I had the pleasure of interviewing a small business owner in Oxnard. He runs one of the best taco catering trucks around called Tacos El Vladis. You can find them located in the Chevron gas station parking lot off Vineyard and Oxnard Blvd. His tacos are amazing honestly some of the best I’ve ever tasted in town. My personal favorite is the Tacos de Al Pastor, which is pork with al pastor sauce, onions, cilantro, and avocado. I always pair it with an Agua de Horchata (cinnamon rice water).
Here are the questions I asked the owner:
1. What is the name of your shop? Tacos Vladimir.
2. How long have you been doing this? It has been a family business for 16 years, and I’ve been doing it myself for 10 years.
3. What is your name and age? My name is Vladimir and I am 29 years old.
4. Do you plan to expand your business? Yes, but it takes time and money. In the near future that is a plan we have.
5. What is the most famous item on the menu? The “Surf & Turf Taco” which are shrimp and asada tacos with cheese and a special sauce.
6. What hardships did you face during your first year in business? Finding clients. We didn’t have any clients at first because we were a new face and people didn’t know us yet.
7. How long does it take you to prepare for a night sale? It takes me a couple of days to prep everything cutting onions and cilantro, prepping the meat, salsas, etc.
8. Where do your recipes come from? My mom. She used to sell tacos and got her recipes from my grandparents in Mexico. Now I use them for my tacos.
9. What is one quote you would tell an upcoming shop? “Don’t give up.”
10. In one word, describe your best-selling salsa. Roja (Red). It’s amazing.
I honestly believe this taco shop is one of the best here in Oxnard. You definitely should try it!
As a Ventura College student, I am always on the lookout for the best atmosphere to complete my school work. Instead of using Starbucks as the default option, I explored around my hometown of Camarillo to see what it had to offer. I went ahead and tried their signature coffees, scoped out the environment, examined their customer service, and what each café sets them apart from their competitors. The four locations I visited are Panadería Lucero, Tree Lounge Coffee, Village Cafe, and Café Ficelle. That being said, take a trip with me through Camarillo and let’s unpack what I experienced.
Panadería Lucero
Panadería Lucero is the sister location to Antojitos Lucero, where they offer traditional and a wide range of pan dulce (sweet bread), alongside specialty coffees curated with a Mexican twist. Their other drink offerings include champurrado, café de olla, and aguas frescas. When I initially entered in, I was immediately greeted with the sweet smell of the pastries and “corrido” music to feel like I walked into abuelita’s house. Their staff welcomed my brother and me with a warm greeting, which was a nice first impression.
We ordered the iced dalgona whipped coffee with cookie butter cold foam and an iced café de olla with banana cold foam, conchas (struessel-like and shell- shaped bread), and cuernitos (sugar- dusted croissants). Each drink is made to order, so the flavor combinations are endless to satisfy your preferences. Because this business is family-owned, their staff isn’t the biggest, so our drinks took some time to make, which is understandable.
Iced Dalgona Whipped Coffee with Cookie Butter Cold Foam Iced Café de Olla with Banana Cold Foam
The presentation of our lattes looked like it was made with time and effort, which is justifiable for how much I paid for them. The iced dalgona coffee with cookie butter cold foam did not disappoint and exceeded my expectations for how it would taste. The main takeaway from this drink is how sweet it is, with caramel being the dominating flavor. On top of the foam were Biscoff cookie crumbles. This drink was reminiscent of Werther’s caramel candy in the best way. Moving on, the iced café de olla might not be for everyone due to its earthy, cinnamon-like flavor. Of course, you can add milk to it and soften the spice level. The banana cold foam was the perfect choice to tone down the cinnamon, but they also offer other cold foam flavors if banana isn’t up your thing. Just like the dalgona drink, my café de olla had Nilla wafer cookie crumbles to replicate what I assume tastes like banana pudding. Once stirred with the cold foam to dissipate, both flavors were harmonious and did not clash. They bounced off of each other and pleased my tastebuds.
From taking time to deliberate, a unique quality of this cafe, I conclude that their family- oriented energy you feel radiate once you enter brings a sense of comfort, with reminiscent smells of going to my grandma’s house. The atmosphere transports you into a state of calm, compared to other cafes that have a “hustle and bustle” vibe. Overall, I would return to give my business to Panadería Lucero and spread the word about what they have to offer.
