That’s how professional snowboarder turned restaurateur Jordan Small, 31 years of age, described opening day of his first brick-and-mortar smashburger spot Small’s Smash Club in San Clemente. On the heels of successful concepts that got their starts as a homebound ideas during the pandemic, Small’s eatery began as a backyard operation in Huntington Beach by way of snowcapped mountaintops.

Growing up in Lake Forest, Small was all but born with a board strapped to his feet. “In my family, I have an older brother and older cousins who all skated. Everyone snowboarded or skated. That was kind of built into our family,” said Small. “Ever since I could walk, my dad was building us ramps in the garage”

With his early days a blur of skateboarding, rollerblading and surfing, he kicked around a soccer ball for a spell in high school, but it fell by the wayside in favor of the arguably cooler world of skating. “Coaches were not happy when I’d show up with broken arms from skating contests,” he laughed.

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Soon skateboarding led to its wintertime iteration as Small’s full time gig. “Skateboarding I could do every day, all the time, but snowboarding was so special. It was like, ‘All right, cool, we’re going to the mountains this weekend,’” he said. A chance encounter with the snowboard company Thirtytwo led to sponsorships and before he knew it, Small was living the dream as a pro snowboarder.

For roughly 15 years, Small carved out a living on the slopes. Unlike his peers, however, Small wasn’t stoked for competitions. His interests were in street snowboarding, where he would travel the globe filming videos. This creative approach he’d later bring to his next career jump.

In 2020, Small went from shredding powder to smoking meats and, eventually, smashing patties. Small was on a filming trip in Finland when the pandemic hit. Making his way back to the states on one of the last flights out of Finland shortly before everything shut down, he landed in Huntington Beach and, as fate would have it, a sponsorship with Traeger Grills. “They would send us free grills and free pellets,” he explained. With time on their hands and a trove of smokers, Small and his wife, Jordyn, started smoking meats.

“My wife said, ‘Let’s sell barbecue,’ so that’s how we started,” he said, which is how Small’s Barbecue was born, operating out of their backyard. He credits Heritage Barbecue in San Juan Capistrano and Heavy Handed in Los Angeles as inspirations. Posting a menu of their meaty fare on Instagram, Small’s budding operations proved a success during the early days of COVID, offering pulled pork, pork belly, burnt ends and chicken thighs. While he garnered a loyal following, the logistics of smoking and transporting meat for pop-ups proved exhausting. That’s when he pivoted to the smashburger realm.

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“One day, we just were like, ‘Let’s try a burger on our menu.’ And it crushed — everyone loved it,” he recalled. “So I thought, ‘You know what? I think this is a bit better. Let’s pivot to burgers.”

Small’s Smash Club, his namesake eatery along Camino De Los Mares, is Small’s ode to the humble smashburger, the burger format that has skyrocketed in popularity over the last few years — and with good reason. The format is simple yet exquisite; patties are pressed flat onto a griddle to create a thin patty with crispy, lacy edges, offering an easier (and tastier) hamburger.

“It’s just your simple smashburger: grilled onions, pickles and special sauce,” he said. But it’s the special sauce, he believes, is what separates a good smashburger from a great one. “Your sauce has to be really good,” he added, sharing only that the one at Small’s is mayo-based. As for the cheese? It is, of course, American cheese. “It’s a must for a burger,” said Small. Indeed. Cheddar splits and turns oily. Blue cheese turns nubby and tough. But American offers a distinct mouth feel in a burgher that seemingly highbrow fromages simply can’t provide.

He also sources his meat from Sterling Pacific Meat Company, an 80/20 chuck blend he selected after testing over 30 grinds. And the buns, as mandated by unwritten law, are plush Martin’s Potato Rolls, the go-to bun for aficionados.

In addition to said burgers, which run $9 for a single, $12 for a double and $15 for a triple, Small’s features beef tallow-fried french fries and onion rings for $4 and $6, respectively. Also on tap are a handful of local beers and natural wines.

The first-week success of Small’s Smash Club was a sweet surprise for a team that’s largely new to the restaurant world. “It’s been packed every day,” he said. “On Saturday at 10:30 we had a line waiting for us, and we opened at 11.” He credits part of their early success to his snowboarding following, which allows for choice cross-promotion. But in the end, it’s the burgers themselves that will keep people coming back.

