Rancho San Julian Beef

Rancho San Julian, a 14,000-acre ranch on Santa Barbara’s Central Coast, has been owned and worked by the same family since 1837. Elizabeth Poett, a 7th generation cattle rancher, grew up on the ranch and returned after school to work full time. In 2018, she launched The Ranch Table, hosting cooking classes and events at the historic adobe. The ranch has a rich history, with the main house, known as the Casa, built from the early 1800s to the late 1800s and still serving as the headquarters. The ranch is known for its wildlife, oak forests, and rolling hillsides.

Rancho San Julian practices integrated agriculture, viewing humans, animals, crops, and the environment holistically. The ranch produces grass-fed and farm-finished beef without the use of hormones or antibiotics. Steers are born and raised on the ranch, with hay and grain grown on site or sourced locally. The land is also used for dry-farmed crops, kitchen gardens, honey bees, lavender fields, and orchards.

The Ranch Table offers visitors the opportunity to learn about the foods they eat through cooking classes and special events, culminating in seasonal meals. Elizabeth Poett hosts a cooking show called Ranch To Table on the Magnolia Network, where she shares ranch life and easy-to-make recipes. A percentage of proceeds from The Ranch Table events go towards preserving the ranch and its historic buildings. Elizabeth released her first cookbook, The Ranch Table, in October 2023.