ALUMNI STORIES
Making Betty Crocker Proud
Transforming the historic estate into a San Diego destination
Two home renovations prepared Benjamin and Marlise Kast ’96 Myers for the ambitious project of restoring the historic Betty Crocker Estate in Valley Center, California. Their mission: blessing people through their love for hospitality.
The couple first transformed their home in Carlsbad. A full-time designer at an ad agency in Carlsbad Village, Benjamin scoured antique shops during his lunch hour.
“Between small splurges and endless hours of Craigslist hunting, we built our collection of talk pieces — the kind that find you,” Marlise says. “They tell a story, hold a history and make you feel like you’ve found something that was simply meant to be.
“My vision changed for what a home should be: a place to rest your mind, where you could exhale at the end of a day and smile at what you had built with the person who inspires you to break the mold and do everything with purpose, intention and thoughtfulness.”
They next adopted a 1950s farmhouse, relocated from San Diego to half an acre in Vista backed by wetlands and dotted with orange, pepper and loquat trees. Benjamin and Marlise’s father tackled a massive landscaping project, creating a “front-yard nirvana.”
They also painted every wall and ceiling and remodeled the kitchen with custom counters, vintage appliances and a black-and- white checkered floor. Benjamin built a greenhouse out of recycled materials. The couple gardened, grew vegetables and kept bees, harvesting their own honey. They composted, captured rainwater, line-dried clothes and fertilized with worm tea.
“That house saved us,” Marlise says. “In those seven years, we gave her our best, pouring our creativity and hearts into a place once destined for destruction.”
Meanwhile, they discovered an antique shop in Valley Center, finding fitting pieces there while exploring the grounds and the magnificent barn. When they heard it was for sale, they toured the property, which once belonged to baking legend Betty Crocker. Agnes White, the original “Betty Crocker,” and her husband, William Tizard, bought the home in 1941 and lived there for 40 years, adding electricity, indoor plumbing and a stainless steel demonstration kitchen where Agnes prepared recipes.
“Nearly 150 years old, the house was showing its age,” Marlise says. “But within 24 hours, we were preapproved for the loan, jumping headfirst into escrow and an unexpected whirlwind journey.” The Myers delayed their move from Vista so Better Homes & Gardens could photograph their farmhouse for the magazine’s “best of” issue.
During all the renovation work, they maintained their full-time jobs as designer (Benjamin) and writer (Marlise). “Of course, we didn’t hire movers because we’re a DIY couple,” Marlise says.
In the first 18 months, they endured floods, fires, fixes and rat infestations. They cleared nearly 30 tons of trash and green waste and embarked on endless projects, pushing toward a greater vision.
“Just five years later, we’ve completed an extensive landscaping project, laid a sustainable infrastructure with solar, and launched our antique business, Brick n Barn,” Marlise says. “We’re open to the public one weekend a month with local crafts, food, antiques, workshops, spa treatments, music and dog adoptions. We’ve gone from a handful of customers to lines snaking out the door. Brick n Barn is an experience.
“While we plan to continue beautifying the antique experience, we’re striving toward creating a destination where you can stroll garden pathways, picnic by the babbling creek, cook in Betty Crocker’s kitchen, sip an espresso in the café, and build friendships in the midst of the Brick n Barn community.
“Until then, we invite everyone to join us in this mighty step of faith, to embrace opportunity, live without regret, and love without excuses. In our ongoing venture, we vow to carry on the antique tradition by bringing new life to this enchanting property — and to make Betty Crocker proud.”