This beloved Coffee shop located on 2470 E Main St has been open for the past ten years serving the people of Ventura. This local business has been run by the owner Tatiana Curuso and her husband Diego Mazo. Curuso and Mazo both put their all into providing the most satisfying experience to all customers the minute they step through the doors.
Beverages
Tatiana’s Coffee and Tea offers Hot Coffee; fresh drip and Espresso, Decaf, Blended drinks; the Tatalisious being the most loved, Iced drinks; Vanilla latte being the most common, and Teas; Chai is most popular. My absolute favorite beverage would have to be an Iced Chai Tea Latte with oat and whipped cream.
Food
Tatiana’s is best known for their amazing Empanadas that were voted Best Empanadas in The State of Californina in 2022. The Empanadas come in a variety of flavors including: Chicken, Beef, Potato Beef, Potato Cheese, Spinach Feta and Ratatouille. Along with savory they provide sweet, Cheese and Guava Cheese pastelitos and Coffee Cakes. All handmade by a local Chef. Other delicious food items they offer are petite croissant sandwiches, Bagels: Everything and Parmesan with cream cheese or made into a breakfast sandwich, Scones, Ham, Turkey, Italian and Artichoke sandwiches. My personal favorites are all the Empanadas and the blueberry Coffee Cake.
My experience at Tatiana’s has always been amazing, from the customer service to the delicious food and drinks. The hours are from 7:00am-3:00pm Monday-Saturday.
Make sure to stop by Tatiana’s Coffee & Tea if you are in the area at 2470 E Main St or call in to go pick up (805) 901-7620.
I’m sure majority of you guys have heard of the Slice House location in Thousand Oaks, however, were you aware of their newest location that opened up in Simi Valley? Yes, that’s right! Slice House located at 2916 Tapo Canyon Rd, CA 93063 had a kick off with a grand opening on April 6th at 11am. I’m here to tell you all about it.
First off you may have heard of all the hype surrounding this place and may be asking yourself what’s so great about it. Well, have you ever had massive pizza served by a whole or a slice bigger than your head with great amount of flavor? How about a large variety of off the menu items that aren’t pizza like meatballs, subs, salads, and pastas. This place has it all. Let me take you through the journey of Slice House with a few of their menu items I ordered and gave a try.
As mentioned above, Slice House has a great menu to explore that has a little bit of everything for everyone. On my particular visit to this location and my first time ever trying Slice House, I ordered four slices, the meatballs, and a beer. The slices happened to be Pepperoni, Hawaiian Hit Man, Sweet Gino, and Veggie. After tasting each of these slices, I fell in love with all of them. Not one disappointment or area of critique. The amount of flavor each slice had was amazing something for sure is in that sauce that brings it all to life. If I had to choose I would say Sweet Gino was the best one and will probably be a slice I order every time I return.
Onto the items that are not pizza, the meatballs. I had overheard that these meatballs are a must try when going to Slice House, so that’s exactly what I did. I had the order of three. In less than 3 minutes they were already being served to my table fresh, steaming, and a strong smell of aroma just waiting to be eaten. Once again, something is in that sauce bringing it all to life. These are the best meatballs I have ever had and strongly recommend them to everyone planning to visit this location.
Speaking of visiting, are these existing areas too far out from your hometown location? Well, not to worry! They are currently working on expanding their restaurant over to Burbank, Santa Clarita, Ventura, Oxnard, Pasadena, Glendale, and Woodland Hills.
Well everyone, there you have it. My own personal Slice House review with what I got off their menu. Let me know below which slice of pizza you would give a try. Link to their Instagram is listed below, check them out as they are always keeping up with their audience.
Do you ever find yourself craving sweets late at night or just a good donut at any time of the day? Rolling Pin, located on Los Posas Rd in Camarillo, has been providing fresh donuts 24/7 since 1992. This family-owned business has become a beloved gem to its community and has greatly impacted the city. Rolling Pin is open every day of the week, offering sweet treats to satisfy your cravings.
Rolling Pin has a strong loyal fan base for donut enthusiasts, if you enjoy donuts, you’ve probably heard of Rolling Pin. They carry a wide variety of fresh donuts but the ones that stand out the most and are fan favorites are their Tigers Tails, Apple Fritters, and the well-known cronut which is a croissant donut with sugar. These fan favorites are what make Rolling Pin the most desired local donut stop.
Open 24/7 from Monday – Rolling Pin stands out from other local donut shops due to its extended hours, setting it apart from the competition. Driving past Rolling Pin during the day it may seem like any normal donut shop, but at night, and people are getting off work, ending a night out, or even craving something sweet, Rolling Pin’s lines can get pretty outrageous and crowds would flood into the parking lot no matter how late.
Not only is this gem winning over devoted Camarillo locals, but has also made its way into Ventura with a second location on Telephone Road. Soon we will be seeing a new wave of Ventura locals flooding their very own Rolling Pin which is aimed to open at the end of April or the beginning of May of 2024.
This wraps up Ventura County’s favorite local donut shop, which is open around the clock and the best place to please your sweet tooth late at night. Follow Rolling Pin’s Facebook to stay updated with your favorite donut shop.
Carnitas El Rey entrance, 2437 E. Main St, Ventura, CAMichoacan styled murals adorn the restaurant walls.
Along the Way
Currently Carnitas El Rey has three locations in Oxnard, Santa Paula and now Ventura. All three El Rey restaurants and it’s Owners: Juan and Gricelda Zavala, have an impressive reputation for their authentic real deal Michoacan style carnitas.
Pinto beans, rice, homemade tortilla, carnitas, Agua de Tamarindo.
The Food
Nancy and I went to Carnitas El Rey to check it out. What we found was a beautifully decorated atmosphere and authentic Michoacan carnitas that were tender, full f flavor, and all around fabulous. A couple tips from fellow VC Social blogger Nick Lerma, get there early because they are SO GOOD that they could run out, and make sure to try the rice.
We made sure to do both and were not disappointed. Nancy and I each ordered the taco plate which came with beans and rice. Nancy had an agua de tamarindo and I had a sangria senorial soda to drink. I tried the green salsa, it was flavorful. While it didn’t make me sweat, it was just enough to dew my forehead. Everything was fresh, delicious, everything was clean, and everyone was warm and friendly.
Taco plate. Pinto beans, rice, homemade tortillas, carnitas, chopped onions and cilantro, green salsa.
If you’re looking for a new gem to check out in Ventura, we definitely recommend Carnitas El Rey! Check out their opening day post on Instagram on your way there.
A new small and local business that just recently opened in the Market Place in Oxnard, CA is waiting for business to take off!!
Do not let the name mislead you. Surfko is a general clothing store that sells primarily women and men’s clothing. They also sell children’s clothing. Surfko is a store for all beautiful ages. This store recently launched men’s shorts for the beach. These shorts are two in one. Not only are they every day walking shorts, but they are also board shorts. Wait until you hear how affordable these one of a kind shorts are. For only $10, you get stylish every day lounge wear and waterproof swim trunks!
Gray Surfko shorts: $10Green Surfko shorts: $10
The prices at this store are out of this world. Not only are the prices cheap, but everything in the store ranges from $2-$10. There is nothing in the store that costs more than $10! These prices are like no other 💸.
History 📜
Surfko’s very first location started back in 2012 at the Camarillo Outlets. The store was located by the well known UGG store and the food court. The company first started off as a surf company that manufactured T-shirts and sweatshirts. As business was growing, Surfko was able to expand to a more general clothing selection. Thanks to being at the Camarillo Outlets for 12 years, they are now able to have a wide variety of affordable clothing. Some clothing products that Surfko sells in store includes:
Hawaiian shirts
Jackets
Denim Jeans
Joggers
Fleece pants
Sweatshirts
Hoodies
T-shirts
Pajamas
Tank tops
Leggings
Skirts
Shorts
Dresses
Unfortunately, due to recent inflation and rent prices sky rocketing the owner decided not to pay the expensive rent prices at the Outlets. This is the reason they are at a new location in Oxnard, CA. They need all the support they can get right now!
🗣️Surfko’s Motto 🗣️
At Surfko they believe it is important to have good quality, fabrics, and great designs. Plus, the best deals on clothing items, so that we as customers can save money.
💵Forms of Payment 💳
Surfko accepts many forms of payments via:
American Express
Apple Pay
Visa
Venmo
Google pay
PayPal
Mastercard
Shop
Meta Pay
Cash
Don’t forget to check out surfko whenever you are in oxnard, ca… guaranteed you will find something you like + it is affordable 🎉!
Feel free to follow Surfko’s social media to help their business grow 🙂
What do you think about One Bowl One Spoon Living? Does “one bowl, one spoon” 🥣 resonate with your practical experience and beliefs? Can we all eat from the same spoon, the same bowl, the same watershed, the same planet? Ideally, yes we can and we do. However, practically speaking, our mobility and the time and spatial scales of our perception blind us to the reality of one bowl, one spoon.
Our groundwater contamination today may move so slowly that our grandchildren may suffer after we are long gone. Do you love the idea of sharing as much as you find implementation of one bowl one spoon thinking painfully impractical? If so, I feel your pain. May I empathize with your situation more?
Emerging from COVID, most people insist on their own spoon and their own bowl to make sure we aren’t the next ones to die from contagion or at least don’t get inconvenient viruses. Yet how many millions of plastic spoons, bowls, and even gloves have been added to the Pacific Gyre Plastic patch since 2019? If that plastic shows up in the fish we eat as microplastics, that’s bad and sad. So can we agree we need convenient ways to expend less plastic and also keep it out of our oceans?
How can we correct and atone for our and our family’s pollution-sins of the past? Separation for the sake of survival and convenience was important to help us get through the short term emergency of the COVID Pandemic. We survived.
2024 presents longer term threats; slower moving train wrecks. Our emissions of Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), r410a refrigerant, sulfuryl fluoride, and other Greenhouse Gases have intensified our weather and our climate. Storms arrive with more intense rain, more powerful winds, droughts last longer with lower humidity and higher maximum temperatures … and in some cases lower minimum temperatures. Bursting water pipes in surprise Texas freezes caused by an unstable jet stream remind us how Climate Change is a more helpful term than Global Warming. Does your (and our) behavior contribute to the Climate Emergency? Can your (and our) choices make a positive or negative difference that is significant? Our tragic, common “too small to matter but too common to not matter” reality of burning and releasing GHG’s merits attention: what we do DOES matter to our climate here, now, and in the near and distant future. Our example to others matters in our community and there are more personal, immediate effects.
As one of 8,000,000,000 people on Earth, can anyone seriously say that a monthly burning of $70 of gasoline, $70 of natural gas for water heating, cooking and clothes drying makes any significant difference to solve our current Climate Crisis? While I admit it is difficult to grasp, the answer is “Yes.” I believe it does make a difference. COVID helped show how. Combustion byproducts from natural gas cooking and clothes-drying have a real effect on millions of asthma victims. People exposed to higher levels of combustion byproducts, including particulate pollution, for longer durations died and experienced complications from COVID at significantly higher rates. Hypocrisy results when we are forced to choose between inconvenient results and convenient bad behavior. Most people choose what is convenient…particularly those who earn less or those who possess less wealth…but also those who have so much income and/or wealth that they are unaccustomed to being held to account for their impacts on others.
We are constantly rewarded when we respond quickly and early to opportunities as they arise, with seemingly no time to pause to observe and consider the effect of our exhaust. The struggle is real. With pressure to do more, stay up later, yet still arrive to appointments on-time it is so common to feel that pressure to drive what ever car we can afford. With electric cars generally costing over $20,000 used and over $40,000 new the shift from gasoline to battery-powered is challenging, with or without range anxiety. The financial barriers to converting are significant and compelling. More financially accessible options include:
$7 to eat a meal (or cake+ice cream?) with less meat, fewer food-miles, and/or prepared with 100% Renewable Clean Power Alliance electricity…you know, compassionate eats.
$70 +/- induction plate to cook with Clean Power Alliance 100% renewable electricity,
$700 e-bike to commute carefully with commutes twice as long as car commutes,
$70 monthly bus pass with commutes that involve meeting new friends on the bus,
$700 electric clothes dryer,
$700 upgrade for your home/apartment’s electric panel to power electric dryer &/or car charger,
$70-700 of air-sealing and insulation improvements,
$700+ portable dual function heat pump air conditioner plus heater with air filters,
$70 Lyft or Uber rides where you specifically request or select electric only options.
$170 or less on a good pair of running shoes (good for you and your planet!).
FREE and FUN: collaborate with your neighboring renters to lobby your land-lord’s conversion to 100% Renewable Clean Power Alliance Electricity.
May I challenge you to cut your CO2e in half every year? Meet your needs, while considering Our Earth Community’s needs. If you do, you might just learn valuable expertise and meet interesting friends to help you build a more compassionate and abundant reality for you and those you affect. When it gets challenging, please know I feel it too and reach out to friends to talk about your struggle and successes.
May you Balance2thrive®
G Naugles, MSBio, MBA, GISP, M.Ed., CalBRE, RCE, BSCE, CPHT
Image depicts the market’s March event linked from dnfmarket
From nostalgic toys to hip hop dancing, the Dated ‘N Faded night market is not your typical pop-up event. Vendors, performers, and attendees from and around Ventura County come with eagerness looking for the next big thing. Dated ‘N Faded is a free night market open to all ages and is hosted every 3 months at Ventura’s Topa Topa Brewing Co. With about 40 vendors of all sorts, this night market builds its own cultural curation through live entertainment, fashion, music, food, drinks, and more!
Dated ‘N Faded Origins
Established in 2023 and soon approaching their one year anniversary, Dated ‘N Faded is more than just a night market. It is where one brand brings three friends closer together to serve Ventura County, all starting with the South-Oxnard based brand, Retour. Retour is a streetwear clothing brand inspired by Oxnard culture founded by clothing designer Ryan Yere, and co-founders Byron Bucao, and Steve Rivera, all of whom share the same vision for the brand: “Our story, through product, vintage curation”. This mission statement is extended onto the Dated ‘N Faded market, as Ryan Yere described during his time on the Capsul Talk podcast. Retour embodies the story of the city of Oxnard and its culture, bringing forward the talent in the community and strives to carry that purpose with Dated ‘N Faded. While all the creators are multi-hyphenates, this market heavily reflects the creators’ main influences: Ryan in clothing design, Steve in vintage clothing, and Byron in choreography and photography. They venture to showcase the community’s creativity by opening up this platform in collaboration with local talent.
The Experience
After having attended their fourth event, I can confidently say that talent from the Ventura County community reflects identity through their craft. Every event hosted comes with its own unique theme, and coincides with the Retour merch drops posted on their main Instagram accounts dnfmarket and retourco. The announcement of this recent event, which took place on March 16, 2024, featured a Chicano-esque theme along with the market’s reappearing astronaut figure. (see above image)
Navigating through the bustling crowd during the live stream on vcsocialbrand‘s Instagram account, I saw both the revival of old trends and timeless fashion. One of my favorite booths I came across was a ‘90’s/00’s photo-op with airbrushed backdrops, hosted by pdogs00snaps, showcasing this trend that is resurgent, predominantly within the Latino community.