2. Tree Lounge
Located in Old Town of Camarillo, Tree Lounge offers an easy-going cafe setting with lo-fi music to emulate a serene escape. The minute my brother and I entered, we were met with pieces of local artist’s hung and displayed everywhere our eyes could gaze upon. Tree Lounge places an emphasis on highlighting local artists and their art, showcasing thier admirable quality of community pride.. It’s hole- in- the- wall location provides a great option to avoid heavy foot traffic Their hours of operation provide a window of opportunity to step in and be transcended into a “flow state” of productivity.
The barista reassured us to take our time and not rush to order right away, which I see is a common theme I see for these small business- owned cafes. From looking at their specialty drinks, we decided to order the Island Latte and Ube Latte. The price for both were $7.50. Their menu offers crafted lattes, espresso- based drinks, non-espresso, plus a list of milk substitutes and flavorings. Their food offerings include Chef Galo’s award-winning empanadas as well as traditional bakery goods supplied by local bakers in Ventura County. Their focus seems to be placed on the beverages and community camaraderie, as region-based bakeries and artists are featured.
The island latte was described as having a macadamia/coconut base with macadamia milk, which screamed, “I’m taking a walk on the beaches of Oahu.” I admire a latte that isn’t your typical caramel or mocha flavor, so the coconut spoke deeply to me, and I felt seen. Their “quality over quantity” aspect of the menu is definitely a reason I will be returning. The ube latte could be the sister drink to the island latte in terms of how easily you are reminded of being on a tropical getaway. Ube is used in desserts found here, such as offering biscoff brownies, crinkle cookies, and toasted coconut coffee cake. That being said, the ube latte was incredibly delicious and indulgent. Once I tasted it, I kept going back for more. Both the island and ube lattes proved themselves, and their simplicity is enough to satisfy that “afternoon pick me up.”
Island latte
Ube Latte
Our drinks are specialty made, not just a regular chain like MaKenna Koffee, who are more of a Dutch Bros kinda place. The vibes we strive for are to have people come in, feel like family, and choosing to keep coming back.” – Jasmine, Social Media Manager of Tree Lounge, regarding what sets Tree Lounge apart from their competitors
From time to time, Tree Lounge hosts pop-up events that range from featuring art walks, live music and painting events, holiday- themed activities, and are heavily encourage having Camarillo residents participating in local events. There is no doubt how considerate and authentic this business is for measuring success not through sales, but as being an outlet for people to come together and create memories.
They simply host these events and the attendees take over. This makes sense, as their Instagram is filled with event flyers posted one after another, translating into their success as a hosting location. All in all, Tree Lounge would be the ideal spot for a studying, a coffee date or rewarding yourself because “you needed it.”
3. Village Cafe
Residents of the Village Commons are familiar with the Village Cafe and its intimate setting, where they can enjoy homemade, quality meals accompanied by crafted lattes. Here you will find that this small business is owned by a husband and wife, who are committed to serving their customers only the freshest ingredients and leaving behind a family legacy to future generations. Their core values are to create a sense of home and family for anyone who steps in. Inside, you will find roughly five small tables that emulate the feeling of being in mom’s kitchen waiting for dinner to be made. By stressing the importance of family and community, Village Cafe lives up to their promise and creates the right location to spend a few bucks on either a breakfast burrito or a banana coconut matcha.
Although their coffee menu is quite condensed to only a handful of lattes, matcha, chai, and hot chocolate, that did not stop us from testing out what they had to offer. I had ordered an iced banana bread latte, and my brother Jakob went for an iced brown butter pecan chai latte. We received our drinks in a timely manner, delivered personally by their in- house barista, all while being thanked for our patience.
The banana flavor was strong enough to be present and not tooth-achingly sweet. With a light in-house made cold foam dusted with cinnamon, it tasted like a banana bread loaf fresh out of the oven. I went ahead and mixed the coffee and foam to blend the flavors more seamlessly, which was the cherry on top. The cold foam had an airy and cool whip- like consistency that didn’t combat the coffee at all. The price for this drink, was $8, and I was more than happy to oblige at that price point.
Banana Latte with Cold Foam Brown Butter Pecan Chai Latte
However, as Jakob began sipping the iced brown butter pecan chai, his face formed a frown. These were his notes about his beverage, “I wish there was more ice to make it a true iced drink, so that would’ve been nice… The presentation was bleak and nothing special about it, not even cold foam, but maybe that’s our bad for not ordering it? Either way, I feel like who ever made my drink wanted to just get the order over with and onto the next.” Typically, chai lattes are simply the tea concentrate and whatever milk of choice. But with the banana bread latte, it seemed as if more effort was put into that one and the chai latte got “crumbs” in terms of crafting it. Jakob didn’t finish even half because he felt the price he paid didn’t match what he received.
