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Dining, Wellness

Eat Local! In Sun Valley, Idaho

There’s no end to the variety of restaurants, cafes, and bakeries in the Sun Valley area and greater Wood River Valley, and complementing those eats are a bounty of fresh, locally grown ingredients as well as homemade creations from area bakers and cooks. Whether you’d like to enjoy a meal completely cooked from scratch while you dine out or simply want to pick up locally made cooks to enjoy at home or on the road, Ketchum, Sun Valley, and Hailey are home to many spots to eat local made and sourced food. Restaurants So many restaurants within the Wood River Valley make many of their ingredients from scratch, source locally grown food, or buy already made products from local producers. It would take up this whole blog entry to go into each in depth, but here’s just a selection of the best spots to eat local goods. In Hailey, try dinner spot CK’s for globally inspired farm-to-table cuisine made with sustainable ingredients and lots of Idaho suppliers. Also in Hailey is high-end bike shop and pub the Powerhouse, which offers a selection of burgers, tacos, salads, and fries made with house-made, locally sourced ingredients. Ketchum dinner restaurant The Covey makes …

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24hrs with a Local, Wellness

24 Hours With Local Amy Mattias

Practically everything that Amy Mattias does, from her job to her hobbies, revolves around locally grown food. The newly appointed Executive Director for the non-profit Sun Valley Institute for Resilience has been with the organization for five years and before that worked for Nourish Me, Lava Lake Lamb, Idaho’s Bounty, the Wood River Sustainability Center, and Kray’s Market. As the ED of the Sun Valley Institute for Resilience, Mattias manages three programs that the institute is the overarching body of: the Impact Idaho Fund, which invests in locally rooted ideas and entrepreneurs; the Local Food Alliance, which raises awareness of the local food system and puts out the Wood River Valley Locally Grown Guide, which lists all the farms, ranchers, restaurants, retail stores, and farmers’ markets that source local food; and 5B Resilient, a program about empowering everyday climate action at the individual and household level. Amy Mattias has lived in the Valley for almost ten years, the last two of which have been spent in her new home in the Bellevue Triangle, where she lives with her husband and born-and-raised local Chris Mattias, their dogs Susie B and Ripper, and eight hens and one rooster. Their property has lots …

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24hrs with a Local, Wellness

24hrs with a Local: The Flourish Foundation’s Ryan Redman, March

Flourish Foundation’s executive director and co-founder (with his wife, Paige) Ryan Redman leads the kind of calming, wellness-centered lifestyle many in Sun Valley strive for. From dedicating hours of his early mornings to himself before work to just truly cherishing every part of living in this town, Ryan exudes contentment. Ryan’s Flourish Foundation is no different, with its vision to inspiring systemic change through heartmind cultivation, promoting personal well-being, benevolent social action, and environmental stewardship. Since its conception in 2010, the Flourish Foundation has facilitated programs that nurture life skills and transformation through ethics and values like meditation. Ryan has studied meditation and Yoga from an early age and teaches yoga in Sun Valley in addition to his work at the foundation. We asked the passionate leader, yogi, devoted husband and father of two boys what his perfect 24hrs for March in Sun Valley looks like. How does your ideal day in Sun Valley start? Ryan: After an incredible night’s sleep, I open my eyes and feel tremendous gratitude to have a human body, to live in such a beautiful place, and to be healthy and capable of providing service to the world and serving myself. Then, after my thoughts …

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24hrs with a Local, Innovation, Wellness

24hrs with a Local: 5b Fruit’s Katja Peller, February

Wellness-focused couple Parker Morris and Katja Peller have taken their passions and turned them into two thriving businesses, 5B Fruit and 5B Floatation. After hiking Baldy on a hot summer day, the two were craving a healthy smoothie. Not finding one that satisfied them, the two opened what they thought would be a small smoothie stand and turned it into the popular shop it is today. While their days are busy behind the counter at 5B making delicious smoothies and bowls, they still have time to enjoy raising chickens and their dogs Tilly and Garth on their farm south of Bellevue where they’ll be getting married this summer. Learn how Katja spends the perfect day in Sun Valley! How does your perfect day start? Coffee/breakfast somewhere? Easy morning at home? Katja: Usually, mornings start very early to make sure things are taken care of around the farm. The drive from my house to Ketchum is about 40 minutes so I listen to a podcast to start the day off. Then I stop at Lizzy’s on my way into town. A day can’t start and is not complete without a cup of coffee. My favorite way to start the day is …

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24hrs with a Local, Wellness

24hrs with a Local: Gather Yoga’s Danielle Fuller, January

Going into the new year, Danielle Fuller has her intentions set around being mindful and grateful, especially for this beautiful town we live in. The mom of three (and three step kids!) is often busy running errands, doing the pick-up/drop-off for her kids, as well as running her business, Gather Yoga & Studio. After completing her yoga teacher training in 2009 and moving from Portland to Ketchum the same year, Danielle opened her studio in 2013 and since then has been teaching yoga alongside her studio’s other teachers. See how this busy woman does it all while still having fun and staying healthy in this editions of 24hrs in Sun Valley, January edition. How does your morning start? Danielle: Just coming off the holidays, I’m trying to stay true to my New Year’s intentions around health and well-being. I start the day early, around 6:30, with a morning dog walk in the sunshine and snow out East Fork, where I live, while listening to my favorite podcast. I walk my favorite loop and get in the mindset for the day before heading up to town to catch a yoga class with Cathie Caccia at Gather to get my body, mind, …

