Carmel Realty Company REALTOR®, Chrissy Handel, spent an idyllic childhood in Carmel barbecuing at

Carmel Beach with her family, running into her grandmother playing cards or lunching with her friends at ­the Beach & Tennis Club at Pebble Beach Resorts and hiking in Big Sur on the weekends with her parents. Now she enjoys sharing many of the same activities with her son, Christopher, 14, and watching him thrive in the community she loves.

 

Q: What was your childhood in Carmel like?

 

We’d be out climbing trees, going from house to house, visiting different friends. We’d go fishing in the Carmel River. Sometimes now I’m out looking at property with clients and I realize, ‘I was in this house when I was a kid.’

 

Q: Have you lived here your entire life?

 

I moved here when I was 3 years old. My step-grandfather was a farmer in the Salinas Valley and one of my grandmothers was a REALTOR® at Carmel Realty Company. My parents had always loved Carmel. My dad got a job at the Paul Masson Winery, which was owned by the Coca-Cola Company.

 

Q: What kind of activities did you do with your family?

 

We went to Big Sur and hiked a lot. I spent most of time at the (Pebble) Beach (and Tennis) Club and Stillwater Cove. We were also always at one of the beaches in Carmel—it didn’t matter how foggy it was. There were lots of local activities that we went to as a family like car shows and golf tournaments.

 

Back then the local’s thing was to bring a picnic to the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach. We

attended the U.S. Open Golf Championship and The Crosby Clambake (now the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Tournament). My dad would pick a player and we’d follow them through the tournament. Also, when the Monterey Bay Aquarium opened in 1984, we went to the opening. It was such a big deal.

 

Q: What brought your parents to the area?

 

My parents were in the wine business so my two sisters and I attended a lot of events having to do with wine culture…They would pour wine at the Highlands Inn Carmel at the (former) Masters of Food and Wine event to promote Monterey County vineyards on River Road and the Santa Lucia Highlands. My step-grandfather was part of the Salinas Valley agricultural community and grew Brussels sprouts, asparagus and lettuce.

 

Q: What changes have you seen in the area over time?

 

Carmel Valley Village, for example, has transformed from a cute and quiet cowboy town to a popular wine tasting area. Additions to the Village like The Wine House and Jerome’s Carmel Valley Market have been amazing. The types of events have really changed since my childhood. But there is a lot that is the same.

 

Marc (Bordonaro, my husband) was born here, and he takes Christopher to his childhood fishing holes or golf courses like The Hay (formerly known as Peter Hay Golf Course). The same families from my childhood have children who now play golf with my son. There’s so much crossover and continuity in friendships here.

 

I love that I can walk into Bruno’s (Market and Deli) in Carmel and see my childhood friends and their parents and pick up a copy of The Carmel Pine Cone and tell my son that his dad was a paper boy for the Pine Cone when he was a kid.

 

Q: What are some other places you are now sharing with your son?

 

The Beach and Tennis Club in Pebble Beach. My parents, grandparents and great-grandmother belonged there, and it was always a safe spot for us. I played tennis there my whole life, my parents got married there, and I take Christopher there. It’s a great place to hang out, do swim lessons, spend time with our family and run into people organically.

 

Also, I’ve been attending the Carmel Surfabout since I was in 4th grade, and I love watching my friends who have surfed in it since then. Now we are down there with our kids and watching people who are now grandparents still surfing and hanging out there.

 

We are members at Corral de Tierra Country Club where we also spent a lot of time. I’ll walk the course while Christopher plays there. It’s so beautiful.

 

Q: How can other parents get their children involved in golf?

 

Christopher takes lessons at Corral and plays at Pebble Beach Golf Academy. He participates in Youth on Course (a nonprofit organization) and my favorite thing is that he gets to play on all these local courses, including Carmel Valley Ranch, Quail Lodge & Golf Club and The Hay. It’s been awesome. Youth on Course is so amazing for children. They learn responsibility, etiquette and life lessons along with golf. It is such a privilege to join and then only pay $5 to play these courses. He now plays on his own with all ages and does all the junior golf tournaments at Pebble Beach. The First Tee—Monterey County is also amazing. They have great programs which give children the opportunity to play golf and learn the basics.

 

Q: What are the highlights of raising kids in the Monterey Peninsula?

 

It’s a really healthy environment to raise children in as long as they also realize how privileged we

are to live here and not to take it for granted… We have access to the best produce in the world, but the majority of farmworkers are not getting the same benefits we do. It’s important to teach children to give back.

 

Growing up, we did a lot of volunteer work with Dorothy’s Kitchen with my parents. Now through All Saints Day School, Christopher is participating in the same programs. We also volunteer with the Salvation Army and a few other local small charities. We need to expose our children to all different walks of life.

 

Q: How did you get into real estate?