Christa offers hands-on culinary experiences, 3.5 hours each, during which you will enjoy preparing your own mocktails. Classes take place at La Cocina Que Canta, our culinary center on Tuesday and Wednesday, at 4pm. In addition, Christa 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 Mocktail 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 Mocktail 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 Farm-to-Table Dining Experience 4:45 PM
Celebrate the abundance of our organic farm and the connection to community with a Farm-to-Table dining experience – 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 spirits and then there’s spirit, and Christa Cotton embodies both. A native of Leesburg, Georgia, Christa moved to New Orleans after helping her parents establish Georgia’s first legal distillery since Prohibition while in college at Auburn University. After a stint in advertising, Christa founded New Orleans Beverage Group and acquired the El Guapo trademark in 2017. Specializing in zero-proof bitters, El Guapo has expanded into syrups and mixers and is Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) certified. The company debuted at #166 on the Inc. 5000 Regionals list for fastest growing companies in the US in 2024. Christa is a 7x Good Food Award winner, LEE Initiative mentor, Les Dames d’Escoffier Legacy Award: Fine Spirits recipient, and a Fellow in both the Tory Burch Foundation and the James Beard Foundation. She’s successfully raised seven figures in investment capital and relocated from 1,800 square feet to a 32,000 square foot production facility & warehouse in Mid-City. She’s been featured in Southern Living, Forbes, Garden & Gun, Martha Stewart and Fedex Small Business national ad campaigns. She lives Uptown in a pink 1902 double shotgun with her daughter, Flora, husband, Brian and Bernese Mountain Dog, Archie Manning. It’s a vibe & she is busy.
Ellen Comerford is the founder and CEO of Core De Vie Wellness and a GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® Master Trainer. With over 40 years in the wellness space, she specializes in whole-body care, integrating movement, nutrition, and mindset into her practice. Ellen is certified in advanced biomechanics and posture and movement analysis, giving her a unique expertise in helping clients improve alignment, balance, and mobility. Through her personalized coaching, she offers natural solutions for pain management and optimal health, transforming lives both in-person and virtually from her Beacon Hill studio.
Lori Saltzman and Kathy Altman, Co-founders of Open Floor International, have travelled the globe for 40 years teaching mindfulness and self-awareness through movement. Originally students and colleagues of Gabrielle Roth, they went on to create Open Floor Movement Practice in 2013. They have trained over 800 teachers from 22 countries to bring this lively, healing work to people of all languages, ages, backgrounds, and abilities.
Laura Plumb 
Hailed by the London Times as a “pianist of powerful physical and imaginative muscle”, Tanya Gabrielian shot onto the international stage at the age of twenty with back-to-back victories in the Scottish International Piano Competition and Aram Khachaturyan International Piano Competition. Since then, she has performed on four continents in acclaimed venues including Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Sydney Opera House, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall, Edinburgh International Festival, Seoul Arts Center, and the Salle Cortot, with such orchestras as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, and Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Tanya has also been featured on the cover of the magazine Clavier.
Martin Chalifour has been the Principal Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 1995. Born in Canada, he graduated with honors from the Montreal Conservatory at the age of 18 and then moved to the United States to continue studies at the famed Curtis Institute of Music.
Born in the Bay Area, Elisabeth Zosseder graduated with her Bachelor of Music in harp performance from the Colburn School Conservatory of Music and Master of Music in harp performance from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, where she studied with JoAnn Turovsky. She has performed professionally with the Berlin Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, as well as artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Plácido Domingo, Sir Simon Rattle, Gustavo Dudamel, James Conlon, and Esa-Pekka Salonen, to name a few. She has also appeared on recordings and onstage with popular artists such as TALK, Randy Newman, John Williams, Laufey and made TV appearances on “Hell’s Kitchen,” Disney’s Encanto Live, and “My Mom, Your Dad.” Elisabeth returned to LA in 2019 from studying in Germany with Berlin Philharmonic principal harpist Marie-Pierre Langlamet, receiving her second Master of Music specializing in orchestral harp performance from the Universität der Künste Berlin and is currently pursuing a career as a freelance musician in the SoCal region.
A passionate ambassador of classical music, violinist Monique Mead enjoys a rich career as a performer, educator, and innovator. Inspired and mentored by Leonard Bernstein, Monique has devoted her performing career to nurturing new audiences and curating extraordinary musical experiences. Her programs with major orchestras and festivals in the United States and Europe have drawn international acclaim for their popular appeal and innovative approach. Interweaving live music with education and audience engagement at the highest level, her programs have reached millions through television appearances, a six-year radio series with the Munich Radio Orchestra, and over 20 years of concerts with the Cologne Philharmonic, Munich Symphony, Düsseldorf Symphony, Berlin Radio Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and the Mainly Mozart Festival. Since 2012 Monique has served as Director of Music Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University, where she trains musicians in community engagement, peak performance, and professionalism as she helps them forge new paths as professional musicians. Monique performs on violin made in 1860 by J.B. Vuillaume which was gifted to her at age 19. She enjoys hiking, yoga, homegrown cuisine, and performing with her talented teens, Isabel and Tino.
Helene Henderson started Malibu Farm with cooking classes and farm dinners at her farm property on Pt. Dume in Malibu, California. She opened what was meant to be a 6 month pop up in an abandoned Ruby’s at the end of the Malibu Pier. After two very successful years with long lines and rave reviews, Malibu Farm expanded to the front Restaurant & Bar on the Pier and now has both a counter service and full table service on the Malibu Pier.
