Create with Kendra

Last year, I planted 10 heirloom tomato plants from Love Apple Farms Nursery and thought I had plenty. This year, I somehow convinced myself that 16 was a perfectly reasonable number. 😆

Over the past few months, those tiny plants have transformed into hundreds of beautiful heirloom tomatoes in every shape, size, and color imaginable. They’ve filled baskets, covered countertops, and inspired more meals than I can count. Caprese salads, sandwiches, fresh pasta, bruschetta, salsa, roasted tomatoes, and countless “let’s build dinner around whatever is ripe in the garden tonight” moments.

But honestly, that’s the magic of growing your own food. It becomes so much more than a garden. It’s slowing down long enough to notice what’s ready to harvest, sharing baskets with friends and neighbors, and creating meals around ingredients that were growing in the sunshine just hours before.

A huge thank you to Love Apple Farms Nursery for growing some of the most incredible heirloom tomato plants around. Year after year, they turn gardeners like me into tomato fanatics, and I couldn’t be happier about it. 🍅

Now tell me… what’s one thing you can never seem to do in moderation? 👇

Seven weeks ago, I started an experiment.

A simple tea made from chamomile and lemongrass transformed into a naturally sparkling wine made right at home. 🌼🍋🍾

After brewing the tea, I added sugar, apple cider vinegar, and champagne yeast, then let it slowly ferment for three weeks before bottling and waiting another four weeks for the bubbles to develop.

And today? The bubbles were finally here.

The flavor is light, floral, refreshing, and honestly better than I expected. I’m letting the second bottle ferment one more week to see if even more carbonation develops before moving it to the fridge.

There is something so rewarding about turning ingredients from the garden into something completely unexpected.

✨ Want the full recipe? Comment SPARKLING below and I’ll send it to you!

When your husband says all he wants for Father’s Day is a turkey sandwich... you make him a turkey sandwich. 😅

Except this one starts with a whole turkey smoked low and slow on the NEW Westwood series, layered onto homemade sourdough with chipotle mayo, garden basil-arugula pesto, fresh tomatoes, pepperoncinis, and peppery arugula.

We packed it up for a bike ride picnic and spent the day celebrating one of the best dads I know. ❤️

Lance is always the first one to support our family, encourage my endless ideas, and show up for our son. So this Father’s Day, we built Dad the sandwich of his dreams.

And honestly... I think we delivered.

✨ Want the full recipe for the smoked turkey, homemade pesto, chipotle mayo, and sandwich? Comment **TURKEY** and I’ll send it to you!

I’ve spent the last several months dreaming about this project, and today I finally get to share a little glimpse of it with you.

✨ Welcome to *A Seat in the Kitchen* ✨

A food, travel, and storytelling series where we pull up a chair with chefs, farmers, winemakers, and the people who bring us together around the table.

For our very first episode, I traveled to Yountville in the heart of Napa Valley to cook alongside Chef Phillip Moratin at . Together, we created a beautiful spring pasta featuring English peas, leeks, zucchini, lemon balm pesto, fresh pasta, and a dehydrated olive ricotta while talking about food, creativity, hospitality, and the stories behind the chef!

This series is about so much more than recipes. It’s about connection, gathering, travel, and celebrating the people and places that make life meaningful.

I truly hope you’ll pull up a chair and join me.

🍝 Watch the full episode now through the link in my bio!

If you love food, travel, chefs, wineries, beautiful destinations, and the stories behind them, I’d love for you to follow along as this journey unfolds.

❤️ Comment “SEAT” and I’ll send you the link directly.

FoodTravelFreshPasta SpringPasta

2026 has already been such an incredible year, and this is truly one of those pinch-me moments. 🤍

To be featured in and have my work recognized is something I never imagined when I first started Redwood Social, sharing recipes, gardening tips, home projects, and little pieces of my life online.

What began as a creative outlet has grown into so much more than I ever expected.

Create with Kendra, Redwood Social, A Seat in the Kitchen, real estate, design, community events, brand partnerships, and now helping build female-led companies like , every piece has been built around one simple belief: that beautiful experiences have the power to bring people together.

Whether it’s gathering around a table, creating a home that feels like a sanctuary, sharing a meal, traveling somewhere new, or building meaningful connections, my goal has always been to create spaces where people feel inspired, welcomed, and connected.

