I HEART COSTA MESA

Holland Nielson: Zero Waste

by The Mesa Maven | Mar 13, 2020

On this episode of the I Heart Costa Mesa podcast, we talk trash with local mom, community organizer, and zero-waste advocate – Holland Nielson. Check it out!

Just Desserts: Arenas Dream Cakes

by The Mesa Maven | Feb 25, 2020

It started as a side hustle. 13-year-old Joana made a batch of cupcakes from a boxed cake mix – and sold them, unfrosted, throughout the neighborhood for 50 cents a piece. She sold out. She made more, and sold out again. The entrepreneurial seeds were sown. Today, Joana Arenas is grown, married – and still selling cupcakes. Her confections have grown up, too. (Cupcakes are now scratch-made in a variety of flavors, fully frosted, with toppings worthy of winning any Food Network bake-off.) This is the story behind Arenas Dream Cakes, a Westside bakery…

Fine Art, In Stride: ArtSteps Costa Mesa

by Samantha Chagollan | Feb 10, 2020

Hilary Key has always seen the world through an artistic lens. “My whole life, I drew. I got to take a few art lessons here and there,” she explains. “I remember in junior high, I suffered from some really low self-esteem. I hung onto that thought, knowing, ‘I can draw.’” Hilary believes lots of kids need to draw. “It fills something that won’t be filled any other way,” she says. “So I deeply understand what they are connecting to, when they sketch.” Hilary is the director and owner of ArtSteps, an art studio here in Costa Mesa…

AmeriEstate: Take On Trust

by The Mesa Maven | Jan 29, 2020

We are all about celebrating life here in Costa Mesa. But tending to our end-of-life affairs? Um, raincheck! It’s hard enough to wrap our heads around the inevitable, much less our wallets. Making financial decisions now – in preparation for old age and beyond – is an issue we’d rather avoid completely, thank you very much. That’s a common, and very human, response to the topic of wealth after death, says Greg Reese, President & CEO of Costa Mesa-based AmeriEstate Legal Plan…

Megan + Gregory: Creative Mornings OC

by The Mesa Maven | Nov 15, 2019

On this episode of the I Heart Costa Mesa podcast: Meet Megan Anguiano and Gregory Skinner, co-founders of Creative Mornings OC. Creative Mornings is a free, monthly, breakfast-lecture series, available to creative (all!) people throughout Orange County. In this interview, we talk about how Creative Mornings OC got started, what it’s all about, and how you can get involved in the next one and harness the power of your own creativity. Check it out!

Toggle The Mind: Behind The Lids Collective

by Samantha Chagollan | Aug 16, 2019

“Have you ever tried breathing?” asks Frankie Salazar, co-founder of Behind The Lids, a new meditation studio and healing collective in the heart of Costa Mesa. Sounds like a silly question, right? Breathing is something we do without having to think about it. Every day, all the time, even when we’re sleeping. But what Frankie is talking about is something different. When you’re stressed, when you’re feeling anxious, when you’re overwhelmed—have you ever tried breathing to help you get through it?

Watch: Memory Lane in a Classic Mustang

by Mister Mesa | Aug 1, 2019

Our latest video is up! Mister Mesa tours around Costa Mesa in a classic ’65 Mustang with long-time Costa Mesan, Estelle Hughes. We hit all the spots she remembers growing up. Take a drive down memory lane with us!

Volcom: Not So Fast, Fashion.

by Samantha Chagollan | May 28, 2019

Do you know how your clothes are made? Or where? And here’s a better question… why should you care? I keep hearing about “fast fashion” – and maybe you have, too. In a nutshell, it’s kind of like fast food – quick, cheap, and makes your mouth water – but choosing it has lasting implications that leave you a bit queasy…

Molly’s Music: Born To Sing

by Samantha Chagollan | May 20, 2019

The last time I sang vocal scales, it was the mid-90s and I was likely wearing Doc Martens and a plaid flannel. It’s not the quite the same as scream-singing Alanis Morissette in your Nissan Pulsar as you cruise down Harbor Boulevard. Vocal scales are straight-up scary. But I’m surprisingly non-terrified as I find myself standing in a vocal studio on a breezy spring afternoon, dutifully sliding up and down scales, across the piano from local music maven, Molly Webb.

