Locating Lumpia in Linda Vista
Plus: LV News Briefs, Gift Bag Giveaway at LV Rec Center, Kearny High Boys Basketball Update, Bayside Resident Leadership Academy Graduation, Poem About Winter Solstice, and End of Year Reflection
The Linda Vista Update
We are eager to tell you all about a Linda Vista business the LV Update has overlooked for too long.
Last week we attended the Linda Vista Park and Recreation Center Advisory Council’s Annual Christmas Party. Steve is a past Chair of the Council and the Carnivore Sidekick is a present member, so current Chair Becky Barrera-Hunt was kind enough to invite us. Everyone was asked to bring a dish. There was some great food including BBQ beef, beans, pizza, spring rolls, charcuterie board, and mashed potatoes to name a few, and an adorable hot chocolate bar with all the fixing.
The Carnivore brought a large tray of lumpia. Of course, being a carnivore, it was meat filled so we didn’t get to try it, but everyone said it was really good. Turns out he ordered it from Olga’s Food Place at 2314 Morley Street (alongside John Baca Park). We recalled seeing the sign advertising Filipino food, but truthfully thought the business was no longer open. However, the Carnivore informed us that they only do catering, and orders must be placed in advance. Their phone number is 858-571-3356 and you can call them anytime to place an order and arrange pickup.
Impressed by what everyone at the party had to say about the lumpia, we thought it would be good to find out more and so we gave them a call. I got a recording that stated they only did catering at this time and made several kinds of lumpia including chicken, beef, pork, and veggie. The minimum order is 100 and the prices range from $55 to $88 depending on the kind, with veggie being the most expensive. I left them a message indicating we would like to write about them in the LV Update and they proceeded to send me some pictures and give me some information about themselves.
This is their very busy season, but they were happy to answer the questions we had, and then they were gracious enough to take time out of their busy schedule to meet with the LV Update in person. In the interview we found out the owners of the business are Olga and Rocky, and they have been married for 40 years. Rocky is Filipino and Olga is originally from Cuba. They have been residents of Linda Vista since the 1980’s. They started the restaurant in 2000 as a full-service restaurant serving pancit, chicken adobo, lechon and of course lumpia. They now strictly take catering orders for only lumpia, and recommend reservations as early as possible, but at least a day in advance. They stated they learned all their recipes from mom and dad rather than through formal schooling.
Christmas is of course their busiest season, and Olga said the most lumpia she made in one day was 4,000. That is an incredible amount of lumpia! They indicated that most of their clientele is local, but they have many folks who come from Los Angeles and further. They have sold lumpia for people to take back to the East Coast and even have international customers. When something is that good, word gets around. Their Yelp reviews are excellent. Steve mentioned to them that we do not eat meat and could not comment on the lumpia, so they kindly gave us vegetarian lumpia to try along with sweet and sour sauce. They were so good that I think I will order 100 and put them in the freezer so I can have some whenever I like. They were packed full of flavor, well filled and tasty.
Olga and Rocky said their desire is to make people happy by providing them with their delicious food. I know it made me happy, and I hope you will give it a try the next time you have a get-together. I am sure that the lumpia will delight your guests.
***
Thank you, Olga, and Rocky for taking time to talk to us, and I apologize for taking so long to write you up in the LV Update.
LV News Briefs
—Seed Class at Bayside Tomorrow: Bayside's Environmental Learning Center Program invites you to join them for their monthly seed starting classes. Each month features a seasonally appropriate crop, growing guides, and supplies. Classes are held at Bayside's Community Room (2202 Comstock Street), the 3rd Friday of the month. The next class is tomorrow Friday, December, 20, 2024 from 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
This class will feature a lesson on growing Lettuce. Learn best practices for germination, plus how to have a whole season of fresh salad greens by utilizing the cut and come back again harvesting method. The class and materials are free of charge. Please RSVP to azink@baysidecc.org if you plan to attend, so that enough supplies can be provided for each participant. Children are welcome!
