Meet The Owners Of The Gourmet Food, Wine, And Coffee Shops At The OC Mart MIX
Below is more about the food, wine and coffee shops and their inspired owners, including N’iceCream, We Olive & Wine Bar, Portola Coffee Lab, Savory Spice Shop, The Cheese Shop, Local Fare and the soon-to-be-open, Shuck Oyster Bar. Even though all are independent, the shops often collaborate on dishes and specials. N’iceCream incorporates Local Fare’s toffee and Portola’s coffee into their gelato and recently, five shops created the Wafflegato, a dessert only offered at special events or times (See below for more on Waffelgato), while We Olive & Wine Bar offers Moo Mondays, with We Olive wine and cheese from The Cheese Shop.
The LA Times and OC Register both just featured The OC Mart Mix, which opened in 2011, with the LA Times calling the center “cool shopping in Costa Mesa.” Southwest Airlines, in its Spirit Magazine, said “aficionados of the offbeat, head back to Costa Mesa to visit The OC Mart MiX” and Sunset Magazine called the center, “the best reason to pull off the 405”.
N’ICECREAM
SAVORY SPICE STOP
Knowing the ins-and-outs of the more than 400 spices she carries in her shops, Laura dispenses spices, knowledge and advice on a daily basis. An avid home cook, Laura, with her partner Randy Morton, got into the spice trade in 2010 bringing the shops to Southern California so that people could see what a difference freshly ground spices can make in their meals. Laura regularly speaks as an expert on spices including; history, lore, uses and health benefits. Laura lectures at the shop, at private events including St. Jude's Hospital Wellness Center. Laura is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
THE CHEESE SHOP
LOCAL FARE
NEW – Local Fare sells delicious and healthy marinades, sauces, pastas, sweets and pantry essentials sourced mostly from suppliers within California. Additionally, Local Fare offers an eclectic mix of tabletop items, kitchenware and giftware for any occasion. Owner: Sheri Metzler http://pinterest.com/localfare/ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Local-Fare/256909367739610
WE OLIVE AND WINE BAR
https://www.facebook.com/pages/We-Olive-Wine-Bar-at-the-Mix/189365611109765; www.twitter.com/weolive&winemix; http://www.yelp.com/biz/we-olive-costa-mesa
·
Moo Monday: $4 off our three cheese plate (3 cheeses chosen from The Cheese Shop @ OCMartMix, two tapenades, bread and nuts)
· Tasting Tuesday: $8 for a sampling of one of our cheeses, extra virgin olive oils, wine and bread for dipping that make a tasty pairing
· Sangria Thursday: $5 glass of fresh sangria (no more $1 tacos, if anyone asks, and we are hoping to replace it with something soon)
· Live Music Friday: Live Music from 6-9 featuring a rotation of talented local musicians
· So Co Saturday: Farmer's Market open from 9-2 with gourmet food trucks, We Olive mimosas $5 a glass from 10-3, Live Music from 5-8 featuring a rotation of talented local musicians
· Sunday Funday: Happy hour all day
SHUCK OYSTER BAR
PORTOLA COFFEE LAB
The uber-popular third wave coffee house, Portola Coffee Lab is making its mark on coffee drinkers. Coast Magazine recently called Portola’s following, “Coffee Religion”. LA Weekly says, “the shop is on its way to becoming one of the best coffee roasters in Southern California. No exaggeration.” And Orange County Register recently said that Portola “approaches the creation of coffee like a science.”
Portola Coffee Lab is just that, it is a Lab. It is a third-wave coffee house, cafe, and micro roaster. It is a place where the science of coffee is taken seriously from the coffee crop to the cup. Portola experts visit coffee farms, bring the coffee back to the shop, roast it themselves on the clean-air coffee roaster, and then expertly trained baristas custom craft every single cup right in front of you in a way that truly features what the farmers and Portola’s coffee roastmaster have put into the coffee.
MORE ON WAFFLEGATO, which will be offered next on August 10th at the SOCO Outdoor Cinema event, featuring the movie The Artist, Live Music, Food and more.
Shops At The OC Mart Mix Featured In Coast Magazine
Deer Lovely and Portola Coffee Lab at The OC Mart Mix Featured in Coast Magazine
Congratulations To Portola Coffee Lab At The OC Mart MIX
· Portola Coffee Lab - Portola Coffee Lab - Portola’s coffeehouse and in-house roasterie is like nothing you’ve ever seen in Orange County. Their handcrafted, all-organic line of specialty coffees has raised the bar for specialty coffee in Southern California and has won them the title of “Orange County’s Best Coffee.”- OC Weekly. The husband/wife owners, Owners Jeff and Christa Duggan, focus on freshness, which is key to enjoying their amazing coffee. The flavor that is unleashed after they roast is intense and complex, designed to be savored within weeks, not months. To best showcase this freshness, Portola is using several unique brewing methods that highlight the inherent flavors of each coffee. Every single cup is custom crafted by expertly trained baristas right in front of you. Whether it is from the brand new BUNN Trifectas, the Sci-fi-looking Siphon Bar, or the amazing Slayer Esperesso machine, you’ll get an experience that is as unique as the beans themselves. Stop in for an experience that is educational and original. http://www.facebook.com/portolacoffeelab; Twitter: @portolacoffee; Blog: http://portolacoffeelab.wordpress.com; Tumbler: http://portolacoffeelab.tumblr.com/
http://www.theocmartmix.com/