Tucked away in a secluded canyon in the eastern hills of the Napa Valley, Calistoga Ranch looks less like a resort than a cluster of mushrooms that have sprouted here and there among the trees, which dominate the landscape and grow up and around the buildings. The simplicity of the serene setting where nature is dominant belies the luxury of the Auberge getaway, until you step inside a suite — or the restaurant, where we were meeting the new chef, Aaron Wright, on a quiet, late-winter morning.

Aaron Wright, Calistoga Ranch

Aaron Wright, Calistoga Ranch

The Napafit Bikini Boot Camp meets all over Napa, which adds a little spice to the workouts. Last Thursday, however, the meeting place was Frida’s Mexican Grill in Napa.

Kara’s Cupcakes opens today at Oxbow Public Market. The shop is the vision of pastry chef Kara Haspel Lind, who left a successful career in marketing to “follow her bliss” and enroll in a professional pastry course at Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco. Lind next focused her attention on cupcakes, which suited her ebullient personality and sense of fun.

Auberge du Soleil’s new dining concept, the Bistro & Bar, gives diners a taste of the Michelin-starred Restaurant without a hefty price tag.

Next week, on my birthday, thousands and thousands of people all around the country will be gathering around dinner tables, drinking glass after glass of wine and celebrating. It will be quite a festive holiday.

We love reading diet books, almost as much as we love eating. High-fiber, low-fat, low-carb and sugar-busting diets abound. Though they’re not always based on solid science, we seem to learn valuable lessons from each passing craze. Case in point is the fat-free trend that took the country by storm (and almost didn’t go away).

This salad is an interesting marriage of sweet and savory flavors and creamy and juicy textures. Sweet grapefruit makes an equally delicious substitution for the oranges. For a heftier appetizer, top with a few grilled prawns.