Rancho La Puerta is renowned for freshly picked produce and nutritious natural foods. We have developed, tested, and proven hundreds of recipes since 1940. Over sixty years of culinary creativity, experimentation and dietary research have culminated in a superb all-natural diet. It is low in fat, sodium, and refined flour and sugar -- while high in energy, fiber, and complex carbohydrates.For a recent article by well-known spa writer Bernard Burt on Rancho La Puerta’s culinary legacy, click here.

We follow ‘Slow Food’ precepts. As much as possible, and as attuned to the seasons as we can reasonably be, we procure organic fruits and vegetables from our own extensive organic farm, or from our region's purveyors who practice sustainable, organic farming. Our decades-old methods are now validated with almost every passing day, from new vegetable gardens at the White House to the back yards of millions of home gardeners now embracing “urban farming.” One of the Ranch’s regular speakers, Marion Nestle, was recently featured in the N.Y. Times discussing the movement, along with our founder Deborah Szekely’s longtime friends Alice Waters of Chez Panisse fame and Michael Jacobson, head of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. To read the article, click here. For upcoming speakers at the Ranch, click here.

La Cocina Que Canta, our culinary center that opened in the summer of 2007, is an exciting center where the ‘Cuisine of the Californias’ can be learned, explored, discussed, and created by guests along with talented chef/teachers from around the world.