Avocado ranch formerly owned by a ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ author listed at $8M
A productive 100-acre avocado and citrus ranch in Temecula, California — formerly owned by a cookbook author who co-wrote two bestselling titles in the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book series — is for sale for $8 million and comes with a 2,000-square-foot main residence with panoramic views from every room.
The gated compound encompasses nine parcels of land and contains a guest house and acres of orchards of persimmons, oranges, lemons and other fruit. A local company manages the agricultural production, according to the Compass real estate firm.
The property was owned by Diana Von Welanetz Wentworth, an award-winning author of seven bestselling books and co-author of “Chicken Soup for the Soul Cookbook” and “Chicken Soup to Inspire the Body and Soul.”
Situated at 44665 La Cruz Drive in the De Luz neighborhood, the main house features three bedrooms and three baths with an open-concept great room with high vaulted ceilings. The primary bedroom is essentially a private retreat with access to a covered patio with built-in outdoor fireplace, a walk-in closet and spa-like bath and glass-enclosed stone tile shower.
There is parking for 12 vehicles and a former helicopter pad that can “be added back” into the transportation element of the estate, the listing states. The property is 15 minutes from the town of Temecula, southeast of Los Angeles.
“The remarkable property is both serene and secure and offers endless opportunities to create your dream compound,” according to the property listing. “It’s no surprise the previous owner was inspired to write two of the bestselling novels for ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ while gazing at the panoramic vistas. “
Wentworth’s husband paid $186,000 for property in June 1988 before they were married, according to The Press-Enterprise newspaper. It was sold in 2003 and has changed hands since then, the newspaper reported.
Von Welanetz Wentworth’s other works include the cooking books, “The Pleasure of Your Company,” “Celebrations: Menus for Entertaining” and “The von Welanetz Guide to Ethnic Ingredients.” With her late husband Paul von Welanetz, she hosted a long-running television series and founded the Inside Edge, a weekly breakfast forum in Southern California. Also, Lifetime Network has purchased the film rights to her romantic memoir “Send Me Someone,” according to Compass.
F. Ron Smith, David Berg and Parisa Schnider of Smith & Berg Partners at Compass are the listing agents.
This story was originally published February 10, 2022 at 10:41 AM.
