Newsletter Fall 2012

City of Oceanside and MainStreet Oceanside collaborate to retain downtown holiday decorations

activities will be provided. Of course, the celebration wouldn’t be complete without a visit from Santa.

MainStreet Oceanside will join in on the fun by expanding the Sunset Market KidZone onto Mission Avenue. Scheduled that night will be a trackless train, horse carriage rides, giant slide, jumpee, skateboard demonstrations and a radio controlled racetrack.

November 29th also marks the first night of the annual Holiday Gift Market at the Sunset Market. For five weeks, the Market will be transformed into the Holiday Gift Market. Over one hundred artisans and merchants will offer unusual, beautiful and exotic holiday gift and food items to place under the tree and into the homes of your family and friends. The Sunset Market takes place from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. every Thursday evening all year round.

To help put everyone into the holiday spirit, MainStreet Oceanside will also decorate the Sunset Market venue during the holiday season. Special holiday banners and beautiful poinsettia baskets will be hung from the light poles which will be wrapped with holiday lights.

Happy holidays, everyone!

Wright made a plea to the MainStreet Oceanside Board of Directors to allocate funds from the non-profit organization’s reserves to help fill the funding gap. They voted unanimously to pay for the installation of 20 pole mounted snowflakes and wreaths along Mission Avenue.

Turk found the money in her budget to pay for the installation of the 28’ holiday tree and its 1,000+ ornaments. The tree is central to the annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony which has been produced by the City’s Parks and Recreation Department for over five years. Each year the Mayor kicks off the holiday season by throwing the switch to illuminate the 1,548 individual lights on the tree.

This year the Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony and its attendant festivities will take place on Thursday, November 29th at 6:00 p.m. The emphasis will be on kids, so free milk and cookies will be served and lots of kid-friendly

Despite the dissolution of redevelop-ment by the State of California, holiday traditions and decorations will carry on in Downtown Oceanside this year thanks to the City of Oceanside Parks and Recreation Department and MainStreet Oceanside.

The City of Oceanside and MainStreet Oceanside scrambled to find a way to continue with the holiday spirit in spite of the loss of redevelopment funds. Eileen Turk, Neighborhood Services Division Manager, and Rick Wright, Executive Director of MainStreet Oceanside began meeting soon after the news was revealed about redevelopment.

“Neither of us had budgeted for the Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony or the Mission Avenue holiday decorations”, Wright said, “but we were determined to find a way to make it happen this year. Because we had to make a commitment to the service provider by September 1st, we were up against a fast approaching deadline.”

DOWNTOWN CONNECTION

FALL 2012

Preserving and PromotingDowntown Oceanside

Since 2000

STAFFRick Wright

Executive DirectorKim Heim

Director, Special ProjectsKathy HammanOffice ManagerCathy Nykiel

Sunset Market ManagerMarni RiggerVendor LiaisonDale SniderCrew Chief

BOARD OF DIRECTORSRoseanne Kiss, ChairNorth County Printers

Sylvia SpivaPier View Market Kirk HarrisonHarney SushiTom LeBus

Seaside Financial ServicesPablo Aponte

Asylum Skate ShopMax Disposti

North County LGBTQ Resource CenterMark Carbone

American Labor Pool, Inc.Peter LoyolaSucculent Cafe

ADVISORSHoward LaGrange

Visit OceansideKathy Brann

City of Oceanside

MainStreet Oceanside701 Mission Avenue

Oceanside, California 92054(760) 754-4512

[email protected]

MainStreet OceansideSunset Market Oceanside

SpotlightVENDORFormer prosecutor brings his mother’s Filipino cuisine to Oceanside

In his native Philippines, Ed Resurreccion was a lawyer and prosecutor, but it also was there that he learned to cook from his mother.

“I used to cut all the vegetable ingredients whenever she cooked,” he said.

And now semi-retired in North County, Resurreccion is bringing some of his mother’s cooking to customers at the Oceanside Farmers Market, where he’s offered Ed’s Filipino Cuisine for the past four years.

The sign in front of his booth says “Mabuhay,” which Resurreccion says means “welcome,” “It’s like ‘aloha’ in Hawaii” - a friendly greeting in the Tagalog language of the Philippines, he said.

In the morning, his booth is located on Pier View Way across the street from St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church. His Sunset Market booth is located right across from the main stage.

