Foodie Chap With Chef Creighton Smith of The Inn at Newport in Fort Bragg

FORT BRAGG, CA (CBS SF) - Upon graduating from Johnson & Wales University in 1981, Creighton Smith began his career as a chef, and has worked in high-end hotels and fine restaurants throughout the country.

Creighton and wife Cindi have more than 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Creighton and Cindi also owned and operated two businesses -- Vermont Pasta Company and Vermont Premier Catering -- for almost 15 years. After selling them in the mid-90s, they returned to the hotel industry as managers, where Creighton spent 18 years as a Hotel General Manager at various Wyndham and Starwood branded properties and resorts, while Cindi worked in the sales and marketing offices of several fine hotels and resorts.

In 2014, they decided to begin a new grand adventure on the Mendocino Coast, as the innkeepers at the new luxury property, the Inn at Newport Ranch. As the parents of four grown children (and a new grandchild), the Smiths believe that they have been preparing most of their lives to be innkeepers.

I had the joy of venturing to Mendocino recently to judge the World Abalone Championships. The Inn at Newport Ranch was my home for the few days we were on the coast. A home cooked communal dinner and tasty breakfast is part of the Newport Ranch experience. The breakfast is the perfect beginning; scrambled eggs with gruyere cheese, warm croissants, fruit, yogurt and fresh coffee. It sets you up for the day, a day spent hiking along miles of trails on the 2000 acre coastal property. The setting on Mendocino's rugged coast is nothing short of spectacular. The Inn itself is a handcrafted ranch house, ten years in the making, six in the planning and four more of round the clock handiwork by a team of local builders and carpenters. To stay here is to be given the keys to someone's incredibly special home. There is so much to love about the Inn; the rooftop hot tub, the inviting cozy library with the wood burning fire, the leisure room in the basement where darts and reading can be equally enjoyed, the porch sprinkled with rocking chairs for sunsets and conversation.

The drive here is about three and a half hours from San Francisco but the reward is the coastal drive and what greets you when you get here; an escape like none other on ranch land untouched for decades. Creighton and Cindi are exceptional hosts, making you feel like family from the moment you arrive. Open for just two months the secret about this breathtaking Mendocino gem is quickly getting out. Treat yourself to an escape here soon and be sure to get up in time for breakfast and stick around for dinner, you will be most glad you did.

Meanwhile enjoy my tasty talk with Creighton and Cindi and enjoy the recipe; Stuffed dates wrapped in bacon. A perfect app for guests right now.

See you in Mendocino soon!
Cheers, Liam!

Papaya-Stuffed Dates
Wrapped in Bacon

Ingredients:

• Medjool dates, de-seeded
• Fresh papaya, cut in slivers
• Applewood-smoked bacon
• Maple Syrup
• Brown Sugar

Directions:

• De-seed fresh Medjool dates.
• Insert small slivers of fresh papaya into the date in the place where you've just removed the seeds.
• Cook strips of quality Applewood-smoked bacon ½ way.
• Cut the bacon into small strips and wrap around the stuffed dates.
• Brush on some Maple Syrup (recommended: Vermont Maple Syrup, of course!).
• Sprinkle a small amount of brown sugar on each date.
• Cook in 350 degree oven till bacon gets cooked and is nice and brown, and the sugar has caramelized a bit.
• Serve warm.

For more on The Inn at Newport Ranch,