Village Cafe may be best to visit as soon as their doors open to beat the 11am rush on weekends, ensuring you receive quality service and products without the tiredness from their minimal staff. Personally, I will come back earlier in the day and try a different round of drinks to find the right one to be my “go-to” for when I’m in the area.
4. Café Ficelle
Café Ficelle comes out on top as far as being a well-run business, as seen in their other locations in Ventura and Thousand Oaks. They have established themselves in the niche aesthetic of bringing European- inspired delicacies to Camarillo. It is more than simply a café, since they’re classified as a “boulangerie” and “patisserie.” The term “boulangerie” is French for describing a bakery that specializes in making and selling bread in- house. When I walked through the doors with my boyfriend, Dominic, our eyes were immediately drawn to the pastries and loaves of bread for sale. The warm smell of dough and fresh-baked breakfast items felt exactly how Sunday morning does on a warm summer day.
To preface, Café Ficelle is more of a breakfast/brunch restaurant, so the setting inside isn’t as intimate as the other places in Camarillo. Regardless, the drinks we chose to try were an iced vanilla matcha latte and an iced white mocha latte. The employee who took my order seemed not have the best morning due to her lack of attention in asking me and Dominic if we needed more time or any questions about the menu. I perceived her demeanor as not wanting to be at work that morning, which translated into her poor customer service.
As I took my first sip of the matcha latte, I tasted clumps of matcha powder which is a dead giveaway that it wasn’t properly whisked or sifted before pouring hot water. There was an adequate amount of ice, but it made the matcha taste bitter even with the almond milk and a hint of vanilla flavoring. For this matcha latte, I paid was $7, and I am confident to say it will not be repurchased in the future and that I can find better- tasting matcha elsewhere in Ventura County.
Iced Matcha Latte
As Dominic tried his white mocha latte, he sarcastically said, “WOW! Starbucks can make a better version of whatever this is.” When I asked him what he meant by this, his response was “Starbucks makes theirs sweeter, so the price I pay is fine by me, and I like knowing what I’m getting based on their consistent recipe.”
Iced White Chocolate Mocha Latte
Touching on how this café is a traditional restaurant, I wouldn’t classify it as a place to study quietly. Since there are families with children, young adolescents, and older adults coming in to get served breakfast and/or brunch, getting work done here would’t be the best choice. There are too many distractions of people coming in and out, employees delivering food, and the typical environment of restaurant chatter. Café Ficelle would be a great option for a breakfast outing, meeting up with an old friend, making ordinary mornings seem special.
~ Café Ranking ~
First up, we have Tree Lounge in Old Town. From the minute I arrived until I left, I was satisfied with what I ordered, the vibes I picked up, and most importantly, how I felt welcomed with open arms to take up space.
In second place comes Panadería Lucero and its admirable quality of being a Latino family run business. To see a business, such as Panadería Lucero, functioning and thriving in Camarillo fills me with pride in where I come from and our hardworking people.
In third, we have the Village Cafe serving as a safe choice for receiving quality drinks due to how serious their in- house barista takes their craft. I would suggest perusing their Instagram, finding what drinks speak to you, and visiting before 11am to receive consistently made drinks.
Café Ficelle comes last because how I was not pleased with either of the drinks, the prices I paid, or lack of customer service. Their performance has potential, but being a well- established business with multiple locations in Ventura County did not meet my expectations.
Overall, take my reviews into consideration and what to look out for, but I recommend visiting yourself to make an assessment based on your own experience. Besides the criteria I used to rank each place, I also noted the overarching experience being young college student trying to find her little corner of this world for peace and quiet. The hunt for the perfect study spot continues!
We all love a good sweet treat, whether it be a craving or impulse we all tend to reach for a cookie. They come in different shapes, sizes, colors and flavors, but have you thought about everything that goes into a cookie. Yes, sugar, flour and eggs, but have you ever thought about what goes into owning your own brand, brick & mortar and creating your own recipes? What inspires someone to continue on a journey of baking?
I myself am curious because I have done two out of these three. I own my own cookie brand, Comatose Treats, Visit Them Here! My inspiration sprang from my mom. She is a self-proclaimed master of sweets, but her favorite thing to make is cheesecake. She would take me to get a haircut, and end up walking out of there with a decent stack of cash, by selling cheesecake slices. This sparked my interest in not only baking, but business. Watching each barber and customer’s eyes light up after taking a bite out of her creamy rich Reese’s Pieces cheesecake made my eyes open and brain start to think. If they liked it, I could only imagine what would happen if she rolled out a line of top 3 flavors them hit the farmer and vendor markets. Now that I am 27 venturing on this journey I branched out to speak with Craig Hurlbut, the Owner of Clemente Bakery.
Craig’s is more than cookies, he is a genuine lover of making dough rise. His day begins at 4am where he starts off with baking bread, this process takes two hours to prep and one hour to cook, he repeats this for two rounds to ensure the bakery is stocked for the day. The next person comes in at 9am to help with the baking of the sweet treats. When asking Craig what inspires him he explained how he has two decades in the restaurant industry where he was an actual line cook as well as a pastry chef. This brought him joy, but what really brought him into his own light was during the pandemic. His wife started to fall in love with the process of adding yeast to sourdough and watching it rise. She then approached him for help, like any good husband, he agrees. This projected him into going after his own brick and mortar. Another question I asked Craig was how does he differentiates himself when making different flavors of cookies and bread. Craig’s response was he got himself educated on flavonoids and how they work together to not only create an endless chain of new possibilities, but it also helps our overall health. An article published by Healthline broke it down so simply by saying, “they help your body function more efficiently while protecting it against everyday toxins and stressors.”
Another thing that separates him is his sourcing of ingredients. He goes the extra mile to source Einkorn flour. Einkorn flour is oldest flour ever created, it was cultivated 9 thousand years ago but the best thing about this type of flour is the benefits it provides to your body. Keeping it simple this baking ingredient is a cheat code! Einkorn is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates than modern wheat. It has about 30% more protein and 30% less starch than flour made from modern wheat. For the people that are gluten intolerant this could be for you. When baking the mixing process of flour and wet ingredients is what brings the gluten alive which also helps what you’re baking rise. Einkorn flour doesn’t really do this, you should only expect about a 20% rise so gluten won’t be a demise for you. The final question I got to ask Craig was about the adversity he faced when getting Clemente Bakery up and running. He chuckled and responded, “You can’t pre-think everything.” Craig ran into a bit of cat and mouse game with having to get licensing and permits. He highly recommends getting acquainted with your local chamber of commerce they are life savers and tend to know all the answer on how to make mountains move when it comes to that side of business. The other adversity is staffing. It becomes difficult at times to find the right personality pieces to complete your puzzle, but when everything falls into place you get to really admire the beauty of what you built as well as the smiles of satisfaction from your customers. If you’re ever in Ventura head over to Clemente Bakery to get educated and have your taste buds dance with joy.
Do you love sushi, but maybe not the price of a night out for a sushi dinner? Make ugly sushi with me in the comfort of your own kitchen. Yes, it may look ugly, but the taste is grade A! It’s not easy to make sushi the first time, so I will help prepare you for your sushi journey with my own experience.
We, Ventura Locals, has access to county’s best sushi grade fish. I found mine at Ocean Pride of Ventura. This fish market has been open since 1999, only carry’s fresh fish, and was even named in The Ventura Reporter’s “Best of Ventura”. It’s a little hidden among the industrial buildings next to the Ventura Car Mall. Just let owner, Tom Moore, know you’re making sushi tonight, and he’ll help you with what you need. Check out their website for peek at their menu.
To be honest, knowing that I had access to fresh fish cut at a sushi grade, I wanted to take on the fun task of making sushi at home. I called up my sister and drafted her for sushi fun.
Step One: Prepare yourself
I watched a couple of YouTube videos that took me step-by-step through making sushi rolls with various ingredients. This step is important; you don’t want to explore the art of making sushi blind. Plus, it ensures you have all the items you need, and it gives you ideas you may not have had.
Step Two: Equipment
Feel like the professionals with a bamboo mat to roll your sushi. I didn’t find this at Ocean Pride, so I took myself to Seafood City Supermarket for any other equipment I needed. There, I found a cute sushi set that had a bamboo mat, a wooden bowl, and a wooden rice scoop.
Step Three: Ingredients
Have fun here! Find the ingredients you’d normally like when going out for sushi, even the sauces. Here’s a list of the core ingredients:
Sushi rice.
Rice Wine Powder or Vinegar.
Bamboo mat.
Plastic wrap.
nori (seaweed sheets)
soy sauce.
Toasted sesame seeds.