Francis Parker Counselor Honored: One of our enthusiastic LV Update readers who is on the staff at Francis Parker School informed us that Julio Mata, Director of College Counseling at Parker, was recently elected president of the Western Association for College Admission Counseling (WACAC). He will serve in this important role for three years. WACAC is a professional organization that includes several thousand leaders in college admissions counseling across California and Nevada. The group supports counseling and enrollment professionals as they help students realize their full potential during the admissions process. You can read more about Mr. Mata and the WACAC by clicking here on this Parker News article: https://francisparkerschoolnews.com/2023/01/director-of-college-counseling-julio-mata-named-president-of-admissions-organization/
Councilmember Campillo and Laborers Union Team Up for Fifth Graders
This past Saturday morning, using funds provided by Laborers Union Local 89, District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo gave away gift bundles to the entire fifth grade class of Linda Vista Elementary School. Each bundle contained multiple gifts. Families lined up to receive their gifts before having the opportunity to enjoy the Alice in Winter Wonderland holiday celebration put on by the Linda Vista Recreation Center staff at the same time as the giveaway. The fifth-grade class at Linda Vista Elementary School is made up of more than sixty students.
Councilmember Campillo is a former fifth grade teacher himself who taught in one of the lowest-income school districts in the country in North Las Vegas, NV. Linda Vista Elementary School has a 61% rate of students eligible for the Federal free/reduced lunch program.
Councilmember Campillo described the giveaway as a “special event,” adding the “best thing being the smiles of the children.” He noted the coordination between his office, Union Local 89, the principal of Linda Vista Elementary, and the Park and Recreation Center staff was what made the event possible.
Prep Sports
Kearny High Boys Basketball Opens Season
This year’s edition of the Kearny High School Boy’s Varsity Basketball team is off to a fast start. The team sports a 6-3 record in non-league play, and based on this early season performance, the team is looking forward to being highly competitive against league opponents. League play begins after the holiday period.
The Kearny High basketball program experienced very successful years during the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons. Last year was a rebuilding year. However, after experiencing a 6-22 record during the 2023-2024 season, head coach James Cevallos has been pleased with what he has seen of this year’s team, explaining “We have a group of young guys that play hard,” adding that they “were very committed in the off-season and have years of playing basketball.” Coach Cevallos commented that the team’s ambitious goals for the year include winning the league championship and going on to win the CIF Division IV title.
He noted the following players for their standout play….“Sophomore Cameron Ackerman our returning MVP is having another great season averaging 20 points per game the last few games. Senior Caleb Fluhr is a force on offense attacking the basket and playing intense defense. Freshmen Kai Yamamura-Haith has brought us energy, defensive intensity and a high field goal percentage. And Freshmen Arthur Minton is a gifted 3 point shooter who has been helping us rebound and starting to advance his defensive play.”
Kearny played Fallbrook High earlier this week, and though they lost 82-71, the Komets gave everyone in attendance an exciting time. The team started off slowly falling immediately behind in the first quarter. They fought back in the second half to even the score late in the fourth quarter before eventually succumbing to the Warriors’ offense in the final minutes. Coach Cevallos gave a positive analysis of the team’s performance by saying “We played the number 2 team in Division III. Our kids played hard, but we still need to work on our defense and shooting.”
Caleb Fluer was the top scorer for Kearny in the Fallbrook game.
Kearny plays its next game tomorrow Friday December 20. They host Valley Center High with the game scheduled to begin at 5:30 pm. If you are a hoops fan, and you are looking for some exciting play, you may want to venture over to the Kearny gym and take in the action.
Bayside Resident Leadership Academy Grads Recognized
On Tuesday December 17, the Linda Vista Community Garden was the site of a ceremony marking the graduation of three local residents from the Bayside Community Center’s latest Resident Leadership Academy program. Three residents, including Maria Martinez, Cristina Green, and Blanca Beltran, completed the ten week course program. During the ten sessions, the class attendees learned how to help their community. The classes focused on topics like crime prevention, community leadership, safety, land use, public transportation assets, and healthy food systems. Residents learn skills and best practices to address the issues that most affect their communities, and they work alongside their neighbors to help improve the quality of life of where they live. The training is facilitated by Bayside Community Center staff members.
At the conclusion of their training, these three graduates identified two community projects they will continue to work on in the near future, including safety at Linda Vista Community Park, and educating local residents on being more responsible dog owners.
