Elizabeth Poett said she’s excited to share her personal and family recipes on ‘Ranch to Table’
By Raiza Giorgi
publisher@santaynezvalleystar.com
The new Magnolia Network created by Chip and Joanna Gaines is getting a little local ranch flavor as Elizabeth Poett, multigenerational farmer and rancher, will be featured in her own cooking show called “Ranch to Table.”
“Well, I guess sometimes dreams do come true!” Poett said. “For the last few months, I have been working to create a cooking show based on our ranch life and on the meals I create for my family using foods grown on Rancho San Julian and around California’s beautiful Central Coast.”
She said on “Ranch to Table,” which airs Feb. 19, she will give viewers an inside look at what ranch life is like and share many of the easy and delicious recipes that she has created over the years, as well as some old family recipes that have been passed down for generations. The show will be on the new Discovery steaming service, discovery+. Future episodes will air when Magnolia Network officially launches its programming later in 2021.
“I am so grateful to the Magnolia Family, and to its amazing founders, Chip and Joanna Gaines, for inviting us to be part of this exciting new network,” Poett said on her blog. “Huge thanks also to my outstanding producers at Conveyor Media and the awesome crew who guided me through our new adventure.”
Poett was born and raised on Rancho San Julian in Gaviota, which has been in her family for almost 200 years. The land was granted to Jose de la Guerra in 1837 when he was the commandant of the Santa Barbara Presidio. He and his wife Maria Carrillo had 13 children. He also was one of the signers of the California Constitution and one of the state’s first elected senators, according to the ranch’s history.
De la Guerra’s son Pablo made Rancho San Julian his home. Pablo’s daughter Francisca de la Guerra married Gold Rush stockman Thomas Bloodgood Dibblee. Their descendants include the Russell, Donohoe, Hoyt and Poett families, who continue the stewardship of their 14,000-acre cattle ranch.
Poett grew up climbing trees in a tutu and cowboy boots, gathering cows and helping her mother cook and host events, from brandings to tea parties.
In 2007, Poett moved back to the ranch and started a business, Rancho San Julian Beef, selling her family’s ranch-raised beef directly to chefs and consumers. Around the same time, she met Austin Campbell, a handsome local rancher whom she married in 2009. The couple and their two young sons now live on the ranch in a house that Elizabeth’s great-grandmother built in the early 1900s.
“I love that people can come to the ranch and participate in workshops that will teach them about the produce they are using, most of it being grown on the ranch, learn how to cook or prep with it and then share a meal under the arbor my ancestors have used for generations,” Poett said.
Poett says that caring for the ranch is a family affair, and people misunderstand that it’s not just her ranch.
“My family members all have a stake in this land, because it’s where we come from, and we work hard to ensure it stays together and we can improve it while we are here,” she said.
