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We are so excited to have this new & unique offering in our private gardens and very soon our Yoga and meditation pavilion! Wake up or set into the sun with a private or group Yoga session with Erin Dunphy, The Lavender Inn’s very special Yoga teacher and practitioner. Erin has been practicing Yoga for 5 years and has studied at the Yoga Works in Westlake, under Nona Chiang & Lainie Devina, along with many other guest Yogies and teachers. Trained in the various forms of Yoga, including Ashtanga, Iyengar, Prenatal and more, Erin’s focus is on Hatha Yoga, which is geared towards breath work, mental clarity & balance. Although this may be the focus, she is versed in many practices and is able to accommodate any personal pursuits.
Hourly private classes are $15 per hour, per person. Group Classes of 5 or more are $10 per person.
To schedule a class please contact The Lavender Inn @ 805.646.6635 or email attn: Erin Innkeeper@LavenderInn.com
We are thrilled to present this exciting class with Cindy Liu, founder of LooHoo’s Asian Comfort Food! Cindy’s approach to food is to source local, organic & seasonal ingredients and create unique Asian Comfort Foods that accessible to everyone. LooHoo’s facebook page will give a great sense of the unique things she has in store for this class!
The Menu Includes: Kalbi – Boneless Beef Short Ribs with Sam, Lettuce leaves & Garlic, Kimchi Fried Rice, Banchan (Korean Side dishes) including: JapChae (Chilled Noodles), Kimchi, Pickled Cucumbers, Sweet & Sour Daikon Radish & Sweet Caramelized Potatoes, all Served with Soju Cocktails
Sun. September 11th 1 pm
This class is limited to 12 participants. $65 per person
To reserve your spot, call the Ojai Culinary School @ The Lavender Inn 805.646.6635
We’ve got some great Culinary Classes coming up and we’d like to share them with you!
First on the menu is Ellen Sherwood‘s class Aromas From An Italian Terrace Sun. July 17 1pm, right after the Farmer’s Market next door. Although this class is full, a stand-by list has been started, and if enough individuals sign up, we will be hosting another class Sat. July 6th 1pm
Ellen‘s philosophy is that the most satisfying food is the simplest… Perfect for entertaining! Imagine yourself on a terrace enjoying perfect bites of sensual food from Italy surrounded by family, friends, and guests… Ellen leads magical classes guiding you to create Italian cuisines and flavoring the class with the language and culture of Italy in a way that you will be comfortable doing it yourself! Andiamo!
The Menu Includes : Spicy Shrimp with Garlic & Parsley, Grilled Seasoned Skirt Steak Topped with Arugula, Tomato, Lemon Salad, Pizza featuring Ricotta, Summer Squash, Zucchini and Tomatoes, Joey’s Olive Oil Cake with Mascarpone Cream & Pistachios, Vanilla Gelato topped with Balsamic Sauce garnished with frozen Black Grapes
And coming this late Summer & Fall, we’re excited to have some more exciting classes.
August 7 Farmer’s Market to Table , which includes a tour of the Ojai Certified Organic Market next door to the Inn & cooking class with Suzanne Landry, who will be demonstrating what you can cook with fresh seasonal foods.
August 28 Aparna, The Mistress of Spice will be teaching “Cooling Vegetarian Foods”, and it couldn’t come at a better time. Her menu will include, Cooling and Rejuvenating Jamaica — a hibiscus drink, South Indian Cucumber Salad with coconut, lime and cilantro, Avial– South Indian Coconut and Vegetable Curry, Fresh Fennel and Orange Salad , Delicious Mango Mousse. Did you ever notice that the countries nearest the Equator have the Spiciest foods? As it turns out, that’s the way you can stay cool. Can’t wait to see why?
September 11 Korean BBQ made with locally sourced ingredients with Cindy Liu LooHoo’s . So excited to have Cindy teach her first class with us. “LooHoo’s® Inc, is based in Ventura County, California and is committed to supporting the local economy, and engaging in sustainable and scalable business practices.” This should prove to be a very exciting class!
October 9, Look forward to another amazing Tuscan Dinner hosted by Ellen Sherwood. These dinners have been a huge success and although 60 seats are available. They go fast!!! so sign up soon. The menu for this dinner is not yet set but you can take a look at the last Tuscan dinner we had to get some idea about how grand it is!!
Classes are limited to 12 participants so be sure to sign up soon. If you can’t, make one of our scheduled public classes, then you might consider an intimate, private class designed by you! Contact us for details, or visit our site.