Spacing Out: Costa Mesa’s New Planetarium

by The Mesa Maven | Mar 30, 2019

Space, the final frontier. Who among us hasn’t, at one time or another, pondered the incomprehensible vastness of the universe, the placement of planets, the geometry of constellations. It’s human to look to the stars – and what might lie beyond – but it’s not always easy, here in Orange County. Ambient light makes faraway suns hard to see, and the local focus has historically been much more about surf culture than space travel. But as of last week, tides may be tipping a bit more in favor of stargazers…

Mesa Water: In The Drink

by The Mesa Maven | Mar 22, 2019

Hey Costa Mesa: Do you know where your water comes from? How it gets there? Where it goes? We didn’t… until we invited Shawn Dewane from Mesa Water on the podcast! Now we know *so much more* about local water than we ever thought possible. Dive on in to Episode 3 with us…

Banding Together: Mariachi Juvenil Herencia Michoacana

by Samantha Chagollan | Dec 27, 2018

As I pull into the parking lot, I can already hear the music. A cacophony of trumpets, violins and guitars greet me as I walk up to the small strip mall space on the Westside of Costa Mesa. Araceli Ceja, the founder of Mariachi Juvenil Herencia Michoacana, greets me with a huge smile. “Welcome, thank you for coming!” she says, and ushers me into a little room just outside where the kids are already playing…

Costa Mesa: To The Limit

by Bradley Zint | Dec 19, 2018

Photo courtesy of the Costa Mesa Historical Society. The story of how the Costa Mesa city limits...

Where The Streets Have Yo’ Name

by Bradley Zint | Aug 14, 2018

We here at I Heart Costa Mesa love our mesa. We want to see it all and know it all. But what’s in a name? Have you ever driven down Paularino and wondered, “Who or what is a paularino?” Or cruised down Harbor Boulevard thinking, “Where’s the harbor?” (Answer: There never was one, but a harbor is fairly close.) Well, we did some digging to answer these roadworthy questions and find out what’s behind some of Costa Mesa’s street names.

Listen: “Ghosted By A Guest”

by The Mesa Maven | May 18, 2018

On this episode of the I Heart Costa Mesa Show, we get ghosted by our guest! With no one left to interview – and studio time already booked – we pull Producer, Danny Thompson, behind the mic for an off-the-cuff convo around the topic of “fails and what we’ve learned from them.” Thompson is really knowledgeable in a lot of areas, he’s an all-around interesting dude…

Listen: “Volcom Skatepark Mentor”

by The Mesa Maven | Apr 27, 2018

On this episode, we interview pro skateboarder, founder / owner of Intro 2 Skateboarding – and now, Costa Mesan – Jon “Deezle” Depoian. We discuss the art, the action and the culture of skateboarding, how skating has changed his life for the better, what he loves best about coaching the next gen of young skaters – and how he got that sweeeeeet hookup to teach kids’ classes at Volcom’s private skatepark in Westside Costa Mesa.

Listen: “The Daily Pilot Reporter”

by The Mesa Maven | Mar 30, 2018

On this episode, we interview Bradley Zint, Reporter for The Daily Pilot newspaper, about his eight years spent covering Costa Mesa and its surrounding communities. We also talk about his perspectives on the City of Costa Mesa, how he’s seen it change since he first started at the paper in 2010 – and, of course, we ask him the rapid-fire, Fast Final Fives! And with Brad just today announcing he is leaving the newspaper, this is one special edition of the podcast you don’t want to miss…

Listen: Podcast “Starlight Theatre Opera Star”

by The Mesa Maven | Feb 16, 2018

On this episode of The I Heart Costa Mesa Show, we talk to Deborah Hayes, Founder and Director of family-owned-and-operated Starlight Theatre in Westside Costa Mesa. Starlight offers acting opportunities and singing lessons for kids and adults. Go take a class, see a show or check them out on the weekends for Improv, too! Be sure to listen to the end, when Mrs. Hayes sings us out of the episode with her beautiful opera voice…

