Celeste Carducci is not your typical innkeeper.
After earning a degree in hospitality management, the Hamburg, N.Y., native worked for a variety of large corporations, including Marriott and Nieman Sporting Clubs of America, and also for the wine industry in Washington, D.C. Life’s journey eventually brought her to Napa where, in 1988, she bought and began renovating a historic downtown home. By 1995, she was up and running…literally.
Proprietor of the McClelland-Priest Bed and Breakfast Inn (“though my 12-year-old daughter sometimes greets the guests as if she’s the boss!”), Carducci also teaches sports nutrition, foundations of physical fitness, spinning, weight training and core fusion at Napa Valley College. “In college, I really wanted to study physical education, but my parents insisted on business management,” she explains. “So I studied business as a major and PE secondarily. Now my teaching contributes not only financially but also to my personal level of health and fitness.”
Currently, Carducci is training as part of a 12-woman running team for the Providian Relay, a 200-mile road race that stretches between Calistoga and Santa Cruz.
Growing up, did you have any family rules that seemed unfair?
Dinner at 5 p.m. Not later or “the kitchen was closed.”
Do you have a pet? Is it a purebreed or a mongrel, and what do you like best about it?
Blitz is a Boston terrier. She’s a great B&B dog—patient and ready to please.
Do you write down your goals?
Yes, both long- and short-term. I have to so I can maintain a healthy balance while progressing.
Have you ever had a really bad haircut?
Not that it was really bad, just inconvenient. The stylist cut “Jennifer Aniston” layers on my all-one-length look, and it was difficult to just pull it back and run!
Do you have a big family?
My mother, brother and cousins all live on the East Coast. I also have three great children. My daughter, Erica, is 24 years old and teaches ninth and tenth grades in Los Angeles; she’s also finishing her master’s in education at UCLA. My son, Mark, 22, is a police officer for the San Pablo Police Department and a graduate from the Napa Valley College Police Academy. My daughter, Gianna [pictured here in red], is 12 years old. A happiness gift in my later age, she excels academically and is also a great soccer and volleyball player.
How much poetry have you written in your life?
One poem, about life, that was used in a memorial service. And I tend to write and rhyme a lot when writing for marketing.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I’d try not to be so hard on myself.
If you could have lunch with anyone, who would it be?
My parents and brother, all of us together.
If your CD player only played one song, what would it be?
“Leavin’ on a Jet Plane.”
Did you ever cheat in school?
No, honesty is a big part of my life. But I have given answers away.
When are you shy?
When I try on a new outfit that I’m not certain fits my look.
Of all the tools and gadgets you own, which one do you most enjoy using?
My juicer.
What did you want to be when you were 10 years old?
A ballerina.
What’s your favorite birthday memory?
All the cousins gathering for big parties.
What’s your favorite movie and what does that say about you?
I have many favorites, but one that stands out is “Under the Tuscan Sun.” It says I appreciate adventure, creating, changing and self-worth.
What person from history would you turn to for advice if you could?
Jack LaLanne. I’d ask him to write an exercise program for today’s Americans.
What’s your secret vice food?
Baked brie with almonds.
What item in your office has special significance for you?
Pictures of my three children and awards they’ve won. They’re my silent “pat on the back.”
