It’s All About Food – Jeff & Joan Stanford and Elina Fuhrman – 03.15.16

Part I: Jeff & Joan Stanford, Dining At The Ravens

Jeff and Joan Stanford came west to Carmel, California to find careers in education, agreeing to help manage a small inn while looking for work. Jobs were scarce, the United States was in recession, and they found themselves enjoying their guests and rehabilitating the property they managed. The Inn allowed both of them to return to their former interests. Passionate about early education, Joan trained as a Montessori teacher and received her MA in psychology, specializing in Art Therapy, at Sonoma State University. Today she is a registered art therapist, collagist, and educator. Jeff became vegetarian as a first step to honor all life, not only the lives of his family, friends, and pets. He and Joan sought to create an inn that sat softly upon the earth. They created one of the first “green” bed and breakfast inns without realizing they were doing so. Understanding that their Inn was a destination, Jeff and Joan wanted to provide the highest quality food to their guests, which Jeff began cooking in the early 1990s. The restaurant followed their philosophy serving a whole food, plant based dishes designed to rival the cuisine found at the highest rated restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Part II: Elina Fuhrman, Soupelina

Elina Fuhrman is the founder and chef of Soupelina. She has written for the New York Times, In Style, and many other publications. She lives in Southern California with her family. Her new book is Soupelina’s Soup Cleanse: Plant-Based Soups and Broths to Heal Your Body, Calm Your Mind, and Transform Your Life.