Lisa Albert: Art From The Heart

by The Mesa Maven | Oct 23, 2017

Hearting Costa Mesa is such an adventure! There’s a discovery behind every door, artwork down every alley and something truly notable tucked in every nook and cranny. No matter how much we cover Costa Mesa, we still make new discoveries on the daily. Today’s feature is a perfect example. We had no idea they existed, let alone for over 25 years. But now that we’ve become acquainted with Lisa Albert Art Studio, we can’t imagine 17th Street without this charming, makerspace oasis.

The School Of Art

by The Mesa Maven | May 26, 2017

As another school year wraps up in The City Of The Arts – and Costa Mesa students count down the days until summer break – I Heart Costa Mesa headed down to the campus of Orange Coast College to learn more about their popular Visual & Performing Arts program.

At The Chamber Door

by The Mesa Maven | Apr 17, 2017

Costa Mesans are a giving people. There’s a pulse of generosity that beats through this city, powered by neighbors as likely to give you the shirt off their back as a pat on yours. Groups, committees, associations, teams, volunteers…

Helping Little Hands

by The Mesa Maven | Mar 3, 2017

Photo: Brandy Young If Necessity is the mother of invention, then Love is certainly the father....

Splash And Learn

by The Mesa Maven | Jan 15, 2017

And today we mean “dive in” in the most-literal sense, because we’re happily highlighting the pool-based program that’s quickly become the pride of Newport-Mesa: the Costa Mesa Aquatics Club, or CMAC (pronounced: see-mac), for short. When it comes to harboring a deep and abiding love for Costa Mesa, we are hard-pressed to find people who wear it louder or prouder than the swimmers, polo players, coaches and staff at this popular, non-profit program.

Learn Like A Pirate

by The Mesa Maven | Sep 19, 2016

Avast ye students! Climb aboard and batten down the hatches, as we chart a course on the high seas...

La Historia: The Diego Sepúlveda Adobe

by The Mesa Maven | Apr 15, 2016

This land we now call Costa Mesa has lived many former lives. In the wayback days before streets and settlements, entirely different societies and cultures made their home on the mesa.

The earliest recorded example is the Tongva tribal village of Lukup, whose rounded huts – called ki – were believed to have covered what is now the Fairview Park bluffs and surrounding areas.

More recently, in the ranchos days of the early 1800s, that same part of Costa Mesa became an estancia (“ranch estate”) and the land was used for grazing cattle. It was likely during this period in history, around 1820 or so, that the building now known as The Diego Sepúlveda Adobe was built.

It’s Only Natural…

by The Mesa Maven | Apr 2, 2016

Ah, parenthood. Few things in life are as transformative as Baby’s arrival and that moment...

Don’t Shoot The Animals

by The Mesa Maven | Jan 28, 2016

The Foxes And Wolves portfolio is the very picture of balance; the work is playful-yet-earnest, thoughtful-yet-natural, comfortable-yet-elevated. It’s no surprise they’ve landed projects with notables like Nike, Athleta, Quiksilver, Taco Bell and Virgin Mobile.

Mon Cœur! C’est Mon Voir…

by The Mesa Maven | Jan 11, 2016

Costa Mesans are creative doers. Doesn’t matter if it’s building furniture,...

Mum’s The Word: Mother’s Market

by The Mesa Maven | Dec 4, 2015

Costa Mesans are, by and large, a healthful bunch. Cruise through Costa Mesa on any given...

Heart Felt: Castle of Costa Mesa

by The Mesa Maven | Oct 18, 2015

“You know that feeling when you see something so painfully beautiful – made with such genuine talent – it knocks the breath out of your chest and cracks your heart in two? When the full expression of human imagination hits you like a ton of wool? I Heart Costa Mesa has discovered that kind of aching beauty and real-deal genius right here, in our city, and they call themselves Castle of Costa Mesa.”