Culinary Class: Edible Flower Decorating and Rosé at Ojai Valley Inn

It was a casual summer day that led me back to one of my favorite places in Southern California: The Farmhouse at Ojai Valley Inn. Driving from Los Angeles was – as expected. Traffic and delays had me arrive an hour and a half after my departure. But, once I moved thought the gates and to valet to park my car, I felt like I was a dimension away from Los Angeles.

Within minutes of hopping onto the guest shuttle, I was whisked away to The Farmhouse. As I quickly made my way into the demonstration room, I felt myself becoming – more of my full, final form of myself.

I cannot explain in mere words how much I absolutely love cooking classes at The Farmhouse. From the moment I walk to the doors, I feel that I’ve been mentally transported into a grand kitchen in a Nancy Meyers film: elevated, beautiful and fun.

After checking in, I was walked to my spot – which is my usual favorite: immediately in front, directly in front of the chef.

After light talking and sips of wine – cooking class began.

American Buttercream

As I whipped my softened butter and sugar together, my table mate remarked that she absolutely loved visiting the spa of Ojai Valley Inn and recieving services.

“Cool,” I muttered. I was very intensely focused on my buttercream.

She continued with an ever so slight passive social positioning game that I knew the rules of – well. So, with a quick mention of the classes I’d been in and experiences – including Culinary Demo: Nini Nguyen’s “Dac Biet” at Ojai Food + Wine Festival – that I’d enjoyed at Ojai Valley Inn  we both saw each other and the light conversation switched to enjoying the task at hand – making the buttercream.

I mention this because – if someone reading this is curious, shy, and is afraid of booking and experiencing something like this solo – based on certain conversations and code switching required – I want to directly speak to you and say that you belong in these spaces. Just like me. Understand this – deeply – and if someone challenges you, handle it and move on.

As my Kitchen Aid stand mixer whipped and whirled, I began to wonder about what I wanted to add to the buttercream for flavor. I decided on rose water and orange blossom water.

I decorated it with edible flowers that the staff had made available from picking around the property. Mainly, from the orchard, Pixie pool and spa area.

We brushed the individual cut cakes with orange blossom water. One of the tips chef Olivia suggested was to put a skewer into the middle of the cake, to give it leverage on the turning table.

And I was – delighted. I also loved marveling and delighting in other participants cake designs.

How to make blossom water

I found myself chatting with the chefs about making flavored water essences. Chef Olivia explained how simple it could be: place rose petals in a vessel, cover them with boiling water, and let them steep – it really is that straightforward.

From there, she began suggesting all kinds of cake flavors to experiment with. Some were sweet, like a delicate Lemon Lavender Cake, while others leaned savory, such as Basil Blossom with tomato flower, chive cake, or even rosemary. I was intrigued. The real secret, she said, is allowing yourself the freedom to play and explore new flavor pairings.

She even encouraged experimenting with mustard flowers in cake batter – a thought that sparked an entirely new way of imagining cakes. It was creatively energizing to picture savory flavors I’d never considered before.

Once we finished decorating our three-tiered cakes, Chef Jordan whisked them off to the fridge so the frosting could set.

Infusing Salt

Our next task was infusing our own salt. I’d just finished a bottle of jalapeño salt at home, so Chef Olivia offered three ways to recreate it:

1. Use fresh jalapeños, slice them, dry them in the oven, then grind them with a mortar and pestle before mixing into the salt.
2. Simply chop fresh jalapeños and fold them directly into the salt.
3. Or, get creative with other flavorings altogether.

For mine, I chose a bright, citrusy path. I used zested lemon and lime, then worked the zest into the salt by hand. Afterward, I stepped into the garden, picked a few basil leaves, and folded them into the mixture – fresh, fragrant, and completely my own.

Infused Sugar

Next, it was time to experiment with infused sugars. Ideas spilled from the chefs faster than I could jot them down:

1. Cinnamon toast dusted with infused sugar and edible flowers
2. Strawberry–chamomile jam made with chamomile sugar

For my own blend, I combined dried rose petals with dried violet blossoms and finished it with a single drop of lavender oil – creating a fragrant rose violet and lavender sugar.

