A double header today.  RBD did a coffee skin scrub thing at the spa, and I have some extra free time. 

Turns out we just missed Robin Wright, who visited here two weeks ago.  I know, I know, Princess Buttercup.  

This place is owned by Diana Stobo, or as the staff and I call her, La Señora.  I know this because it says, “A Diana Stobo property,” beneath the name of the establishment.  As she only owns one property, I find this amusing but give her credit for branding.  I’m considering placing a sign outside my door at home that reads, “Townsend Mews (the name of our buildings), a Darcy residence.”  Sure, it’s our only residence but, like Ms Stobo, RBD and I have lofty plans.  

You can Google her to find out what she’s all about.  The quick version, she’s an American chef who stumbled onto a raw food approach after being sick, which included Hashimoto’s, and struggling with her weight.  After birthing three kids, she felt generally miserable.  Certainly understandable.  By focusing on simple foods, raw ingredients, dairy-free and gluten-free foods, she began to regain her energy and her life.  

Today her Hashimoto’s is cured and she feels great.  She routinely gives lectures around the world, has written several books, writes a blog, runs an Instagram page, and now is moving into wellness retreats.  For an easy 5k, you can join her this September for a ten day detox which she personally leads.  Her blog is a normal mixture of recipes, advice, and pseudoscience.   

Ms Stobo lives here, at least part time, with her Costa Rican husband.  I’m assuming he’s a second because he’s quite young (and, frankly, the most amazingly beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on).  He also sings.  Deep baritone.  

This place she bought used to be a private home.  The main house is where reception, the shop, the kitchen, and her residence are located.  Two more buildings, including the yoga studio and adjacent rooms we’re in, plus several cottages below were built before opening.  

The new spa is almost finished, which will also include a bigger restaurant (with professional kitchen), and add two more ultra-luxurious rooms.  

Business must be good. 

I do not know enough about raw food or the human diet to say whether or not I believe all this organic, farm-to-table, raw this or that bruhaha.  However, I will tell you what I do know. 

I go to the bathroom a lot.  Fiber … holy shit.  So, so much bloat. 

The more you muck with food, the more its inherent qualities diminish.  Much like a digital image.  The more processing done on it, the more noise and visual junk is created.

The food here is some of the best I have ever had in my life.  In New York and in our travels, RBD and I have been blessed to dine at some of most awarded restaurants in the world.  The food here holds its own against all of them.  Sergio and his staff can cook, or more importantly, season.  Each meal here has been a delight.  Tonight was beef tenderloin.  Amazing. 

The processed carbs here are few.  What carbohydrates do exist are mostly in the alcohol and tropical fruits.  For me, fewer carbs is certainly better.  I have terrible genetics when it comes to glucose processing. That said, I’ve ingested a lot of fructose this week.  It’s still a sugar.  Maybe it’s healthier than sucrose, or table sugar, but let’s not be in denial about the dangers of excess sugar consumption in whatever form it takes.  To my left is a gin and tonic.  To my right is fruit smoothie.  All natural, organic, farm-to-table stuff … well, maybe not the gin.   However, it’s still sugar in the end.  But, hey, the straws are reusable!  “Beto, uno más por favor!”  

I’m remembering Michael Pollen’s book about food rules, which this place purposefully or accidentally practices: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.  His other books about unsustainable mono-culture farming, and its dependance on chemicals and oil-based fertilizers, are also very interesting and apropos.  The farm here has a huge compost tank all biodegradable food waste goes into, which they turn into fertilizer that nourishes the young plants.  

In speaking with the chefs, RBD and I have learned a lot and are looking for ways to sustain this approach to food, which we both like, in our regular lives.  But without a staff, practically speaking many challenges exist.  The best, most awesome, life-saving protocol is still worthless if unsustainable long-term.  Can we do some of this without a chef and staff?  I don’t know.  Also, I really like bagels. 

An interesting email came in today from Nespresso.  I’ve included a bit of it below.  I wonder if Gabriel knows?  Perhaps I should tell him?  I wonder if he would think this is helpful, or is it making me feel better about the waste I generate? 

I think I know the answer. 

We depart for the airport tomorrow at 1030 CST.  We should arrive in Atlanta around 7 EDT. 

We’ll speak again then.