Our Experts List

We had the pleasure of working with many experts to help inspire you. In this section, we have invited our experts to post their biographies and make it easy to find them, should you choose to connect or learn more. Please search for them by name or keyword using the search below.

Bob and Melinda Blanchard

Bob and Melinda Blanchard

Featured in Chapter Two: Romance and Marriage

As successful entrepreneurs, authors, and lifestyle experts, Bob and Melinda Blanchard passionately live what they love. Throughout their 36 years of marriage, they have discovered that much of the joy is in the journey, relishing the opportunity to take risks in order to live their dreams.



The dramatic success of the Blanchards is due in part to the diverse backgrounds of these married business partners. Raised in New York City, Melinda grew up cooking, often creating sumptuous and original culinary delights to serve at her mother’s social gatherings. Hundreds of miles away in Peacham, Vermont, her future husband was growing up surrounded by the richness of country themes and values. While Melinda was learning how to turn out the perfect soufflé, Bob was mastering fine carpentry and developing talents in art and merchandising learned from his father who tended Peacham’s General Store. 



They met in college where they both studied Psychology. They married and began careers in social service. With their toddler son, Jesse, they settled in Norwich, Vermont and launched their first business venture – a retail store offering gourmet housewares and kitchen supplies. The business immediately flourished and made a profit. But after three years, the Blanchards yearned for the excitement of starting again. It became clear that they loved the challenge of creating new businesses more than the everyday operation once things were established.



Together, the Blanchards have created and run nine independent businesses from the ground up. While raising their son in Vermont, they launched several successful companies in areas of personal interest, including toys, ski equipment, kitchen products and a multimillion dollar line of gourmet sauces and dressings called Blanchard & Blanchard & Son.



After decades of successful entrepreneurship and quiet New England living, Bob and Melinda decided to turn life upside down and inside out. They sold nearly everything and moved to the tiny Caribbean island of Anguilla for the next step on their journey together. As lifestyle entrepreneurs, they embarked on another business venture in the form of a beautiful beachfront restaurant – the widely celebrated Blanchards on Meads Bay in Anguilla, British West Indies.



The Blanchards’ first book, A TRIP TO THE BEACH, documented the struggles and rewards they encountered while moving to the Caribbean. The bestselling, inspirational travel essay motivated thousands to send letters and e-mails asking the Blanchards for advice on following their own dreams. Bob and Melinda responded by writing LIVE WHAT YOU LOVE and CHANGING YOUR COURSE, igniting people’s spirits once again to follow their dreams. They are also authors of two cookbooks, AT BLANCHARD’S TABLE and COOK WHAT YOU LOVE.
 
Company Website: www.blanchardsrestaurant.com
Favorite Charity: Blanchards Anguilla Children’s Fund