Create your own Private Class! Let us cook up a celebration for you – whether it’s a birthday, a bridal shower, or just a group getting together. We can tailor your class to your group’s cooking skill level and type of desired menu. Chefs will work side by side with your group to create a memorable meal. See below for more on private classes.
So many more great classes coming up… stay tuned, or sign up for our newsletter to get a once a month announcement by clicking on the the “join our email“ section on the bottom left of our site.
Hope to see you there!
To Watch a short Video of Ellen doing a demonstration for HGTV, visit our Facebook page!
Join us on Sunday, June 26th at 1pm, as Jennifer Vasich, Author of The Lavender Gourmet, shares her experiences of blending Lavender & Herbs into her recipes. It’s the perfect way to complete your sunday after visiting Ojai’s Certified Organic Farmer’s Market next door to the Lavender Inn. And if came to Ojai to be at the Lavender Festival, it’s the perfect way to find culinary uses for your fresh picked Lavender, especially if you got it from the New Oak Ranch, who will have a booth at the Festival.
One of this year’s speakers at the Ojai Lavender Festival, Jennifer is also the founder of the Michigan Lavender Festival and Successful author of the popular Lavender Gourmet, has a very interesting history on how she became a Lavender Connoisseur.
Join us at the Ojai Culinary School. The Menu includes, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and Mediterranean Salsa with Toasted Pita, Lavender-Feta Fattoush (salad), Grilled Chicken Marinated in Lavender Lime Marinade, Rice Pilaf with Toasted Almonds and for dessert…….Lavender Watermelon Sorbet
Participation is limited to 12 people. $65 per person Call to reserve today 805-646-6635
The Ojai Valley Lavender Festival is right around the corner. On June 25th from 10 am – 5 pm, Libbey Bowl and downtown Ojai will be filled with people from all over the world enjoying the sights, aromas, colors and textures of Lavender. Ojai has seen this festival grow for eight years to a festival that boasts over 5,000 visitors a year and growing!
This is a festival for every age! Bring your family & friends to enjoy Art, Craft, Food and Music!
As always, The Lavender Inn has a booth at the festival and will be doing a raffle for a One Night Weekday Stay at the Lavender Inn, which includes a Room with balcony for two, Wine & Cheese in the evening & a Full Breakfast in the morning.
Come to our booth and sign up for the raffle or visit the Inn (just one block away) and go for a tour of the Inn. You’ll be happy you did. The gardens are beautiful!
The mission of the Ojai Valley Lavender Festival is to demonstrate and promote the many uses of lavender, to broaden public awareness and to educate potential growers/farmers about the benefits of plants that celebrate the Ojai Valley’s Mediterranean climate, and to promote Ojai as a unique and welcoming destination. Hope to see you there!
The Lavender Inn is not just a Bed & Breakfast. It has become a platform for finding ways to help others.
Over three years ago, we started a retreat for women with cancer called INNcourage. Once a year we close our doors to the general public for three days, to provide a space for healing, INNcouragement, comfort & love for women with cancer. Members from our community extend themselves to contribute dinners, lunches, massages, facials, yoga, counseling, and love, while we provide the place to rest, make friends, elevate souls, have time to one’s self, think about nothing and, of course, have a delicious breakfast.
When these beautiful ladies attend the retreat, they come in not knowing that when they leave, they stand taller, smile longer and feel lighter. You’ve heard it said before… “It takes a Village…” and we can’t thank those that participate in life changing retreat enough. Thank you: Feast for feeding our souls, Ann & Mary for relaxing our bodies, Brook for Healing our hearts, Casey for bringing out our inner beauty, and so many more.
INNcourage is not a cure but it is a REfresh button. Read more in this amazing article written by Heath Croft in Innkeeper Quarterly.
Another amazing program that we’re involved with is Clean the World. The Lavender Inn has joined Clean the World in their effort to help save one million lives each year by donating it’s slightly-used soap and shampoo. These products often end up in landfills and contaminate fragile ground water systems.
The Clean the World program is helping to save lives around the world by donating discarded soaps & shampoos so that those less fortunate can benefit from the practices of good hygiene. 3.5 million children under the age of 5 will die this year to two deadly diseases – acute respiratory infection & diarrheal disease. Even more tragic than these is the facts that these deaths could be prevented by up to 65% through simple hand washing with bar soap. Today in the United States alone, we will throw away 1-1.5 million bars of soap. We save unfinished soaps and shampoos and deliver them to the program and distribute to those in need. For ways that you can contribute from home, click here.
It doesn’t end there. All of the ladies from the the Lavender Inn contribute in being of service to others in our special way. Wether it’s making cash donations to causes, assisting someone in the community or simply being there in conversation, Kathy, Beth, Diana, Caitlin, Genoveva, Tanya, Pam, Michelle, Vanessa & Conchita are always here to lend a helping hand.
Our Gardens have never looked so good. Thanks to our fabulous Gardener Daniel, the efforts of our Innkeepers and the SPECTACULAR spring we’ve had, our gardens have flourished.
Our Front porch and garden is a perfect place to lay back on chaise, read a book, people watch and enjoy the soothing sound of the fountain. It’s a great place to hide yourself behind the veil of roses and flowers and still be part of the Ojai activities.
The main garden off of the breakfast veranda has a beautiful, large, green lawn, a pond, a gazebo flanked by vines and flowers, hidden seating areas and a breakfast nook. It’s perfect for so many activities like crocket, reading, enjoying your home cooked breakfast, having a picnic, lounging, meditating, inviting friends to enjoy tea or simply kicking back and enjoying the view of the mountains. We’ve had so many great events in this garden, including weddings, yoga sessions, Women’s Socials, Tuscan dinners, family reunions, outdoor cooking classes, to name a few. This year the garden is flourishing with beautiful flowers, tall trees and hundreds of frogs in the pond.
You’ll often get a taste of our organic herbs & vegetables from our Herb & Vegetable Garden. Depending on what we’re serving for Breakfast or Wine & Cheese, you might sample fresh picked Basil, parsley, Dill, Sage, Oregano, Rosemary, Kale, Strawberries, Squash, Tomatoes and so much more. We’re fortunate to have this great Ojai weather and be able to grow food and share it, year round.
If you’re staying in the Provence Cottage, you’ll get to enjoy your own private garden with beautiful flowers, a fountain, lounge chairs and a breakfast table, all shaded by our grand Mulberry tree. It’s the perfect garden for peace, quiet, & privacy. If you don’t need a garden of your own but would enjoy having views of the gardens and the mountains, you might enjoy staying in the Garden View Room or Lavender Garden Room with private terraces or the Tree House Room with 180 degree view of the gardens and mountains!
If you haven’t seen our gardens, come visit and we’ll be happy to give you a tour! You can enjoy more pictures of our garden in our photo gallery.
The Lavender Inn is happy, once again, to be hosting The Women’s Business Social on June 8th from 6-8 PM. Women from Ventura, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and some times San Diego County, come to socialize, network and make new connections.
This event should prove to be yummy! Since Ellen Sherwood will be serving up a delicious menu to go along with the cocktails! The Menu includes: San Miguel Mediterranean Pizza, Fresh Arugula Salad with cherry tomatoes and signature lemon dressing, Vanilla Gelato with black grapes & balsamic sauce. If you miss out on her delicious food at the social, consider coming for one of her amazing classes, as she will be teaching a class at the Ojai Culinary School on July 17th.
“No More Nylons is sponsoring the Women’s Business Socials to promote vibrant, worthwhile conversations between women in business.
The Socials create a free, professional network, to bring the AMAZING women together to talk, connect and promote the work they love doing. That’s what No More Nylons is all about. Doing the work you love… and being who you are. If you’re new to town or even visiting, this is a great way to soak up the local flavor and get to know the women that make this town purr…”
Hope to see you there!
Every once in a while we receive calls from parents or families organizing a reunion or grandparents having a get away with their grandchildren, asking whether we are kid or baby friendly. We’re happy to say that not only are we child friendly, but we embrace it! We love having families with children stay with us.
The Lavender Inn is like being at home. Our large fenced garden is safe and perfect place for kids. We have a pond with frogs, a beautiful lawn, a hammock, and outdoor games. If that’s not enough, we are one block from Libbey Park with a huge children’s area, one block from the new skate park, five blocks from the kids club and Rec center, four blocks from the bike rentals and bike path, and walking distance to hiking overlooking the Valley. What more could you ask for?
To top it all off, we’re always ready for a special breakfast and evening snack for the little ones. Just let us know what you need.
It always surprises us to hear that we are the only ones to allow newborns at the Inn. Bring your Pack & Play and we’ll make room for you and your precious one!
When you book with us, let us know your children’s ages are so that we can best suggest the appropriate room or rooms.
Hope to see you and your family soon!