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Arts & Culture, Bucket List, Wellness

Sun Valley: A Spiritual Vortex

There’s a certain magnetism to Sun Valley, a pull that draws in people from all walks of life. People come to vacation here for a few days and decide to move here. Celebrities, athletes, chefs, artists, and all manner of passionate people are drawn to this special place. The reason, according to Life Purpose Shaman, the owner of the Crystal Healing Room in Ketchum, is a positive energy vortex at the center of Sun Valley which she discovered 25 years ago. Shaman has had 30-plus years of experience healing, including receiving mentoring from Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, and the Dalai Lama. Shaman explains how and why she came to Sun Valley and the impact of the vortex on the energy of our town and its inhabitants. What originally brought you to Sun Valley? Shaman: Over 25 years ago, I actually saw a vision of the energy and vibration that’s in Sun Valley. I am an intuitive, spiritual healer who connects with the vibration or frequency of the earth’s vortexes. Since I was very young, I’ve studied with many different shamans and healers and spiritual leaders because of my abilities. When I had this vision, I knew it was …

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Wellness

5 Ways to Immerse Yourself in Sun Valley’s Wellness

With fresh mountain air invigorating your soul and the sun shining deep into your subconsciousness, you will come to know why Sun Valley revels in a level of wellness and health not found many places. From healing hot springs to meditative botanic gardens to day spas and health food stores, it’s place where the words “clean living” take on real meaning. We have gathered the five best ways to dive into all of Sun Valley’s wellness offerings so that you can make the most of your visit and return refreshed and recharged. Yoga Spas If you simply need to chill, pamper yourself with a hot-stone massage, facial or acupuncture treatment to relax your mind and revive your senses, you can do that, too. Fitness and Exercise Sure, Sun Valley has trails that go on for miles, and hiking up or skiing down Bald Mountain is a sure-fire way to torch some calories. But, if you’re more in the mood for a good stretch, a core/muscle building workout or a trainer pushing you to try even harder, there are several world class gyms and studios for you to choose from that offer everything from yoga mats to salt water swim lanes. …

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Fall, Family, Innovation, Wellness

Ways to Capitalize on Remote Learning in Sun Valley

Schools shut down? Kids enrolled in online courses? Taking some online courses yourself to work on that masters? If the traditional classroom environment looks different this fall then Sun Valley is the best place to be. Not only does the Valley have all the resources needed to achieve academic success, it is also a great opportunity to expand beyond the standard curriculum and learn about life and Mother Nature. Work Spaces If a quiet place and fast wifi is what you need to crank out some assignments or to log on to a video conference then the library is probably your best bet. Newly remodeled and full of little work zones to try out, the library and its many resources are available to anyone with a free library card. If some background noise is more your style then the coffee shops and hotel lounges offer up a variety of locations to crank some productivity. Just remember to bring a mask and possibly check in at the front desk before you dive in. The Community Library Java on Fourth Starbucks Limelight Hotel Sun Valley Lodge Ketchum Town Square Ketchum Works Hailey Coffee Different Kind of Classroom Some of the best lessons …

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Summer, Wellness, What We're Made Of

What We’re Made Of – The Sun Valley Wellness Festival

In 1997, a group of wellness-minded community members in Sun Valley decided to host a small event over Memorial Day weekend. Since then, the annual Sun Valley Wellness Festival and Conference (SVWFC) has grown into a major event as well as the longest-running wellness festival in the world. Each year’s festival and conference draws roughly 1,500 people to see speakers such as Ram Dass, Deepak Chopra, and Arianna Huffington, and to the festival portion which includes movement classes, vendors, and the experience park. This year’s 25th annual event will be held from June 10-13, and will focus on COMING HOME. It will explore how social health & well-being define the foundation of our collective wellness, illuminating what it really means to be a community. History After its founding in 1997, the formative team behind the festival started the non-profit arm, the Sun Valley Wellness Institute (SVWI) in 2005. The festival is now run by the institute as well as a Board of Directors, Advisory Council, and current Executive Director Andria Friesen. Over the years, the date of the SVWFC has changed from taking place during the slack month of May to a busy summer event. Its location has varied over the …

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Uncategorized, Wellness

Self Isolation Inspiration – Sun Valley, Idaho

A few days into social distancing and binge watching even the most addicting show just doesn’t cut it anymore. With everything going on in the world at this moment it can be easy to lose our minds or to sit back on the couch and binge watch our favorite shows as the time just passes by. That is why it is important to make some adjustments to the new normal or at least what life is going to be for the near future. We’ve compiled some self isolation inspiration from Sun Valley to get you through these uncertain times. Mental Health & Physical Well Being Maintain a daily schedule: Although we might not be going to work or running our standard errands it is important to maintain a consistent sleep and eating schedule. It can also help to create a new adapted daily schedule to help give your day order and structure which helps reduce anxiety. Physical Activity: Although gyms and pools are closed it is still important to remain active. The BCRD bike path is open and plowed and the northern cross country ski trails are still being groomed and are open for FREE. It can also be as …