The Bar Method | Molly Mulholland

Molly Mulholland was born and raised in New York City and Long Island but had the good fortune to spend four years living in San Francisco where she developed a love for California and a passion for The Bar Method. After the birth of her first child, she moved back to New York to be close to family and brought her love of The Bar Method with her. She is the co-owner of The Bar Method in Roslyn, NY with her childhood friend Michele. She is very excited to share her enthusiasm for the Bar Method with guests at Rancho La Puerta.

Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Dahlia Haas

Dahlia Haas is a renowned cooking teacher, writer, food stylist and photographer in Los Angeles and on the Hawaiian Islands. She writes seasonal stories with recipes called "Cooking Fresh" printed in the award winning magazine Edible Hawaiian Islands. Dahlia travels extensively creating recipes for the magazine and her cooking school in Beverly Hills, The All Seasons Cooking School, established in 1996. Her recipes have garnered awards from Bon Appétit and she is a contributor to Bon Appétit cookbooks. She has taught at a number of local cooking schools to include, William Sonoma, The Chez School of Cooking, The Cooking Connection and The New School of Cooking. Dahlia began her cooking career as an event planner, chef and caterer in Los Angeles. With more than twenty years of experience in the food industry, she recently received The Berlin award for an outreach program instructing adults. Her inspiration comes from seeing students enroll in her classes as amateurs and leaving as dedicated cooks. Dahlia is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and The Women's Restaurant Professionals. Her blog Chef Hula.com chronicles her experiences and showcases original island-style Hawaiian recipes and the ever-changing food scene in cosmopolitan Los Angeles.

Dahlia offers three hands-on culinary experiences, 3.5 hours each, on Tuesday at 11 am and 4 pm and Thursday at 4 pm, during which you will enjoy preparing your own meal along with fellow cooks. Classes take place at La Cocina Que Canta, our new culinary center.

For more information and registration, please click here.

The Joy of Anusara Yoga | Jennifer Fox and Paul Gould

For over 40 combined years, Jennifer and Paul have practiced, studied and taught yoga, movement and meditation. Their focus is on a heartfelt alignment with nature, and experiencing yoga and the meditative journey as a way to transform the body and life. Anusara-inspired™ teachers, they incorporate Anusara’s therapeutic Universal Principles of Alignment™, Restorative Yoga, Yoga Therapy, including extensive background and experience in Iyengar Yoga™, and their work with elite trainer Brad Bartanen. These two spirited teachers love introducing beginners to yoga, and helping experienced students and teachers take their practice and skill to the next level. 

Paul had four professional careers before turning more fully to yoga, and holds degrees in economics and fitness training. He has been teaching mixed yoga programs and classes geared specifically for men for over twelve years and initially helped create the Back Care program at the Ranch. 

Jennifer has been associated with the Ranch for over 30 years, is Aunusara-inspired™, was certified in Iyengar Yoga in 1989,and is a graduate of the Iyengar Yoga Institute. She has completed and assists in the Advanced Studies Program in Hakomi, a somatic based method and is a sculptor.  Both are avid students and practitioners of Zen Buddhist and Vipassana meditation and were among the first certified NIA teachers. They own NamaStay Retreat in Santa Cruz County and NamaStay Adventures, offering workshops and retreats worldwide including Tulum, Mexico and Tuscany, Italy.

CROON!...When a Whisper Became a Song" Part 1 & 2 | Todd Murray with Sean Harkness, Steve Doyle and Alex Rybek

Monday and Thursday 8 PM

From swinging to soulful, Todd Murray has been named "top 10 cabaret artists" of New York City," and his recordings have been nominated for best vocals, best original song, and named "top 10 vocal CD's.” His latest show "CROON" has been critically acclaimed across the country and Rex Reed of the NY Observer recently wrote, "Todd Murray is a cabaret prince headed for the big cabaret throne if ever I've spotted one. This is a crisp autumn evening of entertainment as bracing as a toddy, spent in the company of an exceptional new singer who, like Porgy, may be on a climb, but oh lordy, he's on his way."

On the Web: www.toddmurray.com

Sean Harkness was born in North Attleboro, Mass. and got his first guitar exactly 11 years later.  Within 6 months, Harkness’s trio had a weekly engagement at The Downtown Cabaret Theatre in Bridgeport.  HS bands, Berklee College of Music, ‘busking’ the streets of Europe, the Green Mountains of Vermont, and the vast music scene in NYC have all contributed to forming the seasoned professional he is today.  Windham Hill Records [BMG/Sony/RCA] signed Harkness as a solo Artist shortly after his move to NYC in 1994.  After touring Japan with the Broadway production of “Swing!” Sean returned many times, including a trip to record “Urakaji”, a solo guitar CD in Okinawa for Rinken Records.  Harkness has three other independent releases: the self-multitracked ‘Trio Of One’, the fully produced ‘Harkness Knight’ with saxman Eric Knight, and 2010 CD: "H2  Flights: Volume One", a collaboration with Canadian trumpeter Mike Herriott.  Sean is a first-call sideman who compliments an exhaustive client list of singers and musicians nationally & internationally.  Harkness also provides a House Concert Series for personalized, private, in-home, concert-like performances.  The up-close intimacy brings a unique impact to each event.