As explained by Bayside Community Center Executive Director Kim Heinle, this latest class of graduates was the 19th cohort to complete the RLA training program. Since its inception 13 years ago, there have now been 169 local residents who have graduated from the RLA.
Also in attendance at the ceremony was District 7 community representative Anthony Hackett from Councilmember Raul Campillo’s office. Hackett recognized the three graduates with special commendation certificates signed by Councilmember Campillo.
Winter Soon to Arrive in LV
LV Poetry Corner
The Winter Solstice on December 21 marks the official arrival of a new season; the astronomical event serves as the dividing line between fall and winter. This might be a big deal if you live in New England, where winter means several months of snow and ice and little sunshine, but here in Linda Vista it is sometimes hard to tell one season from another. You can experience a summer-like day anytime of the year. That’s one of the unique things about living in San Diego. Accordingly, we thought it would be appropriate to note our relaxed attitude about winter’s arrival in LV with a poem.
Winter Solstice in Linda Vista
Here we find the firm line of seasonal
demarcation, druids’ sunrise source
of observance, appearing to lack
any sense of enduring, light dispensing
rigidity. More like a softened
bar of butter, nearly melted down
by the warm December brightness.
Once having served to remind ancestors
of season’s change – turning point for day’s length
during dark chill – here we greet winter
solstice with a mild shrug of shoulders.
Here among the palm trees swayed by
sporadic visiting desert winds,
noting the sun’s transit is reduced to
an almanac artifact of Kansas
or Oklahoma frozen farmland,
departed from generations ago
in the pursuit of golden state dreams.
Here in Linda Vista, the year’s longest
night can likely be bookended by
abundant seventy degree sunshine,
radiating a bright Yule time aura.
Right here, in one neighborhood lot,
a set of monoliths sits aligned,
more or less, with rising sun’s mystical
path. Rest assured this alignment
is purely coincidental, giant
cement blocks abandoned, left over
from forgotten City construction plans.
Yes, earth’s axis still tilts. A crisp
arctic front will eventually dip down
the coastline. And cold rain expects to soon
bless us with its imprecise arrival.
For the moment, however, we enter
winter cycle unfazed, revealing
no hesitation, no expectations,
no dread of the dreary, icy
hours that await distant regions.
Here we approach this astronomical
event in laid back fashion, no more
concerned than the lissome acrobats
seen plying tricks in our skateboard park
on temperate January mornings.
LV Update Year End Reflection
As 2024 winds down and we express gratitude for all the good things that occurred over the past 12 months, we want to take this opportunity to thank all of our subscribers for taking the time to read the Linda Vista Update, for the positive notes of encouragement, and for offering us stories to write about that relate to the LV community.
Speaking of community, this newsletter is driven by a desire to help strengthen the bonds of our diverse community. We believe there is a stronger sense of community when we share ideas amongst each other, when we realize how much we have in common, when we take time to celebrate the good that occurs throughout our neighborhoods, and when we are motivated to reach out and help community members in need. We hope the past year’s issues of the Linda Vista Update have contributed in at least a small way to ensuring the above ideas and actions occur on a more frequent basis.
We appreciate readers taking the time to read our articles. We prefer to publish a variety of articles that are a little longer (and more substantive) than those found on many social media sites, and so we enjoy the fact that our readers don’t shy away from spending time on these longer pieces.
We look forward to continuing to write about Linda Vista and its neighboring communities in 2025, and in doing so we hope to keep you informed, interested, and entertained.
To all of our readers, we hope you have a great Holiday season, and again thanks for your support!
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The Linda Vista Update is a weekly digital newsletter that publishes informative, interesting and fun news about Linda Vista and its neighboring communities. We welcome ideas for stories. Let us know about any interesting people, places, or upcoming events.
PLEASE NOTE: We will be taking the next two weeks off to celebrate the holidays. Our next issue will be published on January 9, 2025.
Thank you for the positive comment. We appreciate it.
Steve Rodriguez
Thanks for writing this substack, I always enjoy reading it and appreciate the effort you put into it. Enjoy your holiday break, and I look forward to reading more from you next year!