The beautiful thing about the holidays is that they can center around age-old traditions or they can inspire new celebrations that offer a fresh take for family and friends.

In recent years, DAOU’s Associate Membership Manager Raquel Smith and her husband Cody have built their own holiday traditions inspired by the beautiful Central Coast the ground up and invited those they love to become part of new memories in the making.

“Christmas used to be a very busy day for us because we would travel to four or five different holiday dinners,” Raquel says. “Once we purchased our own home, we were thrilled to have the hosting torch passed to us and to have all our loved ones in one place.”

Raquel, who is also a vegan, loves to cook with vegetables and herbs from her expansive garden. “We like to use the freshest ingredients possible,” Raquel says.

Cody, who hails from a multi-generational Paso Robles family, enjoys hunting deer, boar and turkey in the region. He dries and cures the meat himself. He also likes to work with preserves, creating glazes and jams that are ideal when used for roasting meats.

“At our holiday meals, everyone tends to bring their own specialty dish,” Raquel says. “And now, having his family and mine altogether in one place is really special.”

Watch Raquel's Story: