GO.SEE.DO WINTER 2020
Modern Meals at Mayfield By Lillian Boyd
Dana Point Times December 25-31, 2020
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ayfield Restaurant & Marketplace—which opened in San Juan Capistrano in August— is a market-style dining experience that incorporates California and European flavors. The restaurant, located near Five Vines Wine Bar and the downtown movie theater, sells wine, cookware and other products. Takeout dinner is now available to order. “We have had a lot of people come in who had been following us on Instagram, so it was nice to meet the local community,” said owner and operator George Barker, ahead of the state’s second stay-at-home order. “We started doing takeout dinner in the evening, which is going well.” Barker says the Mayfield menu combines modern Californian cooking with flavors from the Levant region, an area spanning the Middle East, Mediterranean and North Africa. Barker has started a supper club for Mayfield, which calls for Page 11
limited reservations with social distancing and a set menu. Mayfield’s “secret garden patio” is secluded at the back of the restaurant and provides a beautiful environment to relax and kick back. Dogs are welcome on the patio. Barker says that the restaurant will be temporarily closing toward the end of December in preparation of a new seasonal menu. For up-to-date hours, visit mayfieldoc.com. In light of state health directives, Mayfield has offered a takeout menu with dishes such as the Croque Madame, made with Applewood smoked bacon, bechamel sauce, gruyere cheese and a fried egg. The Mayfield Burger is made with Harissa aioli, lettuce, pickles, American and white cheddar. Vegetarian options include the Cauliflower Shawarma with tahini and pomegranate molasses. Mayfield Restaurant & Marketplace, 31761 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. 949.218.5140. danapointtimes.com
TEEING OFF
By Shawn Raymundo ecause of the COVID-19 pandemic, more people are hitting the links. Whether the players are new to the sport of golf or they’re frequent club members with more free time on their hands, golf pros are seeing an influx in tee-time bookings. “We’re booked up seven days in advance,” said Vinnie Poncino, PGA head golf professional at the San Clemente Municipal Golf Course. Over at Bella Collina San Clemente, Brian Hollenbeck, the PGA head golf pro for the private club, concurs that there’s increased
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Dana Point Times December 25-31, 2020
traffic at the club’s courses, as well as the driving range. “People are buying clubs, they’re playing more, taking more lessons,” he said. That includes not only the members, the majority of which are men, but their wives and children too, he adds. While membership at Bella Collina has seen an increase, according to Hollenbeck, club members are just finding additional time to play more golf. And at driving ranges, where you’ll find players working on their golf swing, spots are sometimes nearly full, at least at San Clemente’s municipal course, Poncino said. For beginners who are looking to get into the sport, Poncino advises that they utilize the driving range and also avoid course tee times in the early morning. New players, he said, should aim for the late afternoon since they don’t typically play at the pace of seasoned golfers. Courses, including the municipal facility and Bella Collina, offer lessons for beginners, as well as clinics. Hollenbeck said you don’t have to be a member to enroll in the private or semiprivate lessons that are offered at the club. Prices for the lessons can range from about $55 to $65 per session, he said. Private lessons for adults at the municipal course are $40, or you can get a package of six lessons for $210. Junior private lessons are $35, or $180 for a package. For the driving range at the municipal course, prices for a bucket of balls range from $5 for a small bucket to $20 for an extra-large bucket.
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Along for the Ride EZ Green Bikes Offers Environmentally Friendly Ways to Commute By Lillian Boyd Robbie Villanueva’s passion for electric bicycles began in 2008, amid the loss of his job, skyrocketing gas prices and the chaos of a collapsing economy. At that time, Villanueva says there were no local suppliers of reasonably priced electric bicycles, with the latest technology using Lithium Ion batteries. The former engineer, who was accustomed to traveling for work, ventured abroad to research manufacturing. Villanueva then founded EZ Green Bikes, with its first location in Lake Forest. He moved his business to Dana Point in 2009 and has been there ever since. He even commutes via e-bike from his home in Rancho Santa Margarita. “I think cycling is good for people. It’s good exercise, you can get Vitamin D, you can go on an adventure,” Villanueva
said. “I wanted to be able to give people that opportunity.” EZ Green Bikes offers rental rates for two hours ($30) and four hours ($40). For high-powered e-bike rentals, customers can rent for two hours ($40) and four hours ($55). E-bikes—equipped with a powerful Lithium Ion battery and lightweight aluminum frames—are also available for purchase. There are also conversion kits for cyclists interested in converting their current bike into a motorized one. EZ Green Bikes’ repair and maintenance shop offers front and rear wheel repair, tuneups, wheel truing and more. For Razor electric Pocket Mod, Quads, scooters & I-Zip E-bikes, the shop offers front and rear wheel repairs, battery and charger replacements, controller and throttle repair, brake adjustment, and other mechanical and electrical repairs. EZ Green Bikes is located at 34193 Golden Lantern, Dana Point. For more information, visit ezgreenbikes.com or call 949.351.8344.
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Community Supporting Community The Ecology Center continues to offer fresh produce and give back to its neighbors By Zach Cavanagh he pandemic hasn’t been easy on anyone, but if there is a positive to come from it, many have become more involved in supporting their neighbors and the community. One local group that’s been on both sides of that coin of support is The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano. The center’s educational events, festivals and farm dinners have been put on hold, but The Ecology Center is still seeing plenty of locals visiting for their robust farm stand. “There’s been a significant increase,” said Jonathan Zaidman, The Ecology Center’s Director of Impacts and Partnerships. “It’s not just because grocery stores had empty shelves. They’re realizing when there’s an emergency, the central food system is not going to be the most resilient.”
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The farm stand has adjusted as well, with a touchless pickup option. The farm stand can be reached at 949.661.6063, or orders can be made through The Ecology Center’s farm share, which offers a wide variety of foods, gifts, holiday and celebratory items, produce and herbs for special holiday dishes at farmshare.theecologycenter.org. The center is also selling Harvest Boxes, which offer a week’s worth of fresh fruits and vegetables for pickup at the farm stand. Since the early days of the pandemic in March, The Ecology Center has been committed to donating 20% of the food it grows on its 28-acre regenerative organic farm to food-insecure families. At the center’s farm stand, there’s a free table called “the share table” that’s accessible for those families in need. Food is also distributed through San Juan Capistrano’s senior food distribution program and CREER afterschool program. It’s actions like these that led to The Ecology Center being named a California Nonprofit of the Year in July. That commitment to food donation and the entire center itself have been helped by The Ecology Center’s membership model. “We’re very fortunate that the philanthropic community has supported us,” Zaidman said. “To be able to feed a community and to have the appreciation and gratitude of that community is the greatest work possible.” The Ecology Center has also tried to make its educational programs mobile by donating more than 500 field kits to local schools, which Zaidman described as a field trip in a box. The program’s summer field kit sent some of the farm’s tomatoes, onions and
cilantro home with a recipe for kids to make their own salsa and tacos. “The pandemic has been truly disastrous, but there’s a resurgence of people dedicated to the craft and becoming their own DIY food source,” Zaidman said, referencing people baking their own bread or building chicken coops for their own eggs. “What we’re hoping is these systems are extended into the home. We’re seeing people want to make their own food and recipes.” Looking forward, The Ecology Center will launch its inaugural apprenticeship program in March of 2021. There will be eight paid apprentices learning every element of repli-
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cating a regenerative farm. “Our mission is to train future farmers in order to change our local food system,” The Ecology Center’s website said. “This apprenticeship is ideal for you if you live in Southern California and are looking to move closer toward your goal of regenerative, organic farming or other regenerative agriculturerelated careers.” Those interested can apply at theecologycenter.org. Ultimately, The Ecology Center is about the community continuing to support the community. The center encourages people to come out together, dig in and support local establishments, farms, makers and purveyors.
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Stacy Savage
YOGA GONE WILD By Collin Breaux y the time the new normal for 2020 set in, Stacy Savage had transitioned to virtual yoga classes through Zoom. Savage is one of many in the South Orange County yoga community figuring out how to continue stretching and practicing mindfulness during the COVID-19 pandemic—a time when yoga’s emphasis on calm is sorely needed. Savage teaches yoga throughout Orange County, including stand-up paddleboard yoga at Dana Point Harbor. Savage also eventually started holding outdoor classes at parks as those reopened, which have followed safety guidelines and have not resulted in anyone catching the coronavirus. Though the Zoom sessions are a change of pace, Savage said one advantage of virtual classes is her students don’t have to
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make a long commute to practice poses. She isn’t able to do her usual hands-on adjusting of positions, so she instead relies on verbal cues when working with students. “The nice part about it is you can do it from home,” Savage said. Savage has had to adapt her teaching style since it can be difficult to fully see everyone on the Zoom calls. She does prefer in-person classes, but the virtual classes are a good outlet for now. “It’s been a nice way for us to stay connected as a community,” Savage said. Yoga offers a safe method of self-care and escape from everything going on, Savage said.
Anyone looking to take a yoga class with Savage can look her up on Instagram at stacy_savage or email her at sls423@cox. net. Kristin Shively at EPIC Yoga—based in San Clemente—is also navigating the new landscape. Before the pandemic, EPIC Yoga had a successful in-person location that also offered child care, and was heading into what looked like a good third year of operations by January. “Then came March,” Shively said. “We immediately did virtual streaming online classes, because we initially weren’t sure how long it would last.”
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Shively decided to partner with other struggling businesses and has hosted outdoor classes on the patio at JD’s Kitchen and Bar and at San Clemente Presbyterian Church. “It feels like you’re on a yoga retreat, because there’s a patio and you’re outdoors, and there’s the ocean breeze,” Shively said. EPIC Yoga has also held classes at Linda Lane Park. While Shively has conducted outdoor classes before, she’s never done it to this degree or had to completely shift EPIC Yoga’s operations away from being based indoors. Despite the pandemic having debilitating effects on everyone, Shively said there are positive rays of light amid the health crisis. “We are so grateful we can be outdoors and safe,” Shively said. “People are enjoying the outdoors even more. Having the sunshine and fresh air is healing.” Shively said the outdoor sessions also give people a chance to use cues from nature in their movements—for instance, she can instruct students to face the ocean. Being on their yoga mats gives students a chance to spend time by themselves in meditation while still being a part of a community, Shively said. It also keeps the body moving, a crucial and healthy practice during a time when people may not be as active as usual. “We often have times where people are crying at the end of class, good or bad,” Shively said. “We call it moving meditation with other people. You still feel connected.” Visit epicyogasc.com for more information on EPIC Yoga’s classes.
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