More than just a farm-to-table eatery (which it is) or an outdoor restaurant ideal for families and friends (that too), Campesino Cafe, ensconced in San Juan Capistrano’s lauded Ecology Center’s farm, heralds a shift in the Orange County dining scene: an equitable eatery to enjoy organic and sustainable dishes with plenty of James Beard cachet.
The menu, which changes depending on the season, features items like goat’s milk yogurt parfait with granola, berries and honey; fermented vegetable and salanova lettuce salad tinged with guajillo chile and crunch cover crop grains; or squash blossom salad replete with raw squash and green onion, all of which come in well under $15 a pop. Even the beverage list, which includes cold brews, horchata lattes, and strawberry kombucha, is surprisingly more affordable, yet miles above in flavor and potency, compared to multinational big-name chains.
While locally-sourced eateries are nothing new, they often come with a hefty price tag — understandably so. Certified organic ingredients, which taste superior to their mass-produced counterparts, take time and effort to grow. But at Campesino Cafe, which opened on June 21, dishes are made using hyper-local ingredients (literally a stone’s throw away from the dining area; everything comes from their 28-acre farm or fermentation lab). This helps abate costs making the fine fare here affordable compared to other similar spots that also prioritize ingredient integrity.
“We focus on the single greatest ingredients available, but we don’t have to pay for produce shipped around the world,” said Jonathan Zaidman, the Ecology Center’s director of impact and partnerships. “We intentionally designed the cafe to be as accessible to as many people as possible.” The famed Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano opened their new eatery not only a scenic spot for breakfast and lunch, but also to offer a budget-friendly offshoot of their fixed-course Community Table bi-monthly…
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