I’m incredibly grateful to every person who has followed along, attended an event, trusted me with their home, partnered with me, or simply cheered me on from afar. None of this happens without you.

Thank you, Haute Living, for the feature and for sharing my story.

And thank you to this amazing community. I have a feeling we’re just getting started.

✨ Link to the article in my stories and bio.

I thought we were visiting a winery.

A private airport, a wine train, luxury lodging, Defender tours through 2,700 acres of protected land, wine caves, incredible food, and one of the most thoughtful approaches to farming and conservation I’ve ever seen.

Over the weekend, we immersed ourselves in everything Halter Ranch has to offer—from exploring the property in former South African safari Defenders to cooking incredible meals paired with their wines at the Hunting Lodge.

But what impressed me most wasn’t the wine or even the views.

It was the commitment to regenerative organic farming, soil health, conservation, fair wages, and investing in people year-round.

This place is truly a hidden gem in Paso Robles, and honestly, we loved it so much we booked our family Thanksgiving here before we even left.

🎥 I just released the full episode of our stay, along with a detailed blog post sharing everything we experienced and how you can plan your own visit.

Comment **HALTER** and I’ll send you the link to the full video, blog post, and information on booking your next stay.

Have you ever visited a place that completely exceeded your expectations?

🍷🚂✈️🌿

There is something so satisfying about pulling a beautiful loaf of sourdough from the oven—especially when you made it yourself. 🤍

Join me for an intimate evening of baking, gathering, and learning at Redwood & Ranunculus in Felton.

Whether you’ve never touched sourdough before or you’ve been wanting to finally feel confident baking your own bread, this class is designed to be approachable, hands-on, and fun.

Together we’ll mix dough from scratch, shape loaves, bake bread, and walk through the entire process step-by-step. You’ll enjoy garden-to-table bites, a signature cocktail or mocktail, and leave with:

✨ A freshly baked sourdough loaf
✨ A second dough ready to proof overnight and bake the next morning
✨ A live sourdough starter
✨ The confidence to continue baking at home

Think warm bread, flour-dusted hands, seasonal bites, new friendships, and a cozy evening spent learning something new.

📅 Friday, June 12
⏰ 5:00–8:00 PM
📍 Redwood & Ranunculus | Felton, CA

Spots are limited to keep the experience intimate.

Comment SOURDOUGH and I’ll send you the registration link! 🥖✨

Leeks might just be the most underrated vegetable in the garden. ✨

These Creamy Baked Leeks with Bacon & Parmesan are rich, cozy, and packed with flavor. Tender leeks are baked in a buttery white wine cream sauce with smoky bacon, fresh thyme, and plenty of Parmesan until golden and bubbling.

It’s one of those dishes that feels like something you’d order at a charming little French bistro, yet it’s made with simple ingredients and comes together with very little effort.

Serve it alongside roast chicken, steak, beef bourguignon, or simply with a loaf of crusty sourdough to soak up every last bit of that creamy sauce. 🤍

If you’ve never cooked with leeks before, this is the recipe to start with!

👇 Comment LEEKS and I’ll send you the full recipe.

Have you ever cooked with leeks before, or do they intimidate you a little? Let me know below!

homemaderecipes

These viral sourdough biscuits are one of my favorite things to make because they’re SO easy, endlessly customizable, and somehow always disappear within minutes 🤍

You can keep them classic and buttery or load them up with cheddar, jalapeños, bacon, herbs… honestly whatever you have in the fridge. They come out flaky on the outside, soft in the center, and taste incredible warm out of the oven.

These have become one of my go-to recipes anytime friends or family come over because they’re simple, cozy, and guaranteed crowd pleasers every single time.

Comment “BISCUIT” and I’ll send you the recipe 🥐✨

The rodents were starting to think this was THEIR garden… so I started testing a few natural deterrents

For the last 4 weeks, this combination has honestly been working so well for me:
• moving fake owls around the garden
• placing fake snakes throughout the beds
• eucalyptus oil around the wood borders
• heavily companion planting herbs throughout the garden

And oddly enough… I think the fake owls may actually be attracting real owls because now I hear them almost every night 😂

So far the veggies are thriving, the herbs are exploding, and I’ve noticed WAY less rodent damage.

Gardening really is just one giant experiment sometimes 🤍

Comment “GARDEN” and I’ll send you more details on everything I’ve been doing to naturally help keep rodents out of the garden 🌱