For now, the Oceanside markets are his only venues, Resurreccion said,

However, he has plans to set up on Sundays during the summer at a farmers market in La Jolla, and he has a part-time

job working for his brother-in-law who grows avocados on eight acres and sells them in farmers markets.

Filipino culture and food reflects myriad influences – Malay, Chinese, Indian, Spanish and English, Resurreccion said. “Every race has contributed to Filipino cuisine,” he said.

The selection of foods at his Farmers Market stand reflect those varied contributions as well.

There are pancit, a noodle dish, and lumpia, an egg roll, borrowed from China.

And then there are chicken adobo (a mild chili sauce) and pork afritada (a type of stew with potatoes and vegetables) showing their Spanish heritage.

Often both pancit and lumpia are made with shrimp, but Resurreccion said “I’ve adapted

my the menu to the prevailing wishes of the people here in Oceanside” and they don’t want shrimp or fish sauce, he said.

He offers four kinds of lumpia; vegetable, chicken, pork and beef. “They’re greaseless and served hot,” he said. They sell for $3 for five pieces.

The pancit contains chicken meat and “lots of vegetables,” he said.

Of course, the macaroni and cheese is a traditional American dish, but Resurreccion says his is offered “with a bit of a twist” - he adds bacon with four kinds of cheese.

And then there are beef and mushrooms, beef mechado (also a stew) and chicken curry.

In addition, Resurreccion says, he serves “the best eggplant omelet” in town with lots of garlic and ground pepper. It sells for $3.

A one-item combo with rice and/or pancit is $6 and a two-item combo is $7.

For all his love of the cuisine of his homeland, Resurreccion also is glad to be here. He’s quick to note the exact date – Sept. 12, 1992, that he came to the United States and is proud to say that his entire family has gained U. S. citizenship and that all four of his children have graduated from universities in California – the University of San Diego, California State University Fullerton, San Jose State University and the University of Southern California.

Story and photos by Lola Sherman

“Honest to God – this is no exaggeration – I have people who come in three times a day,” says Donnette Corona, manager of Swami’s Cafe in downtown Oceanside.

Corona said some customers will come in early for coffee, then have breakfast, then lunch and finally order a smoothie in the afternoon at the restaurant, open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week at 608 Mission Ave.

Sometimes, Corona said, she sees the same people day after day.

The atmosphere at Swami’s hardly could be more different from that of its predecessor in the building, Vigilucci’s, an upscale Italian dining establishment.

“We do not have anything over $9.95,” Corona said.

That’s a lobster benedict, she said, but the menu also lists that price for salmon or shrimp Caesar or tropical salads.

However, most breakfasts, salads and sandwiches fall in the $7.95 range.

“Swami’s tries to cater more to the health community - vegans and vegetarians, “ Corona said. It gets its citrus from a farmer in Valley Center and buys bee pollen locally as well.

SpotlightRESTAURANTSwami’s Cafe serves up fresh and healthy meals

now we do not have to drive to Encinitas,” Corona said.

There are two Swami’s Cafes in Encinitas and one in La Mesa.

Each Swami’s location Corona said, “captures the detail of the community” with a mural – in Oceanside’s case, it’s a painting by artist Kevin Anderson along the western wall.

In bright hues, it depicts Oceanside from mission to pier to harbor to Coaster train to amphitheater to Farmers Market, and , of course, includes a prominent Swami’s Cafe.

Corona said the restaurant’s name comes from the popular Swami’s surfing beach in Encinitas, and is no way associated with the Self Realization Fellowship, whose nearby blufftop complex also is called “Swami’s” by Encinitas locals.

The hermitage was founded in 1937 by the late Swami Paramahansa Yogananda, who taught yoga meditation. It remains a popular retreat today.

Swami’s Cafe is located at 608 Mission Avenue in Downtown Oceanside and open 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Seven Days Week


And, she said, it has a large diabetic following.

Beautifully presented, a pitaya bowl is a specialty . Pitaya (also called dragon fruit) is topped with bananas and berries, homemade granola, bee pollen and shredded coconut.

No refined sugar is used, Corona said, and salad dressings are home-made with honey.

Fruit juices are fresh-squeezed, she said, and the menu offers such as “Popeye’s Punch,” ( carrot and spinach) and “Busy Bee,” (orange juice, bananas, papaya and bee pollen).

“I’m not sure that any other restaurant offers this sort of thing,” she said of Swami’s food in general, although the cafe does serve some meat – ham, bacon, chicken and turkey – in either real or mock form.