Doug Settle is a Southern California based chef with nearly 20 years of hospitality experience. Tracing his roots to the foot hills of the Appalachian mountains where gardening, hunting and fishing are a lifestyle, proper sourcing and appreciation for those who grow, raise and harvest our food is a deeply ingrained passion. Alongside this Doug pairs a drive for leadership and training honed by a decade of working with San Diego’s finest chefs and restaurateurs.
Kevin M. Sullivan has studied and taught martial arts for over 40 years. He has a 5th degree black in Chung Moo Doe Asian Martial Arts and is registered with the Body Mind Systems martial arts training center in New England. Kevin’s step-by-step teaching methods make learning Tai Chi easy.
Lisa Saunders is a performer and multicultural dance specialist. Her philosophy emerges from the belief that dance holds intrinsic value for all humankind. For more than 50 years, Lisa has applied her talents to building cross-cultural bridges and supporting traditional arts. Lisa holds an MA in Ethnic Dance from Jesus’ Name University, specializing in Ghanaian, Afro-Brasilian and Polynesian dance. She served as principal performer with the African Music & Dance Ensemble and Batucaje!, conducts award-winning learning experiences in authentic world dance. Today, Lisa is the founding executive director of Ethnic Arts Institute International and Artistic Director of Hula Manu O’o.
Sarah Bell lives and teaches in Grand Junction, Colorado. She has been teaching yoga for thirty years (two of those years were at RLP)
Jeny Dawson, Senior Yin Yoga Teacher & Trainer, E-RYT 500 & YACEP, and the primary teaching assistant to Joe Barnett. She studies under Paul Grilley, the founder of Yin Yoga, and has practiced yoga since 2002. She studied the science of Hatha Yoga in Bali, Indonesia, has multiple certifications in yin yoga and yoga for children of diverse abilities, is an Integrative Nutritional Health Counselor and draws from a vast array of educational modalities and life experiences to help others heal and transform their lives. Jeny is the Founder of Zen Soul Balance in La Jolla, California. Her heart for ZSB is to inspire others to live healthy lives by encouraging them to reach beyond nutrition and exercise, and to consider the whole person; a lifestyle that acknowledges and embraces the unity of body, mind and spirit as the catalyst for optimal health and wellness. She also works closely with healthcare providers to offer wellness programming for patients struggling with long term illnesses such as cancer and multiple sclerosis. She is passionate about health, wellness, and yoga and aims to raise awareness and be of service in the community.
Brahmani Liebman MSEd ERYT is co- creator of Journey Into Yoga Teacher Training RYS and retreats as well as the CD Journey Into Yoga: Awakening the Spirit. On faculty of the Kripalu Yoga School of Yoga, she brings over 40 years of studies and experience teaching classes, training teachers, and leading worldwide teacher trainings and retreats. Strongly influenced by her studies in Yoga, meditation, Buddhism, the integrative healing arts and where they intersect informs her life & teaching as she invites her students to use these wisdom traditions to live their true, authentic life. Believing in people’s ability to access healing and inner knowing, Brahmani offers tangible and sustainable ways to live a spiritual life.
Michelle Dozois, a certified fitness, nutrition and life coach, believes in the transformative power of living life fit. Her DVDs have sold over 4 million copies and she has trained instructors in more than 14 countries. She has been a trusted voice for major health brands like Nautilus, Prevention, Shape, Jenny Craig & Weight Watchers.In 2010, Michelle co-founded the groundbreaking Break thru Fitness, a haven for fitness and innovative programming. Transitioning her magic online, Michelle’s BeFIT Studio and The Peak Fit Challenge make fitness globally accessible.With a range of certifications from numerous organizations such as ACE, NASM, Stott Pilates and more, Michelle infuses her coaching with boundless energy, fun and passion. Her decades of experience in health and fitness have transformed millions of lives, empowering each individual to live a fit, healthy and happy life.
Sandy Kessler is an experienced Feldenkrais practitioner and a therapeutic riding instructor. She has developed a unique method called BUZZ, based entirely on Feldenkrais with the addition of rhythm, energy and vibrations to improve bone density and enable each participant to work at their own pace and be creative with their movement. She has worked with riding instructors, teaching them to move more easily with their mounts. She lectures on ergonomics, including a dynamic BUZZ lesson sitting on chairs. She works with school children, as well as senior citizens and office workers, teaching them to become “vibrant” even while sitting in one place.
Krista Tippett is a Peabody Award-winning broadcaster, National Humanities Medalist, and New York Times bestselling author. She created and hosts the public radio show and podcast “On Being” and curates the Civil Conversations Project, an emergent approach to the differences of our age. In 2013, Krista spun her project off from American Public Media and became CEO of the new, non-profit production enterprise, Krista Tippett Public Productions (KTPP). She grew up in a small town in Oklahoma, attended Brown University, became a journalist and diplomat in Cold War Berlin, and later received a Masters of Divinity from Yale University. Her books are Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living; Einstein’s God: Conversations about Science and the Human Spirit; and Speaking of Faith: Why Religion Matters and How to Talk about it.
Barry Shingle is the Director of Guest Experiences at Rancho La Puerta and greatly enjoys his interactions with the guests and staff. Barry has taught fitness classes for over 20 years and has been at the Ranch since 1999. He enjoys being a father to his daughter, staying fit, music, and spending time with people. Listen wherever you get your podcasts: