Today we’d like to introduce you to Lara & Skip Lanfried.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
We were both raised in Southern California in the Newport Beach area, where we first met and married as very young adults. We immediately moved to Los Angeles for Lara to do her university studies at UCLA and Skip to attend graduate school, We spent several years living in Pasadena, South Pasadena and then out in Sherman Oaks. Early in our young adult lives, we developed a passion for design, interiors, hospitality and real estate. In our early years, we lived in and ran a quaint bed and breakfast in South Pasadena which shaped our interest in hospitality and how an intentional environment paired with delicious meals can form lasting connections with a broad spectrum of people from all over the world.
We quickly jumped into the real estate market with the purchase of our very first fixer (understatement) and embarked on learning how to transform a home into a welcoming space. Eventually, we moved back to Orange County to be closer to our family while we raised our children and settled back again in Newport Beach to work in our respective careers.
Seeing a potential opportunity created by a shift in the housing market and an interest in the newly developing short-term rental market, we purchased a couple of houses in the Coachella Valley which was beginning to draw massive numbers of large-scale events and visitors. Of course, we were only interested in the absolute worst houses we could find in the very best areas to continue our passion to restore, rebuild and make wonderful environments for others to enjoy on a tight budget. On a whim, we approached an HGTV production company and were selected for an episode on a show called ‘Vacation Home for Free’ that propelled us forward in the hospitality industry.
Fast forward several years and many remodels and house flips later (we got very good at living in and raising our children in a construction zone environment) we came to a point where we wanted something different for our future. While we had a great life and close family and friend connections, we wanted more connection to nature, to animals and to living a more holistic farming lifestyle.
We decided to sell everything we had in order to follow this dream and to purchase a property that would provide a holistic and biodynamic farming lifestyle, a place for our entire family to be cared for including our parents, our children and our future grandchildren. We also wanted to build a place for people to get away from whatever dailyness of life that they were experiencing in order to reconnect to nature, each other and feel restored.
After an extensive search of both Southern and Central California, we happened upon a place that immediately reminded Lara of her childhood in the countryside of Northern Spain. We purchased a property that has citrus and avocado orchards and that allows us to grow anything that we would like to eat. It is located within a unique micro-climate in Southern California that has ocean breezes and verdant green rolling hills. Many of our friends and visitors compare it to either the Tuscany region of Italy or the Southern region of France. Lara decided to call our new home Rancho Quixote because, while it is a noble endeavor, it is also a bit crazy that we would buy such a large farm while having no farming experience and that reminded her of a book she loved that connected her to her childhood in Spain.
This property has also allowed us to expand our passions for building spaces to host people and provide unique stay experiences with a focus on connecting with nature, with others and most importantly gaining a sense of rest. Our guests enjoy long hikes in the natural wilderness surrounding us, picking their own fruit, interacting with our rescue horses and other farm animals, gourmet meals cooked by chef Lara served in the orchard under the stars, or wine at our highest viewpoint overlooking the entire valley while watching the sun set into the ocean. Our guests have enjoyed a variety of stays, we have a charming cottage with a massive viewing deck, a barn that we converted from a horse barn to a people barn with two separate quarters, and we also have a number of luxury camping experiences complete with permanent large safari tents on private decks all with incredible views. Our elevation allows us to see above the hills that extend from our space all the way to the Pacific Ocean and provide amazing ocean sunsets.
At the end of the day, life is about tradeoffs and we decided that the rigors of living in the country far outweigh the conveniences of living in an urban area. True luxury is having time to enjoy nature, embrace silence and form a deeper connection to others. It is our hope to offer that gift with everyone who comes to stay with us at Rancho Quixote.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Our life experience has taught us that nothing of value is easy to accomplish. We had to overcome years of childhood trauma both individually and as a couple in order to engage in a healthy marriage and raise our children to the best of our ability. Even after many years together, we are still trying to figure all of that out.
The road to Rancho Quixote has been filled with challenges, problems and obstacles. Remodeling homes as a lifestyle is not for the faint-hearted; but, that provided a way forward for us to even begin to dream. The first challenge for us was the need to sell everything we had in order to take a first step towards this dream and that step was a huge leap of faith and a scary move for us. The second challenge was buying, repairing and ultimately moving to the property-as we began those steps with no local connections nor resources, and had to learn so much at each point along the way. Once we arrived, we learned that farming requires a large amount of equipment and that everything breaks all of the time…ALL of the time.
The entire farming enterprise has been both challenging and a bit befuddling to us. We have learned that a farmer can do everything right and still lose a massive amount of the harvest to things like wind and rainstorms. So, it is very humbling to be so very aware that there is so little one can control. But ultimately, that is really a good life lesson. Control is an illusion.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Prior to this experience, Skip was a church pastor focusing on endeavors to empower those living in extreme poverty and assisting at-risk children locally and globally. Skip also owned both a construction company and a property management company. The Quixote Builders construction company and property management company are still going strong and he has added an orchard management company to the mix in response to the needs of other local farmers.
Lara worked in the management and retail marketing for the home furnishings industry and has long had a private interior design business. Lara now uses her marketing background to promote our Quixote Farm produce and she also runs Quixote Home which is a business focusing on lifestyle, culinary and vintage home furnishings. She also uses her skillset in brand building for her clients.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
We have found that maintaining a mindset of a learner and engaging in ongoing mentoring relationships are extremely helpful with any of life’s endeavors. A few keys we have learned along the way are to find and focus on relationships (both as a mentee or as a mentor) where you can be honest about life’s struggles,
Our advice is to be selective about people you allow into your space and to shape your choices. Look for people who want you to succeed and who celebrate your successes – who aren’t gatekeepers – and be that type of a support to others. We have largely found that people with a mindset of abundance and possibility rather than scarcity and fear are the types who we want to influence us and our endeavors.
We have often formed these types of relationships within the context of a healthy faith community where at the start, there is a shared value set.
Pricing:
- Lodging Range from $175 to $350 per night.
Contact Info:
- Website: QuixoteHome.com and EscapePropertiesGroup.com
- Instagram: @RanchoQuixote and @QuixoteHome and @QuixoteBuilders and @LaraLaand and @Ranch.Doctor
Image Credits
Lara Lanfried
