Tasty Retreats Create Distinctive Flavors at Rancho Pescadero

Garnering a reputation for blending relaxed Baja sophistication with modern style, oceanfront Rancho Pescadero continues to lure guests seeking an off-the-radar escape. With a backdrop of Sierra Laguna Mountain peaks near the village of Todos Santos, the adults-only hideaway accommodates with 28 suites tucked within 15 acres of swaying palms – all with a vibe that takes a 180-degree twist from nearby Cabo San Lucas.

The hotel features two pools, spa with traditional Temezcal sauna plus treatments incorporating indigenous ingredients, a 2,000 square-foot yoga pavilion, and the Garden Restaurant with farm- and sea-to-table Baja cuisine infused with global influences. Surrounded by the resort’s organic gardens, the latter features an al fresco kitchen and dining beneath a massive palapa. 

Guests are privy to such complimentary perks as daily breakfast baskets, yoga sessions, and gear for surfing, fishing and biking. For offsite recreation, Rancho Pescadero will arrange beachfront horseback riding, deep sea fishing and hiking.

The resort will also arrange for tickets, transportation and enhanced access to the bevy of Todos Santos festivals scheduled throughout the year.

Guest Chef Weekends Return for 2017

While the resort maintains a cuisine focus with a full menu of cooking classes, culinary field trips and wine tastings, it truly strikes a chord among foodies with its Guest Chef Weekends that roll out monthly from March to July.

In its third year, this series of delectable culinary events will showcase some of North America’s top chefs.

Rancho Pescadero’s five foodie weekends will feature a pair of chefs from both Colorado and Texas, as well as one from The Windy City. 

• March 9-12— Matt O’Neill, Aspen Kitchen (Aspen, CO)
• April 6-9—Alex Seidel, Fruition / Mercantile (Denver, CO)
• May 4-7—C.J. Jacobson, Ema (Chicago, IL)
• June 8-11—Matt McCallister, FT33 / Filament (Dallas, TX)
• July 6-9—Jason Dady, Tre Trattoria / Two Bros. BBQ Market (San Antonio, TX)

Friday

• Cooking demo and lunch with Guest Chef
• Tequila and mezcal tasting with the resort’s bar manager, Danny Sanchez

Saturday

• Baja wine tasting
• Tasting Menu dinner by Guest Chef in the Garden Restaurant

Priced at $250 per person plus tax (excluding lodging), Guest Chef Weekend packages include all event food and beverage offerings, plus a Rancho Pescadero apron. Those booking packages receive 15% off accommodations during their stay.

Year-Round Foodie Fun

Aside from this toothsome weekend series running from March to July, life is great for diehard grazers at Rancho Pescadero. Foods prepared and presented at the Garden Restaurant and Ranch Café merge ingredients grown in its onsite garden and seafood harvested in the ocean “just out front” of the property.

Another option is secluded beach dining where couples can share an intimate dinner on the sand that’s lit with candles, torches and bonfire next to a private beach bed. This guest favorite is available for a $50 set-up fee, plus the cost of food and beverage. To further elevate the romance, a private guitarist will provide a little mood music for $50 an hour.  

With a focus on all things organic, fresh and locally-sourced, the resort features food-centric options for those wanting to take home new skills that help them become gastro gurus in their own kitchens.

• Private Cooking Lessons

One of the resort’s congenial executive chefs spends two hours with up to six guests, from harvesting produce in the garden to preparing an al fresco lunch.  $65 per person

• Culinary Field Trips

Up to six guests can enjoy field trips to nearby organic farms, local ranches where goat cheese is produced or to the pottery community that produces much of the resort’s dishware and terra cotta cooking vessels. $65 per person

• Wine Tastings

A wine specialist leads the group along a one-hour educational journey through Mexican and South American wines paired with appetizers. $40 per person

• Mixology Classes

Explore the organic on-site garden with the resort’s bar manager as he harvests herbs and other ingredients for creating unique “Farm to Glass” concoctions. $40 per person

• Culinary Weeks

Avid foodies can indulge in a six-day stay with five cooking classes led by the resort’s executive chef in the Garden Teaching Kitchen. Spending up to three hours daily, chef wannabes select produce from the garden, travel to the local fishing beach to select “still-flapping” seafood or take a field trip to a local organic farm. The program also includes a wine-tasting class focusing on Mexican and South American wines.

For reservations and information, visit the Rancho Pescadero website or call (910) 300-8891.