Conversations with the Chefs

As with most of my time at Ojai Valley Inn, what stands out to me are the conversations I have with the chefs themselves. I asked Olivia about how she chooses to flavor – the strength and the amount. How does she know when to stop?

The key is that is looking at flavoring as like music. The top notes are the sharp, first hits of the flavor. Think garlic, onions and powerful moments in the mouth. The base notes round out the profile – like a bay leaf. Everything in between balances and builds on that to create the symphony. I found this strikingly similar to what Top Chef’s Kristen Kish’s discussed her flavoring, during  In Conversation: Top Chef’s Kristen Kish and Alyse Whitney at Now Serving Bookstore.

In a moment of reflection, Kristen shared that if she hadn’t become a chef, she would have joined a symphony orchestra. That single thought revealed everything about how she approaches cooking – not as mere profession, but as expressive, living art.

from "In Conversation: Top Chef’s Kristen Kish at Now Serving Bookstore"

I also found out that Olivia was a self taught chef. She started baking with her grandmother and a child. Since then, she’s honed in on the intuitive knowledge of the language of food. It’s all about building up and layering flavors.

Suggestions and Looking Ahead

Inspired by Olivia sharing her latest favorite experiment – cardamom and persimmon gelato – I suggested that next season, Ojai Valley Inn offer an ice cream class. Olivia mused that they’d need to invest in KitchenAid ice cream attachments, but admitted it could happen. I truly hope it does, because I love unique ice cream flavors, and I’m convinced it would be a fun experience.

She also told me about experimenting with pine needles. Since they naturally carry yeast, she used them to make a kind of pine soda – something similar to kombucha. Wild. She went on to describe her trials with different savory vinegars, each idea more intriguing than the last. Again, I think a class based around creative vinegars and their uses would be outstanding.

Current Food Trend: Nostalgia

I asked, “What do you wish people understood most about cooking at a high-volume, high-standard resort?” At this point, Chef Jordan joined the conversation. Both chefs agreed: the greatest challenge is consistency. Maintaining it, day after day, is the most demanding – and most essential – part of their craft.

Curious, I followed with another question: How do chefs create new recipes and decide which dishes make it onto the menu? Do TikTok trends play a role? They laughed and shook their heads. Instead, they draw inspiration from established food trends – those written about in reputable magazines and industry articles. Often, product testing happens in Libbey’s Espresso Bar, where they can immediately gauge what resonates with guests – and what doesn’t.

So, I pressed further: What do you think is the current theme in cuisine? Their answer: nostalgia. The goal is to take flavors that live in a guest’s memory and elevate them – familiar, yet reimagined. Olivia’s experimental flavors were both inventive and rooted in seasonality, always as fresh and timely as possible.

I asked how they determine whether a dish is successful on the menu. They explained it’s an evolving assessment, usually clear within a month as trends emerge. The key, they said, is creating something new classical: nostalgic, but modernized. For example, Olivia explained – she might create a Ding Dong on the menu. But, it will be one crafted with the finest ingredients and executed with precision. It isn’t a store-bought treat; it’s a reinvention that transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary. That – I remarked – was the essence of luxury: transcending the everyday into something remarkable and extra-ordinary.

Then, I asked Olivia and Jordan about what truly makes working at Ojai Valley Inn so special. They both agreed – it’s the people, and the fact that the family who owns the resort genuinely cares for them.

The Ojai Valley Inn has been owned by the Crown family, a Chicago-based family whose company is the largest shareholder of General Dynamics, since they purchased the property in 1985. Olivia raved about them and about how much they care for the staff. She gave me little details about how they’re treated and respected that honestly made me love Ojai Valley Inn even more.

That’s part of what I love about places like this – where you can step into a distinct experience without ever leaving driving distance of Los Angeles. It’s not only about the setting; it’s about being transported into something out of the ordinary. Yes, I’ve stood in the Farmhouse before, crafting and enjoying different culinary delights. But it’s more than that. It’s the conversations you have while decorating a cake with flowers freshly picked and washed earlier that day. It the creation stories that staff tells you. It’s never having an empty wine glass, because someone is always there to refill it. Truly, it is the little things that make every visit feel like coming home.

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