She’s installed a “customers’ corner” in the front of the restaurant where people can leave suggestions and, as a result, she has added wi fi, moved the menu board, changed the radio station providing background music to one that’s a bit more mellow and is going to bring in magazines for people to read while waiting for a to-go order.

The restaurant will celebrate its second anniversary in October.

At first, Corona said, never a day went by that someone did not come in and say “I didn’t know you were here.”

There’s minimal signage, and Corona said the building owner doesn’t want more.

But the word has gotten out, she said, and now there’s a “huge following” of business people, government and transit office workers (the site is near both City Hall and the North County Transit District headquarters) on weekdays, supplemented by surfers.

Some say “thank God you’re here because

Holiday Gift Market at the Sunset MarketFor five weeks, Downtown Oceanside’s Sunset Market is transformed into the Holiday Gift Market. Over one hundred artisans and merchants will offer unusual, beautiful and exotic holiday gift and food items to put under the trees and into the homes of your family and friends.Every Thursday Evening5:00 pm to 9:00 pmCoast Highway at Pier View Way(760) 754-4512www.MainStreetOceanside.com

DECEMBER 6

Oceanside Museum of Art presents333’s Jazz at the MuseumGet into the holiday spirit at OMA’s next 333’s Jazz at the Museum featuring Allison Tucker. Tucker will be playing a selection of world jazz, weaved together with a fun holiday mix of classic jazz songs and stories from around the world. She will be playing with her quartet featuring Danny Green on piano, Evona Wascinski on upright bass and Julien Cantelm on drums.7:00 pm to 9:00 pmOceanside Museum of Art704 Pier View Way(760) 435-3720www.oma-online.com

Farmers Market 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Sunset Market 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm

DECEMBER 8

Oceanside Harbor Parade of LightsFishing boats, sail boats, yachts, kayaks and dingys dress up in holiday swag and circle the Oceanside

Harbor to enchant onlookers at the har-bor, restaurants and beach. Many of the boats feature people dressed up like Santa waving to the crowd. One of the best view-ing spots is along the side of the Oceanside Harbor near the fish-

ing dock and police station. From this vantage point, you can see the parade twice. The concrete walkway that surrounds much of the harbor is also good for spectating the event. Harbor Village at North Harbor has shops, dining, and seating areas.7:00 pm to 9:00 pmOceanside Small Craft Harbor1950 Harbor Drive North(760) 722-5751

NOVEMBER 21-23-24-25

Oceanside Theatre Company presentsYou Can’t Take It With YouAt first the Sycamores seem mad, but it is not long before we realize that if they are mad, the rest of the world is madder. What happens when the Sycamores, the very proper Kirby family, a Russian ballet instructor, a Grand Duchess (working as a waitress), the maid, her friend, and federal agents arrive on the same evening? Winner of the 1937 Pulitzer Prize, “You Can’t Take It With You” is a comedy classic which resonates with audiences today, with its themes of family love, civic duty, and freedom.Sunshine Brooks Theatre217 N. Coast Highway(760) 439-8900Matinee and Evening PerformancesSee website for schedule.www.oceansidetheatre.org

NOVEMBER 22 Thanksgiving Day

Oceanside Turkey TrotCome “move your feet before you eat” this Thanksgiving at Oceanside’s 7th Annual PMCU Turkey Trot 5Mile/5K run/walk and kids races. Join one of the fastest growing holiday traditions by participating in this fun event. Be sure to bring the whole family, as there will be races for everyone. Race course is a very fast downhill 5Mile/5k which starts at the Oceanside Civic Center and finishes at the Pier area along the Beach.7:00 am to 11:00 amOceanside Civic Center330 N. Coast Highway(760) 434-5255www.osideturkeytrot.com

Farmers Market CLOSED Sunset Market CLOSED

NOVEMBER 29

Oceanside Farmers MarketMingle with the locals and experience Southern California’s cornucopia of fresh produce and flowers. Enjoy ocean views as you browse the selection of gourmet baked goods, fresh seafood, plus arts and crafts. Eat lunch at the food court. 9:00 am to 1:00 pmCoast Highway at Pier View WayAcross from Oceanside Civic Center(760) 754-4512

Holiday Tree Lighting CeremonyFree event open to the public. Sponsored by the City of Oceanside and MainStreet Oceanside. Event will include arts & crafts, tree lighting, and a visit from Santa.6:00 pm to 8:00 pmRegal Cinema Plaza401 Mission Avenue(760) 435-5041

Paradeof

Lights

FREE MUSEUM TUESDAYS

Explore two fabulous Oceanside museums for FREE every Tuesday in 2012! Take in the beautiful art and unique culture at the California Surf Museum and the Oceanside Museum of Art - just walking distance from one another. Make an afternoon of it! Park in downtown Oceanside, grab a cup of coffee, visit the museums, stop for lunch and maybe take a walk on the Oceanside Pier. What a perfect way to spend your Tuesday.

California Surf Museum312 Pier View Way

Oceanside Museum of Art704 Pier View Way

DECEMBER 8

Oceanside Museum of Art presentsPrayer Flags of Nepal LectureHear from Tim and Ron Ranson about their adventures in Nepal. Complimentary with museum admission.11:00 am to 1:00 pmOceanside Museum of Art704 Pier View Way(760) 435-3720www.oma-online.com

DECEMBER 13-14-15-16

Star Theatre Company presentsANNIEAmerica’s Most Beloved Musical Hits Oceanside! Leapin’ lizards! America’s most beloved musical Annie will once again be presented at the Historic STAR Theatre in downtown Oceanside, giving a whole new generation the chance to experience this classical musical about never giving up hope. Boasting one of Broadway’s most memorable scores, including It’s a Hard Knock Life, Easy Street, Never Fully Dressed without a Smile, and the ever-optimistic Tomorrow, Annie is a delightful theatrical experience for the entire family!Historic Star TheatreMatinee and Evening PerformancesSee website for schedule.www.startheatre.biz

DECEMBER 13


DECEMBER 20


DECEMBER 27


SpotlightMERCHANTDigital Audio: Auto sound systems are not a luxury

“Even in this economy, people love music,” says Don Javdan, owner of Digital Audio Sound in downtown Oceanside.

Looking for jobs, Javdan said, “a lot of people spend a lot of time in their cars.”

And, he said, they’re willing to spend “a couple hundred dollars” on a sound system which, to them, is not a luxury “but a necessity.”

So, they purchase an audio system that’s just right for their vehicle, be it a Beatle or a Lamborghini (the shop once outfitted a $280,000 car of that make).

Javdan, raised in the Salt Lake City area, bought the business seven years ago from Mark and Debbie Prescott. He changed the name from Auto Sound to Audio Sound, although the emphasis still is on cars.

With bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering and in automotive engineering from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, Javdan worked for a computer-graphics firm in the San Jose area before deciding he wanted to own a business.

He came here because he “liked the San Diego culture better”. He prefers an ocean environment, and there’s isn’t one close to San Jose.

His background, Javdan said, permitted him to “be comfortable with the product.”

The store sells “everything related to a vehicle” (except mechanical services, of course), Javdan said. Included in the

front office, which contains “more than 1,000 items.”

He said being an authorized dealer for such “top-of-the-line” brands as Alpine, Kicker, Pioneer, Kenwood, Sony, Autopage, Sirius, Llumar, Memphis and Fahrenheit allows him to give the best product at the best price – with a warranty.

“We shop around – go online – make sure we have the best pricing,” he said. And, he said, he guarantees that if a customer finds a product cheaper elsewhere, he will match it.

“Our business model is integrity basically,” Javdan said. “That’s the No. 1 criterion.”

And, he said, “our motto is when you come in, you go out with the right product” so, to that end, he has installed a $40,000 demo board where customers can get a good feel for what they are buying.

Between 60 and 70 percent of the store’s customers are Marines, Javdan said, because they take a lot of pride in their cars and in good sound systems for their music.

Digital Audio Sound, 307 S. Coast Highway, is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.


inventory are in-dash compact-disc players, navigation systems, alarms, video equipment, Bluetooth pieces and IPOD adapters. And he offers window-tinting, too.

He does not stock audio equipment for home use. “Vehicles keep me busy enough,” Javdan said.

It’s also possible to purchase bass packages (the deep boom-boom heard coming from some cars), but he says he warns buyers to keep down the volume so they won’t go deaf from the noise.

A separate shop in the back of the 5,000-square-foot storefront on Coast Highway permits Javdan to offer customized products for various vehicles.

“A lot of shops like us do not do custom installation with a lifetime warranty,” he said.In the shop, speakers are produced that fit the car, and fiberglass and fabric are customized as well, but he does not do upholstery.

Navigation devices also can be customized, just like the sound equipment.

Javdan employs four people – two for the customizing work and two for the sales in the

MainStreet Oceanside’s Courtesy Crew expands efforts to keep Downtown cleanBuilding on the tremendous success of the Courtesy Crew program, MainStreet Oceans-ide has expanded coverage to four days per week. You will find the Courtesy Crew clean-ing on every weekday but Thursday in areas throughout the MainStreet district. The crew now goes as far north as Highway 76 and as far south as Wisconsin Street. The cart was recently equipped with a state-of-the-art GPS system to allow tracking of the crew as they move around the downtown.

Downtown OceansideTree Lighting Ceremony

November 29th

Regal Plaza across from the Sunset Market

Fun for the whole family! Kids’ Activities • Milk & Cookies

Visit with Santa6:00 PM

5:00 pm to 9:00 pm Every Thursday in December

Pier View Way at Coast Highway

Discover the Unusual & Exotic!100+ Artisans and Merchants

SunsetMarketOceanside.com760-754-4512

Every Thursdayin December

5 - 9 p.m.

International Food CourtCertified Farmers Market

Gourmet Food GiftsKids Play Area • Live Music

HOLIDAY MARKETGift

Stickers on this board represent a small portion of the stickers removed by our Courtesy Crew.

SpotlightRESTAURANTBessie’s 1929 Cafe: Except for the name, everything’s new

Hungry?

Really hungry?

Really, really hungry?

The newly remodeled Bessie’s 1929 Cafe, under new ownership in downtown Oceanside, features a “Monster Torta Burger” consisting of a pound and a half of Angus beef, ham, guacamole, Habanero cheese, shredded lettuce, salsa fresca, rice and beans.

Eat it in 20 minutes, and it’s free – plus the successful consumer gets a free T-shirt.

“One man tried,” Mary Lou Goodson, the new proprietor, said, but. he didn’t succeed. “He took it home,” she said. Goodson and her family bought the business in February.

“It’s all new except for the name,” Goodson said. She said she decided to keep the name Bessie’s even though the décor and cuisine bear little resemblance to the previous Bessie’s, an older cafe specializing in Mexican food.

Its owners have retired, Goodson said.

In fact, the Mexican restaurant wasn’t the original Bessie’s, either, but it had stuck with

Bessie’s is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., serving breakfast and lunch.

It offers a “huge” breakfast for $4.99, Goodson said, and lunch specials for $5.95. That monster torta burger costs $18.95.

Goodson has not owned a restaurant before.

She retired from the hotel/motel business, but said “we were kind-of bored.” “Yes, we’re over retirement age,” she said, but she and her husband, Bill, started the new business because “we love people.”

Story by Lola Sherman. Photos by Lu DeLucy.

the name as well.

The name, Goodson has learned through news clippings, belonged to Bessie Walton.

Walton doesn’t go back to the 1929 in the new moniker, but the clippings say she opened her cafe in 1941 where once had been a malt shop.

She served burgers for $1 and also specialized in cabbage rolls, meat loaf, stuffed peppers and chicken pie with German chocolate cake for dessert. Goodson said Walton’s family has offered her some of the old recipes. She said she hasn’t accepted them yet but would like to do so.

She can find nothing about the history of the malt shop there before Bessie’s.

The 1929 in the new name refers to the construction date of the building itself at 232 S. Coast Highway.

Recently, Chamber of Commerce leaders David Nydegger and Jerry Salyer tried the new Bessie’s. Nydegger said he had last come to the place in 1960 because his dad loved the fried chicken and salads.

Goodson has added terra-cotta-color awnings to announce Bessie’s 1929 Cafe. She said they “sharpen it up” and help to identify the business, still a bit tucked into a busy block.

The interior décor and the background music reflect that 1920’s era as well.

In deference to past customers, there still are some Mexican items on the menu, and an interesting melding of Mexican and American in other dishes.

For instance, the Monster Torta Burger gets its name from the type of roll (called telera) used in Mexican torta sandwiches. It’s an American hamburger on a Mexican bun, the invention of Chef Joe Bacey.

And the “Spanish burger” combines a Mexican chile relleno (egg-battered mild chile stuffed with cheese) with more traditional hamburger fixings.

MainStreet Morning Meeting Notes: Another new hotel in Downtown Oceanside?The developers of one new hotel, already under construction in downtown Oceanside, are talking about building another one within the five city blocks they own.

Kathy Brann, downtown development manager for the city, reported news of the possible new hotel Tuesday morning to about two dozen people at the monthly meeting of MainStreet Oceanside.

Brann said a new hotel would meet the state Coastal Commission requirements for 60,000 square feet of “visitor-serving commercial” development within the project.

Councilman Jerry Kern said if there are two new hotels in that five-block area, it will behoove the longtime proposed developers of a resort along adjacent blocks seaward to get moving with their project.

Brann said “the clock is ticking” on that resort, proposed by S. D. Malkin Properties, because its authorizations run out in 2015. It can’t proceed, however, she said, without city subsidies.

“This is really significant,” Rick Wright, MainStreet executive director, said of a possible additional hotel. “It feels now like it felt six years ago” when there was a lot of downtown development, he said.

“I was thrilled beyond belief,” Brann said.

Ground was broken in September for the 149-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott at Mission Avenue and Myers Street, part of the five-block CityMark project. It keeps the CityMark name although it is now owned by the Southern Ute Indians.

Brann said representatives of the tribe’s development arm have asked if they can build yet another hotel on another of their blocks, but they aren’t sure which one yet.Their five blocks are bisected by Mission Avenue between Cleveland and Myers streets.

“Of all the strange twists and turns,” Wright said, “it turns out that an Indian tribe is now developing downtown Oceanside.”

“They believe in us,” Brann replied.

Besides the CityMark and Malkin proposals, a 124-room hotel, once called Belvedere and now 1010 Oceanside, is planned just up Mission Avenue across from Oceanside High.

The excavation for SpringHill Suites has uncovered a lot of artifacts, like bottles and china, Brann said., and the developers would

Morning MtgMainStreetsells the traditional feast for $9.95 the week before Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“It’s one of our signature things,” Daley said.

Responding to questions about graffiti in the area, Oceanside Police Officer Lonny Harper replied that “right now, graffiti crime is down.”

Wright showed a display of stickers removed from downtown areas and said MainStreet has people out four times a week checking for such things. “We’re trying to stay on it,” he said.

He also said that MainStreet maintains a flag-recycling center.

Shawn Heemstra told of his Washed Out pressure-washing business on Freeman Street and said it will keep sidewalks clean.

Bill Finnegan, coach of the Oceanside High School girls’ basketball team, said it’s going to be an exciting group this year, and he asked that residents come to see it play. He promised to have schedules at the next meeting.

Kern announced that the field at Oceanside Municipal Airport will be named for the late Bob Maxwell, a Tuskegee airman, Wednesday night, Nov. 7.

Story by Lola Sherman

The next monthly meeting will take place at 8:30 a.m. on December 4th at the MainStreet office at 701 Mission Ave. in Downtown Oceanside.

like to put them on display as part of their project. “I really hope they can do it,” she said.

John Daley, lifelong Oceanside resident, said whatever is found there probably was left as trash because the property had never been developed.

Brann said improvements to Mission Avenue, being undertaken with a $1.2-million grant from the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), may be done at night so as not to interrupt business during the day. They should be started in September and finished in mid-May, she said.

Councilman Gary Felien said “my fear is that my phone is going to ring off the hook” as people disturbed by night construction noise call to complain. Brann said not many residents live that close by, and it will be tried to see if it works.

In other business, Cathy Nykiel, Sunset Market manager, told of plans for the annual holiday tree-lighting ceremony from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 29 in the plaza in front of the Regal Cinemas, 401 Mission Ave.

Nykiel reported that both the Farmers and the Sunset markets will be closed Thanksgiving.

Brann thanked MainStreet for taking over some holiday programs the city no longer can afford to sponsor. Wright said the organization “totally lucked out” and could afford the $5,000 for banners this year but isn’t sure “how we can afford to keep it ongoing.”

Wright said decorations will include hanging baskets with poinsettias and lights around the poles and will be “very festive.” “Every year, we embellish,” he said.

Howard La Grange, co-chair of the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, reported on the “Bike the Coast, Taste the Coast” event last weekend and said it has grown from 1,000 participants the first year to 1,500 the second year and 2,100 this year.

Would-be participants had to be turned away the day of the event, Kern said.

Kim Heim, director of special projects, reported that both markets are going strong without an apparent off-season and food and beverage is still selling at the beach.

