Dan received his MD from the MCP-Hahnemann College of Medicine and completed his residency in family practice through UCSF.  Dan’s ability to bring the best of a mind-body healing approach to tennis instruction creates a unique experience he terms “transformational tennis.”

Let’s Play with Your Food

ChildrenThe 3rd Annual Great Guacamole Throwdown
Tweens: The 3rd Annual Great Guacamole Throwdown
Think you have what it takes to make authentic Mexican guacamole?  Learn what makes a great bowl of guac and compete against your fellow Ranchers to create your signature version of this beloved dish.  You and your teammate(s) will choose from a variety of fresh ingredient options and use a traditional molcajete and tejolote (Mexican mortar and pestle) to craft your delicious creation!  Our panel of three expert judges will taste all of the creations and award prizes for the best-of across several categories.

Teens: RLP Cake Boss Challenge: Quinceañera Fruit “Cakes”
The quinceañera is a time-honored Mexican tradition that celebrates a girl’s 15thbirthday, similar to an American “Sweet 16.”  No celebration is complete without a showstopper of a multi-tiered decorative cake. In this healthy competition, you and your teammates will compete to create the most beautiful, elaborate “cake”—made entirely of fresh local fruits carved into creative, decorative, Instagram-worthy imposter cakes.  Our panel of expert judges will be on hand to demonstrate fruit carving techniques if needed and to crown one fresh fruit cake the winner. All the gorgeous creations will be devoured by RLP campers for their snack!

Adults and Teens: Weight Stigma and Your Wellbeing
Weight stigma is the experience of perceiving negative attitudes from others as the result of your weight. The experience of feeling stigmatized because of body size has been associated with both physical and mental health risks. In this session we will address some common myths about weight and health; learn about weight stigma in the medical field and how it can affect your care; explore the impact of weight stigma on children and teens; examine the role of culture and social media in perpetuating internalized weight stigma; meet the Health at Every Size (HAES) movement; and learn practical things you can do to change the culture and conversation around body size within your own family to safeguard yourself and your children from the impacts of weight stigma.

 

Tamara Duker Freuman, MS, RD, CDN, is a New York-based registered dietitian, author and America’s Trusted Digestive Nutrition Expert. A nationally-known authority on digestive health and medical nutrition therapy for gastrointestinal diseases, Tamara is a member of New York Gastroenterology Associates. She holds a Master of Science degree in Clinical Nutrition from New York University and completed her training at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Tamara is the author of the acclaimed books, The Bloated Belly Whisperer (2018) and Regular (2023), and serves on the Medical Advisory Board for US News, for whom she has also written hundreds of articles on digestive health and nutrition.

Meditation as a Way of Living a Meaningful Life

Barry will lead meditation classes.

 

Dr. Barry Kerzin is medical doctor, Buddhist monk, Adjunct Professor at the Univ. of Pittsburgh, Adjunct Prof. at Hong Kong Univ., and Honorary Prof. at the Mongolian National Univ. of Medical Sciences. He lives in Dharamsala, India and is the Founder and CEO of Altruism in Medicine Institute (AIMI) in the US, and Founder and Chairman of the Human Values Institute (HVI) in Japan. With AIMI in 2022 he has created a Compassion Mindfulness App – AIMIcare, for burnout prevention. For 34 years he has been providing free medical care to the poor up to high lamas including HH the Dalai Lama. Barry has completed a 3-year meditation retreat. His brain has been studied at Princeton University and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has delivered numerous Medical Grand Rounds on Compassion and Meditation. In Spring 2024 he will deliver a Compassion Grand Rounds at Harvard medical school. He has given 4 TEDx talks, and authored four books.

  1. Altruism in Medicine Institute — altruismmedicine.org
  2. AIMIcare app — mindfulness, meditation, and compassion
  3. Facebook — Barry Kerzin — public figure site solely for teaching twice weekly
  4. No Fear No Death by Barry Kerzin

 

Hands-On Cooking Classes + Mexican Winter Feast with Maylin Chavez

Maylin Chavez offers hands-on culinary experiences, 3.5 hours each, during which you will enjoy preparing your own meal along with fellow cooks. Classes take place at La Cocina Que Canta, our culinary center on Tuesday and Wednesday, at 4pm. In addition, Chef Maylin will collaborate with La Cocina Que Canta’s Executive Chef Reyna Venegas and her team to create a special feast (with wine pairing!) on Thursday at 4:45pm.

These classes will feature healthy, hearty Mexican holiday cooking inspired by seafood and garden vegetables.

Hands On Cooking Classes and Chefs Dinner Sign Up

 

Tuesday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

Wednesday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

Thursday Mexican Winter Feast 4:45 PM
Experience the magic of our Mexican Winter Feast, an evening where produce from our bountiful 6-acre organic farm harvest meets with the freshest Baja seafood and seaweed products to create exquisite dishes that you can’t resist! Cost is $150 per person, tax and wine pairing included. The maximum number of guests is 30. Sign Up at the Appointments Desk or through the link above.