New York by-way-of-Nebraska bassist, Steve Doyle, has been an active part of the New York jazz and cabaret scene performing with many internationally renowned artists including Bucky Pizzarelli, Dave Stryker, Kate McGarry, Billy Stritch,Tony Desare, Klea Blackhurst, Hilary Kole, Christine Ebersole, Stephanie Block, K.T. Sullivan and Lari White to name a few. Currently on Mondays, he performs at Birdland in New York with Jim Caruso’s Cast Party along with Tedd Firth on piano. Steve has toured throughout Asia, Europe, Scandinavia and South America as a side-man and with his own groups. Notable venues that Steve has performed at include Carnegie Hall, the Algonquin, Birdland, the Carlyle, Kennedy Center and Feinstein’s at the Regency. For the past year and a half he has performed weekly at the 3 West 51st St. Club where he is the featured pianist/vocalist.

Alex Rybeck (Musical Director) is a pianist, arranger and composer, well-known for his work in theater, cabaret, and on recordings. Broadway credits include MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG (dir. by Hal Prince) and GRAND HOTEL (dir. by Tommy Tune). He also conducted the world premiere of WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW, earning accolades from Burt Bacharach. Recipient of the 2005 Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs (MAC) Award for Best Musical Direction, he has worked with such stars as Michael Feinstein, Tommy Tune, Faith Prince, Liz and Ann Hampton Callaway, Donna McKechnie, Rita Gardner, Jane Oliver, Jason Graae, Metropolitan Opera diva Roberta Peters, "Voice of Hollywood" Marni Nixon, and showbiz legends Kitty Carlisle Hart, Patricia Neal, The McGuire Sisters, and Eartha Kitt, among many others. His numerous CD's for such acclaimed vocalists as Liz Callaway and Jeff Harnar have earned praise from critics and listeners alike. Original songs include "What a Funny Boy He Is", recorded by Nancy LaMott. He serves on the faculty of the annual International Cabaret Conference at Yale, in addition to being a highly sought singers' coach in Manhattan. Originally from the DC area, he later attended Oberlin College. At NYU, he was taught by Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz, Arthur Laurents, and Comden & Green. He is a member of ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild.

"So It Goes...": The Trials and Triumphs of the Great American Writer Kurt Vonnegut | Dan Wakefield

Sunday 8 PM

"SO IT GOES...": THE TRIALS AND TRIUMPHS OF THE GREAT AMERICAN WRITER KURT VONNEGUT, with DAN WAKEFIELD. Vonnegut became world famous with his international best-seller "Slaughter-House Five," and all his books since became best-sellers and all are still in print and used widely in school and college courses throughout the U.S. since his death in 2007. (He is famous for his frequent use of the phrase "So it goes…"). Dan Wakefield knew him personally – they went to the same high school – and Dan just finished editing and writing an Introduction to a book of "The Letters of Kurt Vonnegut" published in November 2012. Enjoy film clips showing Vonnegut discussing the subject of "Spirit and Place" in a panel discussion with Dan Wakefield and John Updike, and discussing his books being made as movies on "The Charlie Rose Show" on television. Kurt Vonnegut is known for his humor as well as his insight into human nature, and Dan will read some brief, entertaining passages from some of his letters that have never been heard or published before.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 4PM

STORIES OF OUR LIVES: A WRITING WORKSHOP with DAN WAKEFIELD, whose own memoirs include "Returning: A Personal Journey" and "New York in the Fifties," which was made a documentary film. No experience is necessary.

Friday 4 PM

NEW YORK IN THE FIFTIES. DAN WAKEFIELD will introduce this exciting documentary film based on his book and answer questions afterwards. It's the story of a unique time and place that shaped today's culture. Interviews with Robert Redford, Joan Didion, and Calvin Trillin, with archival footage of James Baldwin and Jack Kerouac give an inside look at the creativity of a remarkable era (DVD 72 MINUTES).

Dan Wakefield has been writing since he published his first article for his grade school newspaper in Indianapolis, and has gone on to write five novels, three screenplays, a television series, and 12 books of memoir and nonfiction, as well as articles, short stories, essays and reviews in publications ranging from The New York Times Magazine to The Atlantic Monthly and The Nation.

The Wide World of Walking | Lynn Weigand, Ph.D.

The Wide World of Walking

Sunday 8 PM

Walking is something we do every day, just to get around or get some exercise. But there's a lot more to walking than meets the eye. We'll explore ways to expand your walking horizons, maximize benefits and incorporate new techniques. Regardless of your walking experience and level, you'll gain new insights and ideas to move your walk to the next level or get started.