Daley, who co-owns the 101 Cafe, said he canvassed other restaurants and found turkey dinners going for as much as $165 per person, $211 with wine, whereas he still

The MainStreet Morning Meeting is held on the first Tuesday of each month. We welcome all parties interested in the progress of Downtown Oceanside, including business people, residents, and City staff. The Downtown Development Manager, Code Enforcement, Special Events and Parks and Rec attend our meeting and present an update concerning our downtown and the adjoining harbor. The OPD is usually present to report on downtown issues and accept input from meeting attendees.

This informative one hour meeting is held in an informal discussion format. The general public is always welcome! Come meet your city officials, MainStreet Oceanside staff and members and find out about upcoming events and changes to your downtown and your city.

The MainStreet Morning Meeting is held at 8:30 a.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at the MainStreet Oceanside meeting room at 701 Mission Avenue. Call our office for directions at (760) 754-4512.

SpotlightRESTAURANTJose Hernandez, co-owner of Mary’s Family Restaurant in downtown Oceanside, believes he has found the formula for running a successful business in good times and bad: always be there – seven days a week.

Hernandez said he got that advice from Mary Cathey, who first opened the restaurant at 307 N. Coast Highway in 1985.

She’s the Mary in the establishment’s name.

Between the time she ran it herself and Hernandez and his brother, Juan, took over 13 years ago, others hadn’t been able to be there all the time and failed.

Jose Hernandez, born in Oaxaca, Mexico, but raised locally from the age of 12, has been around restaurants all his working life, spending 20 years at the old Daisy’s Cafe, home now to an Asian buffet near Mission Avenue and the Interstate 5 freeway.

Hernandez came to manage all 17 Daisy’s in San Diego County at the time.

The chain was owned by John Mabee, founder of the old Big Bear supermarket chain, a major breeder of thoroughbred racing horses and a minority owner of the San Diego Chargers football team.

“It was my first job and my last job,”

“I designed the menu,” Hernandez said and breakfast offerings like the “signature” dish of steak asada and eggs plus souffles, chilaquiles, machaca and huevos rancheros have been added.

“Nobody leaves hungry at Mary’s,” Hernandez said.

As for the staff, Hernandez said, everyone has been there from the beginning - ”from Day One until today.”

The décor includes murals of Oceanside and photos of old-time movie stars like John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe, Hernandez’s favorite, as well as tributes to the U. S. Marines. Marines like coming to Mary’s, Hernandez said.

“This is the American dream,” Hernandez said. “Anything you want, you can do it if you work hard in life.”

“The customers like coming here,” Hernandez said, “because everyone knows everybody.”

That holds true for Krista Meredith of Pt. Loma, San Diego, enjoying breakfast with her family. “We drove 45 minutes to get here,” she said. “but we love coming up here.”

Mary’s Family Restaurant is located at 307 N. Coast Highway and is open 7 days per week.

Story and photos by Lola Sherman.

Hernandez said. “I’ve been working for myself since then.”

A graduate of Vista High, he studied culinary skills at Palomar College.

Mary’s Restaurant is located across the street from the Civic Center, so it attracts a goodly number of city staff and Council members. It’s also down the street from St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church, providing it with a Sunday breakfast crowd.

Breakfasts are big at Mary’s. Lunch does a good business, too. Dinners not so much, but the Hernandez brothers keep the restaurant open for all three meals.

Hernandez calls the cuisine “home-style cooking,” “It reminds me like Mom used to cook,”

Mom’s favorite meal, chicken-fried steak with sausage gravy, is a menu mainstay as are fish and chips, fried chicken, steak, hamburgers and salads.

Hernandez said San Diego Magazine once praised Mary’s as serving “the best cinnamon rolls in the universe – as big as a pie.” “We make everything fresh daily,” Hernandez said, with no skimping on quality.

Indeed, while talking to a supplier, Hernandez insisted on a top product. “Price does not matter,” he said. “I want to keep my customers happy.” “People here do not mind paying,” Hernandez said. “We’re not expensive, but we’re not cheap, either.” “You can taste the quality – I eat here, my family eats here, my kids (four children ranging in age from a 20-year-old daughter who plays professional soccer to a 7-year-old son) eat here,”

When he and his brother took over, Hernandez said, the restaurant featured a very small menu – just three kinds of omelets, for instance.

Mary’s Family Restaurant: Longtime downtown restaurateur has the key to success

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Newsletter Fall 2012