 

Maylin Chávez is a native to Tijuana, Baja California Norte and a Rancho la Puerta Alum. Maylin brings her heritage and passion for the sea to each dish she prepares. Her personal and professional experiences cooking in Baja, and around the country while being surrounded by the rich diversity of ingredients has created a direct imprint on her cuisine. “My approach to oyster and seafood cookery is to surprise the senses, and bring a mélange of globally inspired flavors to each bite you enjoy.”

Maylin moved to Portland, Oregon in 2014 to open her first restaurant where Oysters took center stage and the Bounty of the PNW met the flavors of her hometown of Baja.

Her cuisine and restaurant have been featured in Bon Appetite Magazine September 2016 issue, Best New Restaurants, Eater’s 38 hot list, Sunset Magazine, Food Networks Best Oyster Bars in America, Northwest Travel & Life, Wine and Spirits Magazine and many more.

Maylin has also appeared on the Food Network, Guy’s Grocery Games, and Chopped.

Olympia Oyster Bar on N Mississippi Ave in Portland shut its doors in 2020. However, Maylin has been hosting a series of pop-ups throughout Oregon under her new venture Nácar. Most recently she is also the Executive Brand chef for Blue Evolution Seaweed .

Hands-On Cooking Classes + Mexican Winter Feast with Maylin Chavez

Maylin Chavez offers hands-on culinary experiences, 3.5 hours each, during which you will enjoy preparing your own meal along with fellow cooks. Classes take place at La Cocina Que Canta, our culinary center on Tuesday and Wednesday, at 4pm. In addition, Chef Maylin will collaborate with La Cocina Que Canta’s Executive Chef Reyna Venegas and her team to create a special feast (with wine pairing!) on Thursday at 4:45pm.

These classes will feature healthy, hearty Mexican holiday cooking inspired by seafood and garden vegetables.

Tuesday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM Sign Up
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

Wednesday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM Sign Up
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

Thursday Mexican Winter Feast 4:45 PM Sign Up
Experience the magic of our Mexican Winter Feast, an evening where produce from our bountiful 6-acre organic farm harvest meets with the freshest Baja seafood and seaweed products to create exquisite dishes that you can’t resist! Cost is $150 per person, tax and wine pairing included. The maximum number of guests is 30. Sign Up at the Appointments Desk or through the link above.

 

Maylin Chávez is a native to Tijuana, Baja California Norte and a Rancho la Puerta Alum. Maylin brings her heritage and passion for the sea to each dish she prepares. Her personal and professional experiences cooking in Baja, and around the country while being surrounded by the rich diversity of ingredients has created a direct imprint on her cuisine. “My approach to oyster and seafood cookery is to surprise the senses, and bring a mélange of globally inspired flavors to each bite you enjoy.”

Maylin moved to Portland, Oregon in 2014 to open her first restaurant where Oysters took center stage and the Bounty of the PNW met the flavors of her hometown of Baja.

Her cuisine and restaurant have been featured in Bon Appetite Magazine September 2016 issue, Best New Restaurants, Eater’s 38 hot list, Sunset Magazine, Food Networks Best Oyster Bars in America, Northwest Travel & Life, Wine and Spirits Magazine and many more.

Maylin has also appeared on the Food Network, Guy’s Grocery Games, and Chopped.

Olympia Oyster Bar on N Mississippi Ave in Portland shut its doors in 2020. However, Maylin has been hosting a series of pop-ups throughout Oregon under her new venture Nácar. Most recently she is also the Executive Brand chef for Blue Evolution Seaweed .

Hands-On Cooking Classes with Jean Courtney

Jean Courtney offers hands-on culinary experiences, 3.5 hours each, during which you will enjoy preparing your own meal along with fellow cooks. Classes take place at La Cocina Que Canta, our culinary center on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 4pm.

Tuesday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM Sign Up
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

Wednesday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM Sign Up
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

Thursday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM Sign Up
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

 

Jean Courtney  is a researcher, writer, entrepreneur, and perpetual learner on a mission to make everyday wellness easy and efficient. A decade ago, after retiring as a legal investigator, Jean shifted her focus to learning everything possible to try and avoid the dementia that found her mom.  She has put together easy, efficient and delicious ways to cook using neuroprotective ingredients, with an emphasis on minimizing inflammation and maximizing brain function. She has done extensive research and will help you understand the why behind making healthy choices for your brain and body. Jean recently completed a Soil to Table certification program living at Tres Estrellas organic farm and learning and practicing regenerative farming and food preservation techniques.  She is a firm believer that your DNA is not always your destiny – your dinner plate can be your destiny.