Personalize Your Walking Workout

Monday 3pm

Create your own walking workout by setting goals, evaluating walking techniques and developing a plan to take home and put into action. You'll receive personalized help to create the program that's right for you and that will enhance your walking routine.
Lynn Weigand, PhD, is a Portland, Oregon-based walking expert who provides motivation and training to walk for fun, fitness and function. Her classes are designed for all levels, from beginning to advanced walkers. She presents new approaches to walking that help you change up your routine and to maximize the physical and mental benefits.

Lynn Weigand, PhD, is a Portland, Oregon-based walking expert who provides motivation and training to walk for fun, fitness and function. Her classes are designed for all levels, from beginning to advanced walkers. She presents new approaches to walking that help you change up your routine and to maximize the physical and mental benefits. She is the owner of Joy of Walking, a business that provides coaching and workshops to help people achieve their fitness goals through walking. She was the founding director of the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation at Portland State University where her work focused on planning communities that are safe and fun for walking and cycling, and developing programs to motivate people to be active every day. Lynn earned her PhD in Urban Studies from the College of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State University where her work focused on community design to promote active living and public health. Lynn prefers to travel on foot or by bike whenever possible.

Feeling Fit is the Best Revenge | Patricia Wells

Patricia Wells will present two topics this week:

Wednesday 8 pm

Feeling Fit is the Best Revenge: A Personal Journey Towards A Lifetime of Fitness

Have all the inspiration but not the information? That was me in 2000. A runner since 1968, it took me years to find the "secret" to being and staying fit.

Thursday 5pm

Eating Well is the Best Revenge: What I am Eating Today

Thoughts on the latest scientific data on food and nutrition, tips, ideas, suggestions on how many small changes in one's eating and cooking can make a big difference. With recipes (and tastes!) for healthy snacks.

Patricia Wells is a journalist, author, and teacher who runs a popular cooking school --- At Home with Patricia Wells – in Paris and Provence. She is the author of Salad As A Meal and Simply Truffles. She has won the James Beard Award for The Provence Cookbook, Patricia Wells At Home in Provence, and Simply French. Also nominated for the James Beard Awards are Vegetable Harvest and The Paris Cookbook. Her other works include The Food Lover's Guide to Paris, The Food Lover's Guide to France, Bistro Cooking, Patricia Wells' Trattoria, l'Atelier of Joel Robchon, and with her husband, Walter, We'll Always Have Paris...and Provence. The French government has declared her a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Artes et des Lettres, recognizing her contribution to French culture. A former New York Times reporter, she is the only foreigner and the only woman to serve as restaurant critic for a major French publication, L'Express. She was the restaurant critic for the International Herald Tribune from 1980 to 2007.

On the Web: www.patriciawells.com 

Gracious Hospitality and Mindful Presence -–Experience Matcha Green Tea | Alice Esbenshade Burke

Wednesday 1pm

Inspired by the Japanese Teahouse in her backyard as a child, Alice studied Japanese language study at Stanford University and received a BA in Asian Religions. She studied tea ceremony at the Shugakkuin Rikkyu (The Emperor’s Detached Palace) and Flower Arranging with the traditional KyoFuRyu School in Kyoto.

In 1997, she coordinated the donation, relocation and restoration of the family teahouse to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. The teahouse has been officially named “ShinKanAn”, the “Look Through the Heart” Teahouse and houses a functional and active school of Cha-d0, the Way of Tea.  Alice is an active tea student and volunteer.

Alice is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, in private practice since 1991.

Ask a Superior Court Judge | Judge Catherine Gallagher and Judge Diane Northway

Sunday 5pm

Judge Catherine Gallagher (retired) works with a company (JAMS) to settle cases and is known for her wealth of experience in dispute resolution as a mediator, arbitrator, Judge Pro Tem, discovery master, and neutral evaluator. Judge Gallagher has handled a broad spectrum of cases, including business and commercial disputes, family law, probate, financial markets and personal injury. She is lauded for her intelligence and tenacity, and her ability to navigate through complex issues in order to bring parties together and reach efficient resolution. Before joining JAMS, Judge Gallagher was on the Santa Clara County Superior Court for over 25 years including a two-year term as the Presiding Judge. During her time with the Superior Court, she served in every division giving her experience in many diverse areas of the law and providing her with great insight into how to resolve cases with a wide variety of personalities. Before her appointment to the bench she worked in the Division of Enforcement at the Securities and Exchange Commission, was a Deputy District Attorney and taught at the University of Santa Clara.

Judge Diane Northway was appointed to the Santa Clara Superior Court in January 1990. She retired from that court In March 2013 after serving as a judge for 23 years. During her tenure on the Court, she served in the Civil division, Juvenile Division and the Criminal division where she acted as Assistant Supervising Judge. She also served as a member and then Supervising Judge of the Appellate Division of the Court. Judge Northway also served as Supervising Judge of the Palo Alto Branch of the Court. While serving in the Criminal Division of the Court, she presided over several high profile jury trials, Including death penalty and murder trials. Judge Northway also served on the Board of the California Judges Association.