Truly Pizza Celebrates Soft Opening in the Lantern District

BY BREEANA GREENBERG

Over a year after Truly Pizza owners broke ground at the site of the new restaurant on Del Prado Avenue, the new, open artisanal wood-fired pizzeria celebrated its soft opening on Monday, June 12.

From Monday until the pizzeria’s grand opening celebration on June 22, Truly Pizza will feature a limited menu of classic 12-inch square and round pizzas, sold both whole or by the slice, as well as a selection of focaccia, sandwiches, salads and desserts.

Truly Pizza owners Chris Decker, John Arena, Michael Vakneen, Steve Muller and Donna Baldwin-Muller share a mutual love of pizza. They looked to combine Baldwin’s background in hospitality, Muller’s real estate development experience and Arena, Decker and Vakneen’s professional pizza-making to create the artisanal pizzeria.

“Our Truly Pizza team has worked passionately and enthusiastically to create a neighborhood pizzeria that is welcoming, service-oriented and thoughtful to our customers throughout the entire guest experience,” Baldwin said in a media release.

“Our collective love for great pizza is what brought us together, and we’ve all added our own flavor and expertise to create a culinary experience only found at Truly Pizza,” Baldwin continued. “I’m very proud of everyone’s contributions, from the building design to the menu development, and I’m excited to share

Summer Jams Music Series

Returning to the Dana Point Harbor

BY BREEANA GREENBERG

The live music and education series Summer Jams, hosted by Music Preserves Foundation and the Ocean Institute, will return to the Dana Point Harbor this summer for its second year running.

Vicky Tafoya and the Big Beat will kick off this year’s summer music series on July 7 with a Rhythm & Blues Revue at the Ocean Institute’s Samueli Conference Center and Courtyard. Each performance will include pre-concert discussions with the musicians about the cultural history of each music genre, hosted by the Music Preserves Foundation, which runs an American Music History program in

Truly Pizza with our community.”

The new restaurant, designed by Ted Berner and Dayna Lee of Powerstrip Studio, offers guests a dine-in garden piazza with a rooftop wine bar. Truly Pizza also features an exhibition kitchen to showcase the process of creating hand-crafted pizzas.

“I’m thrilled to be opening Truly Pizza with such a passionate team who continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible with pizza and hospitality,” Decker said in the release.

Decker is a renowned World Pizza Champion—a collaboration of professional pizzamakers— who has a reputation for an imaginative approach to pizza-making that respects long-standing traditions, according to the release.

Arena, a third-generation Pizzaiolo, is known for his Food Network appearances, making pizzas for five U.S. Presidents, and his Metro Pizza Las Vegas restaurants.

Vakneen recently took home a top prize in the 39th annual International Pizza Expo and Conference in Las Vegas, with the assistance of fellow World Pizza Champions Decker and Arena.

Capistrano Unified School District classrooms.

“Complementing the success of our in-school American Music History programs in the Capistrano Unified School District, we are thrilled to bring three exciting and culturally important music events to our community this summer,” Music Preserves Foundation President Patti Compton said in a media release.

The live music events are scheduled from 6-9 p.m. and will include food and drink options for purchase, a selection of food trucks, outdoor bars stocked with wine, seltzers and non-alcoholic beverages and a selection of beers sponsored by Delahunt Brewing Co. and Station Craft Brewery and Kitchen.

Proceeds from the series will support both nonprofit organizations, the Ocean Institute and Music Preserves.

The City of Dana Point, OC Board Supervisor Katrina Foley, the Ohana Music Festival and Clean Juice are

“Dana Point is a community that we believe will appreciate the quality and craftsmanship that goes into our pizzas,” Decker said. “We’ve dedicated ourselves to perfecting our dough, which is the foundation for quality pizza, and we can’t wait to share it with the people of Dana Point and beyond.”

Truly Pizza, located at 24402 Del Prado Ave. in Dana Point, will celebrate sponsoring the summer music series.

“We are proud to have the support of the City of Dana Point and Ohana Festival, and value their commitment to presenting music for our city this summer,” Music Preserves Executive Director Anthony Small said.

The second Summer Jams concert will feature a mix of country music and Americana performed by Kareeta on July 21.

The third performance will feature local Americana rock band Mojave Ghost and a rock and roll performance from Marc Ford, former lead guitarist for The Black Crowes on Aug. 4.

“Summer Jams is more than a series of concerts,” Ocean Institute CEO and President Dr. Wendy Marshall said in the release. “It is an opportunity to combine our missions and provide education and enrichment for our community. We are thrilled to be hosting our second annual Summer Jams concert series with our partner, Music Preserves Foundation.” its grand opening on June 22 with a ceremonial pizza-cutting and champagne toast.

The Dana Point Chamber of Commerce, that same day, will welcome the restaurant into the local business community with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. Artist Napkin Killa will provide personalized cocktail napkin portraits for guests from noon to 3 p.m.

Coffee Chat to Host ‘Be Well Orange County’ CEO Marshall Moncrief

BY BREEANA GREENBERG

Marshall Moncrief, CEO of Mind OC and Be Well Orange County, will discuss the nonprofit’s work in Orange County at the next Dana Point Civic Association coffee chat on June 23, at 8:30 a.m.

Mind OC is a nonprofit that operates Be Well Orange County, a communitywide mental health collaborative that opened three mental health and wellness campuses in Orange County in 2021 and is currently starting to deploy mobile mental health crisis units.

Coffee will be complimentary, courtesy of Coffee Importers. All are welcome to attend. Coffee Importers is located at 34531 Golden Lantern, Dana Point.

GUEST OPINION: Food for Thought by

Gina Cousineau