Chiquesfc had a creative storefront display (in collaborations with serhumano.ig and apartworldwide), featuring day-to-day products found in Latino households, to represent a part of their clothing brand De un Campo a Otro. The other part is represented through their clothing designs which highlight the story of hardworking field workers from Oxnard. The word “Chiques” in the brand name refers to an Oxnard nickname coming from the city’s first established neighborhood, La Colonia. As a connection to the mexican community, “Chiques” is a term that has been recoined from being a gang related label to a positive form of identity in which Pacifica High School teacher Cesar Calderon told the VC Star journalist Wendy Leung, “Chiques means Oxnard […] it means that fighting spirit of you making it out and proving them wrong.” All this comes together as a form of empowerment where providing representation for farm workers carries that identity of a fighter who pushes through with resilience.
Of course, we also saw the partnership between the co-founder’s businesses, Retour and Stevescloset99 as they shared the same booth. Besides sharing the same brand vision, story through product, co-founders Ryan and Byron collaborated with Capsul Talk to host a Q&A panel where selected local business owners and creatives got to interact and share answers to the public’s questions.
Multiple booths displayed their best curated streetwear, vintage apparel, jewelry, toothgems, tattoos, dance and music performances, food, drinks, and much more than I could describe here in this blog. Thanks to the teams at Topa Topa Brewing Co., Retour and Dated ‘N Faded who support the mission of providing a platform for cultural curation and storytelling in collaboration with local creatives and small businesses, curating a space for all. If you’ve made it this far into the blog, follow dnfmarket on Instagram, where you can follow along to hear more about their first upcoming anniversary event in May 2024, and connect with the rest of the previous vendors, with their own resilient stories to share.
In this podcast episode, we as a group, focused on the best local happy hours surrounding midtown Ventura, CA. Each individual provides the places they tried, their personal ratings, expense total, and overall experience. Whether it’s food, or drinks, or both, we’re here to give you our findings and hopefully new places for you to try for yourselves. Enjoy this episode and stay tuned for more!
Marketing Perspectives from Ventura College Business Students –
VC Social
This podcast will talk about different marketing perspectives, perspectives such as marketing for oneself and marketing for other people or small businesses. We will also mention a few things that have worked for us so stay tuned because they may work for you too.
Just when you thought the perfect marriage didn’t exist, MadeWest Brewery combined beer with Ventura County’s food truck culture in matrimony. From authentic Mexican, Greek, and Asian fusion, you’ll be able to satisfy any hunger cravings.
Game Over Catering is first on the Menu, known for their street tacos. You can put chicken, asada, pastor, and occasionally mariscos (seafood) in your tacos or quesadillas smoothened with cheese. Religiously appearing in the MadeWest parking lot on Wednesdays from 4-7:30pm.
Looking for homemade birria just how mom made it? Look no further, with over 7K followers on Instagram, Birria El Güero shares their family recipes, mom included! Named after the owner’s son who loves birria, Birria El Güero gained popularity with their famous torta de birria. MadeWest plays host to them every Thursday at 3pm.
Make your Friday date night Greek style with Wrapped food truck. Or even lunch because they arrive on the property at 12 noon. Their signature dishes include a Chicken Shawarma Wrap, Shawarma Fries, and Yalanji aka Stuffed Grape Leave. My personal favorite is their Gyro generously stuffed with lamb meat, drenched in Tzatiki sauce. Complete your meal with Baklava for dessert that is sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.
Lamp Gyro from Wrapped
Last but not least and new to the scene is pop-up and catering truck Takeos Grubshack. Their California-style Asian cuisine includes Whole Wings with a variety of flavors, Pho, Korean rice bowl aka Bibimbap, and their popular Korean-style boas. Check their Instagram page to find out where they will pop-up next!
Korean Style Boa by Takeo’s Grubshack
Next time you visit MadeWest, don’t just arrive thirsty, come hungry too!
All Food trucks mentioned operate at Madewest Brewing Company and tasting room at 1744 Donlon St, Ventura, Ca. Check out MadeWest’s Calendar of Events on their website to see when and what food truck will be there today!
VC Social 