Don’t forget your fish! I bought a pound of King Salmon and a pound of Ahi Tuna from Ocean Pride. This did cost me a pretty penny, just shy of $90. But I bought enough for four people, and I think $90 was cheaper than taking four people to a sushi restaurant.
Step Four: Get cooking!
Preparing your sushi rice should be the first thing you do once you start putting together your rolls. You want some time for it to cool off, and this is the most challenging part. I didn’t believe this until I started making sushi rice for the first time; it’s more important than the fish itself! It’s best to refer to the instructions on the sushi rice package or YouTube. I used Nishiki rice.
*Warning: Be careful with the amount of rice vinegar you put in the rice. The vinegar’s flavor can overpower the flavor of your fish. I sadly failed to notice the instructions on the back of my rice package and did just that.
Once your rice is finished, you can start rollin’!
Final Step: Enjoy!
Dinner time! Now you can enjoy your creation. Even though my first time making sushi didn’t come out as I would have liked, my rolls may looked ugly, but they tasted almost restaurant status. My company and I had fun, and I cannot wait to do it again.
Would you make sushi at home? Comment below telling us if you will or any past experiences.
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.
When I was 11 years old I found out I was gonna be a Tia. Taking on this title I thought it was gonna be full of thoughtless fun, dressing the baby up in cute clothes, playing with toys and occasionally making a bottle and it was for a little while. I began to realize that my love for this one child, and soon to be others, goes so beyond what I could even grasp and I had a chance to help guide them to a better life than I had. So during my high school years I sacrificed my youth and helped raise them and it is an experience that holds so much gratitude and turmoil but I would never give it up. I took on the responsibility of healing the generational trauma of the past to give them a fighting chance to build something new. I now have 4 nieces and 2 nephews, that’s right about a decade later there are now 6 kids ranging from 9-3 years old, running around at almost all times. It’s always a party with them, sometimes I’m trying to decide if it’s a party I want to be invited to or not (ha ha).
In society it has been the standard to believe children aren’t people, that they don’t have feelings or wants of their own or that they’re not entitled to those because they’re children. I believe society is entering a transition period and reevaluating the vital role kids play because they are the future, Why would we not emphasize their importance? I was not raised to be in touch with my needs or wants, I was raised with the main focus of sacrifice and how important it was to sacrifice anything and everything as long as it helped your family make it in the end. Learning how to sacrifice has been one of the best and worse lessons in my life, learning anything without balance is bound to lead to disproportion. I do know the importance of sacrifice and it is something I will never underestimate, but now I am integrating the importance of saying no and not always prioritizing others over myself. The winding road of never ending sacrifice leads to burnout, resentment and emptiness. Sometimes never ending sacrifice is key for survival but when you’re able to get out of it and move into autonomy over sacrifice it can lead to beautiful healing.
As I sit here and type this I’m currently surrounded by 3/6 kids and I watch them and soak in their interactions and am filled with so much gratitude and some fear for the future. I can only hope that I am able to be a person for them that I never had. I hope that I help guide them towards something new and better while leaving them laced with our family culture that came before us but may not serve us anymore. So I leave you with my hope and a very kid friendly recipe 🙂
Worms in the Mud Cookie Cups
Cookie Cup
>1 cup of Butter (softened)
>1 1/2 cup of Sugar
>1 Egg
>2 tsp of Vanilla Extract
>2 3/4 cups of AP Flour
>2 tsp of Baking Powder
>1 tsp of Salt
Filling
>Store Bought Chocolate Pudding Cups
>Crushed Oreos
>Gummy Worms
Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a cupcake pan. Put your softened butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat till creamed together. Slowly incorporate the egg and vanilla extract, then set aside. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt, give a quick mix to combine. Put your mixer on the slowest setting and add half the flour mixture. Once incorporated add the other half of the mixture and put the mixer on a higher setting, it should come together as a dough. If too sticky add a tbsp of flour at a time until it comes together. Take 2 tbsp of dough and press into each cupcake slot. Bake for about 13 minutes or until golden brown. As the Cookie Cups bake prep your Oreos, separate the filling from the cookie and put the cookies into a small sandwich bag. Proceed to crush them in the bag until they are crumbs, resembling dirt. Once your cookie cups have come out of the oven and cooled for 10 mins or longer, press a circular indentation in the middle, you can do this by using a tsp or tbsp. Add the pudding in the middle of the cup, then the Oreo crumbs and then the gummy worms. Ta-Da! You have some Worms in the Mud Cookie Cups!
VC Social 