Golden Door spa opens farm stand in San Diego

 

Synopsis:

The exclusive Golden Door luxury resort & spa is opening a farm stand to the public in San Marcos, CA.

(Disclosure; This article is not paid advertising, I have no financial stake in the Golden Door.  I just like the direction the company is going in)

 

 

Golden Door and the community:

The Golden Door is a luxury resort & spa that has been quietly operating in a corner of Northern San Diego county since 1958.

This spa and resort is possibly the oldest full-scale spa in the country, and for most of its history, it has been focused on pampering their exclusive clientele.   However, more recently, there has been a shift toward engaging with the broader community.

For example, in 2013, the Golden Door Foundation was established to support our local and global community through interrelated initiatives that are particularly close to my heart; children’s health/well-being, poverty and sustainable gardening.

Perhaps as an extension of this effort, the Golden Door is now opening a farm stand to the public.

 

 

Golden Door farm stand details: 

 

 

I had a chance to catch up with Wil Ryan, (the Golden Door farm manager) and Raquel Price (sales associate) last week while they were preparing for their grand opening. Below are some takeaways from the conversation.

• The Golden Door has over 100 acres of fruit tree groves as well as 5 acres of diversified vegetable gardens.
• The Golden Door provides organic farm-to-table dining for their clients and that same produce will be available to anyone at their farm stand.
• They are also setting up garden boxes at the farm stand so you can  harvest your own fresh herbs and spices.
• The farm stand will also sell organic preserves & marmalades as well as some vegatable seeds.
• Their farm stand grand opening is October 15, 2016 from 9am-12pm. At the event, you can meet their chef and even pick up recipes. There will also be refreshments and pumpkin painting for kids.
• The farm stand is located at 314 Deer Springs Road, San Marcos, CA 92069, just North of Walnut Grove Park.
• The farm stand is also located on historic grounds (picture below)

 

 

 

October 15, 2016 Update:

The grand opening of the farm stand was a lot of fun.

However, perhaps the most memorable part of the event was a conversation I had with Kathy Van Ness who is the General Manager for the Golden Door.  Kathy has a warm charismatic personality and is also a passionate leader.  Our conversation quickly moved from ideas of revitalizing people at their resort to doing the same types of things for the earth, and communities.  To that end, their Golden Door Foundation is a core part of their identity with child advocacy and wellness programs among their primary initiatives.  Although many companies are involved in charity, I was stunned to hear that Golden Door gives away 100% of its profits to charities through their foundation. Amazing work.