The long awaited Opening Gala of the NEW Libbey Bowl June 4th. The evening consists of dinner and a concert. Ojai is going to be starting the Summer in style! For more information on the history and long path to the restoration of the bowl, visit the official website.
If that weren’t enough, the following week is the classic 65th Ojai Music Festival. June 9th-12th, Ojai Valley will be filled with sounds of amazing music. For more information on the 2011 program, visit the Music festival website.
The events in Ojai, on the first week of June are a perfect way to start the summer in the Valley. If you can’t make those, consider the Lavender Festival, Art in park, Ojai Film Festival, Ojai Wine Festival and everything in between. For more listings visit Ojai Events and check out our Calendar.
… and what better place than the Lavender Inn to book your stay! We’re at the center of it all and walking distance to most of the festival events, hiking, restaurants, shopping and more. Come for a tour.
See you soon!
The Lavender Inn has been getting a lot press in recent years and we’d like to share with you what people are saying. Visit our Press Page for some of the publications. Here’s a recent article by Sue Richter in Examiner.com . You might also enjoy seeing what our guests are saying by visiting our Trip advisor site.
Hope these inspire you to visit!
It's gorgeous and peaceful at New Oak Ranch
The lavender season is rapidly approaching and New Oak Ranch, Ventura County’s favorite destination for lavender lovers will once again be open on weekends for U-Pick lavender. Beginning Saturday, June 18th, our friends and owners Bill and Karen Evenden will welcome visitors on weekends from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm through the end of July.
Fields filled with long, graceful rows of aromatic lavender traditionally evoke romantic thoughts of distant European destinations…glorious Provence, Tuscan hill towns, even the islands off the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia. But now visitors enthusiastically add Ojai, California to the list.
Touted for its beauty, aroma and healing properties, lavender has been cherished for centuries and in recent years, it has become a popular choice with gardeners thanks to its draught tolerant attributes. And creative cooks around the world are discovering its interesting and pleasing flavor when used in their favorite recipes.
Visitors to New Oak Ranch, located in the scenic Upper Ojai Valley are invited to wander the seemingly endless rows of gracefully curving lavender, clip an aromatic bundle (clippers are provided), snap a photo, purchase lavender products or olive oil and enjoy a picnic lunch under a sprawling walnut tree. And if the timing is right, they might even find a still in operation – a chance to observe and learn how the intensely aromatic and highly valued essential oil is extracted from the plant.
In addition to lavender, New Oak Ranch produces Ojai Pixie tangerines and outstanding extra virgin olive oil created from the properties’ 1400 olive trees. No doubt, the crops and landscape create a definitely Mediterranean atmosphere. Visit the Ranch and slow down: experience the country air. But please, don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes.
U-Pick Lavender begins the weekend of June 18th and runs through July 31st.
Hours are Saturday and Sunday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and weekdays by appointment (please call 805-640-1189).
Admission to the Ranch is free but there is a $5.00 per bunch cutting fee.
New Oak Ranch is located below the Ojai Foundation at 9599 Ojai-Santa Paula Road – just 6 miles east of Ojai and 12 miles west of Santa Paula.
For more information about New Oak Ranch – or for a map, please visit our website at http://www.newoakranch.com.
This is so fun and not to be missed!!!
Our pets are part of our family. Going away for a day or two can add stress to your life and your little furry friend. No need to worry about them while you are away. Take a day (or two) trip to the Lavender Inn for much needed R & R and truly relax while you have your pride and joy right by your side. Bring your dog, your cat, or even your bird. Not only will they soak up the sun along with you, but will soak up the love and attention from the wonderful staff and guests. Check out more on our pet friendly policies on our website.
The Ojai Culinary School is busy teaching “Gourmet Cook Wanabes” simple techniques to make delicious dishes for family and friends. Upcoming on April 17 is “Fish Cookery“. The menu includes Dijon Chardonnay Sauce with a local fresh fish, Curried Shrimp on Toast, Basic Ceviche, and a Sushi Roll Demo. The class taught by Master Chef Dave, is attended by mother/Daughters, couples celebrating special occasions and individuals who want to learn how to prepare palate pleasing meals.
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- Champagne in the gazebo
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- Champagne in the Gazebo
Whether you’re celebrating a wedding or just 2 of you having evening wine and cheese or our yummy breakfast in the garden, our romantic gazebo is a beautiful, peaceful setting. At dusk you’ll hear our live frogs in the pond with their nightly symphony.
