Inside the Farm-to-Table Childhood Julia Roberts Created for Her Twins

Long before Julia Roberts was gracing red carpets for ‘Pretty Woman’ and ‘Erin Brockovich’, she was already dreaming of a much quieter life, one with dirt under her fingernails instead of designer heels.

These days, that dream looks less like Hollywood and more like a working ranch, complete with animals, homegrown produce, and a very different kind of family dinner.

What her twins actually grew up eating might surprise you more than any of her movie roles ever could.

Life On A New Mexico Ranch

For decades, Roberts has escaped to her sprawling property in Taos, New Mexico, a place she has called her happiest escape from the pressures of fame. It’s where she married husband Danny Moder in 2002, and where their family still spends much of their time today.

Locals reportedly run into the Oscar winner at Target or the grocery store just like anyone else. That kind of normal, grounded setting became the backdrop for how her three kids would grow up eating.

A Garden Bursting With Fresh Fruit

Roberts has spoken about tending her own garden of citrus and stone fruit, growing tangerines, oranges, lemons, plums and peaches right at home. It’s the kind of hands on hobby that quietly shaped what ended up on her kids’ plates over the years.

Fresh fruit picked straight from the yard became just another part of daily life for Hazel, Phinnaeus and Henry. It’s a far cry from craft services and studio lunches most people imagine surrounding a movie star’s family.

Where Farm Meets Family Table

In a candid conversation with fellow actress Cate Blanchett, Roberts opened up about the realities of raising kids around farm animals, joking about the golden rule of never naming something you eventually plan to eat. It’s a peek into just how literally farm to table her family’s food philosophy has become.

That same hands on approach carries into her kitchen. Roberts once told Marie Claire that “it’s my privilege and honor to cook three meals a day for my family,” treating home cooked meals as a point of pride rather than a chore.

Simple Food, Big Love

Despite the picturesque garden, Roberts keeps things refreshingly unfussy at the table. She’s defended her love of pasta more than once, insisting there’s no reason to fear carbs at every meal.

Her passion for food even extends beyond her own family, since she has spent years as a global champion working to bring safer cooking access to families around the world.

At the end of the day, Julia Roberts didn’t need a Michelin star kitchen to raise her twins well. Just a garden, a few chickens, and a whole lot of home cooked love turned out to be more than enough.