Elizabeth Poett - A Seventh-Generation Cattle Rancher and Author

Elizabeth Poett is the host and star of "Ranch to Table", one of the founding cooking and lifestyle shows of the Magnolia Network. She is a 7th-generation cattle rancher dedicated to preserving the land and growing healthy, humanely raised foods. She is also the author of "The Ranch Table" cookbook.

Family

Elizabeth is the great-great-great-great-granddaughter of Jose de la Guerra, who established Rancho San Julian. Jose settled in Santa Barbara in 1815 and became the Comandante of the Santa Barbara Presidio, a military installation built by Spain in 1782 to defend the surrounding areas.

A portrait of Jose de la Guerra

To provide meat and income for the Presidio soldiers, he established a 14,000-acre ranch, namely Rancho San Julian, in central California. He was granted its ownership in 1837 after the War of Mexican Independence.

San Julian is one of California's oldest cattle ranches, and Elizabeth's family has owned and worked on it since 1837. The ranch is home to wildlife, oak forests, and rolling hillsides. There are kitchen gardens, honey bees, lavender fields, and orchards.

Elizabeth's father, James Poett, was a freelance writer in New York City when he met her mother, Marianne Partridge, who was Editor-In-Chief of the Village Voice and the former Editor-In-Chief of Rolling Stone Magazine in San Francisco.

When Elizabeth was expected, the couple returned to the ranch. They continue to live and work on it, even today.

Posted by Rancho San Julian on Saturday, January 30, 2021

Marianne is also the editor-in-chief and co-founder of The Santa Barbara Independent, and James is one of California's pioneering certified organic ranchers.

Early Life

Elizabeth was born at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara on July 15, 1970. As of May 2024, she is 54 years old. She was raised on the family's historic cattle ranch, Rancho San Julian. She learned to ride a horse even before she could walk.

Her childhood was filled with activities like collecting eggs and feeding chickens. She was also attacked once by a rooster in the chicken coop.

Education

Elizabeth grew up on the ranch and later attended boarding school in Monterey. She went to Kenyon College in Ohio and majored in Spanish History before working at MTV, covering news and documentaries in New York.

Career

Elizabeth worked on a PBS show while pursuing graduation. During the weekends, she worked as a hostess and bartender, learning to make cocktails at a restaurant. She moved to Los Angeles later and regularly spent weekends at the ranch, where she met her husband-to-be, Austin Campbell, at a family branding.

In 2007, Elizabeth started Rancho San Julian Beef to sell her family's grass-fed beef directly to chefs and consumers. San Julian cattle are never given antibiotics, hormones, corn, or soy.

Elizabeth's motivation for establishing the beef business stemmed from her desire to gain knowledge of the quality and origin of the food she fed her family. She is dedicated to environmental stewardship and sustainable agriculture.

Elizabeth Poett is a seventh-generation cattle rancher

Her meats quickly became popular with California cooks and local chefs because of her responsible practices. She is also the author of The Ranch Table blog and hosts various events throughout the year, including cooking workshops, educational sessions, and farm-to-table meals.

In 2018, Elizabeth launched The Ranch Table, where she hosts cooking classes, special meals, and private events at Rancho San Julian.

In 2021, she began hosting Ranch To Table, a cooking show on the Magnolia Network. Viewers are given a glimpse of what ranch life is all about, and Elizabeth shares recipes they can try out at home.

Season 4 of Ranch To Table wrapped up in 2023 and can be watched on the Magnolia Network, Discovery Plus, and HBO Max.

In 2023, Elizabeth published her first cookbook, The Ranch Table: Recipes From a Year of Harvests, Celebrations, and Family Dinners on a Historic California Ranch, a 300-page book containing a collection of her favorite dishes.

In the book, Elizabeth explains how she uses seasonal ingredients to feed her friends and family, with vegetables and meat produced on the ranch. She also incorporates fish from California's Central Coast.

The Ranch Table is structured around the work and celebrations occurring at San Julian throughout the year. It offers readers and cooks an opportunity to experience the ranch's key workdays, cherished family traditions, and annual festivities.

Elizabeth's book The Ranch Table

Elizabeth is successful as an entrepreneur and a businesswoman. As of 2023, Forbes estimates her net worth to be around $2 million. Her participation in many ventures has driven her financial success, cementing her reputation as a notable figure in agriculture and entertainment.

Personal Life

Elizabeth is 5'9" tall and weighs around 125 lbs (57 kg). She is often described as unpretentious, funny, and warm-hearted. Her Zodiac sign is Cancer.

Elizabeth is married to local rancher Austin Campbell, and they have two sons, Hank, 9, and Jack, 12. The couple married at San Julian with 450 guests attending. The ceremony was held at the Old Mission Santa Inés in Solvang, which Elizabeth's family has attended for generations.

Elizabeth Poett with husband Austin Campbell

Austin, who comes from a long line of ranchers and farmers in Santa Barbara County, is the cattle and ranch manager at Rancho San Julian.

Elizabeth has a brother, Justin, who was also raised in San Julian. She is of American origin and follows Christianity.

The 54-year-old entrepreneur starts the day with a cup of Earl Grey tea and ensures that there's butter in her fridge always. Her juicer is her favorite kitchen appliance, and she loves Julia Child's cookbooks.