Meet Barbara Stafford | Cookbook Author and Dental Hygienist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Barbara Stafford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Barbara, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
When my husband initially encouraged me to start writing cookbooks, I had no idea that writing and producing the books would be the easy part. Marketing and selling a self-published book is a challenge that we authors have to figure out!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My profession is Dental Hygiene, which I have done for forty years! Cooking is my passion with food being my love language. I enjoy creating meals that bring friends and family together. A successful meal includes a variety of colors, textures and flavors while being mindful of the guests’ likes and dislikes, food preferences and possible allergies. I learned that lesson really fast when I served a beautiful beef tenderloin….to a vegetarian! Oops! Now I don’t hesitate to ask in advance.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We are so lucky to live in beautiful Colorado! I actually do have a list that every guest is offered. If it is summer, we definitely would enjoy a day on Chatfield Reservoir paddle boarding, kayaking and swimming from our boat. We would also grill a meal out at anchor and possibly enjoy a beautiful sunset. If it is winter, skiing the back bowls of Vail and grilling lunch at Belle’s Camp are a must. All the food and beverages are packed into our backpacks, ready to be cooked on the communal grills. The views are incredible!

We always take our guests to Colorado Springs to Garden of the Gods. That is such a beautiful place and unlike what most have seen. We love hiking amongst the rocks and finishing up the day with a stop at the visitor center with a view of Pike’s Peak.

Red Rocks Amphitheater, for a hike or a concert, is always a must. Tailgating with our small grill is required before a concert. We bring the food, drinks, chairs, table and grill and enjoy the view! We love Red Rocks so much we got married there!

Downtown Denver is special and we love the Peaks Rooftop Lounge at the Hyatt for wine and a variety of small plates. The view of the Bronco stadium with mountain backdrop never gets old. Not far from the Hyatt is the Convention Center, which is home to the 40-foot blue bear peeking into the windows. It is fun, playful and a must for every visitor to see. Pick up a small, souvenir bear at their gift shop. Yes, I have one!

If there is time left for our guest, we’d find a nice little hike in the mountains and would probably stop for pizza at Beau Joe’s on the way home in Idaho Springs. If there is even more time, we’d visit Crested Butte and eat at Secret Stash Pizza.

These are just a few of our favorite places that are not too far from Denver.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
John Stafford, my husband, has to be my biggest cheerleader. He is also the one who had the vision and confidence that I could make it happen.

Website: eclectic-entertaining.com

Instagram: eclecticentertainingcookbooks

Facebook: Eclectic Entertaining Cookbook

Youtube: Eclectic Entertaining

Other: eclecticentertaining@gmail.com

Image Credits
Monty Nuss took the headshot