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Located inside the site of a former TJ’s Woodfire Pizza, the space was a fortunate find. After a couple of years of hunting for the perfect spot, Small says he’s thrilled to be nestled away from the more congested downtown San Clemente strip. “We have parking, the bowling alley is coming, which is going to be massive for us,” he said. He says he also plans on hosting live music in the near future.

As for expansion? That’s the entrepreneurial dream, of course. “The big goal, our pipe dream is five locations in five years,” he revealed, saying he hopes to open venues along the coastal enclaves, as well as a Small’s Smash Club in his hometown of Lake Forest.

For now, however, the San Clemente location is where his focus remains; after all, with one young child and another one en route, familial access is now more important than ever to Small, who has lived in the seaside town for nearly five years. All the better to bring “good vibes, better burgers,” Small’s Smash Club’s mission statement, to South County.

Find it: 641 Camino de Los Mares, San Clemente

The latest contender to reinvent the all-American classic, District 36 in Fountain Valley, has hit the mark by seamlessly stitching traditional and not-so-common diner fare with Vietnamese influences.

Among its roster of inspired items — which include a breakfast burrito with Vietnamese sausage or candied bacon, and a “cha hash bowl” featuring lemongrass sausage, scrambled eggs and a sweet-salty fish sauce — the five-spice chicken fried “steak” stands out as a true star on a menu full of bangers.

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This diner staple swaps tenderized cube steak for a katsu-style breaded chicken cutlet seasoned with five-spice. While often associated with Cantonese cuisine in the U.S., the five-spice blend (known as ngũ vị hương in Vietnamese, typically composed of star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan pepper and fennel seed) is also a key ingredient in some Vietnamese dishes, like ga nuong (grilled chicken) and sườn kho ngũ vị hương (braised pork ribs).

The addition of five-spice does wonders to this typically laden dish, infusing it with a welcome warmth and suggestion of sweetness. The golden-brown cutlet is generously smothered in a homemade gravy, then anointed with tangles of house-pickled onions and microgreens.

Gilding the lily, District 36 boosts the dish with a side of crispy tater tots and two eggs (rice substitution is also available). While the meal was indeed a substantial one, it left just enough room for me to enjoy Mama’s crispy rolls, a delightfully shatteringly crisp concoction filled with pork, shrimp and mushrooms, and served with a light yet bright fish sauce (nước chấm) for dipping.

ALSO READ: How the fall of Saigon cultivated a culinary legacy in Orange County — and beyond

Tucked inside a Fountain Valley shopping center boating an array of Asian eateries, District 36 opened its doors in early May. Other notable dishes here include beef and chicken pho, a bun bowl, steak and eggs, pancakes with fruit compote, street grilled rice plate and Vietnamese coffee. Keep it on your radar for a place to get breakfast fare for lunch and dinner!

Also warranting a mention is the decor that nods to diner culture without ever careening into kitsch or parody. You’ll find plenty of vinyl-booth seating, diner-style chairs, teal-colored walls adorned with illustrations of pho and Lucky Strike cigarettes (a common ration for U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War) and white subway tile along the main room’s divider. A prop telephone in the back invites customers to listen to a riddle, the solving of which earns a discount. Instead of ketchup, sriracha bottles sit alongside tins of chopsticks and stainless steel napkin dispensers on every table. (Ketchup also available at request.) All of this, along with the aforementioned chicken dish, helps create a place that feels both deeply familiar and distinctly new.

Hours: Open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Find it: 18912 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley

There are five special dogs on the menu. The two I picked were the Angus Beef Chili Dog and the High Heat Dog.

The chili dog compares favorably with Wienerschitzel’s famous Original Chili Dog, but it’s a different experience. Shake Shack uses Vienna Beef dogs on a toasted potato bun. It slices the dogs down the middle and grills them.

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The chili seemed a little chunkier than Wienerschnitzel’s, and the dog came topped with a generous amount of crispy onions.

The High Heat Dog wasn’t five-alarm, but made the lemonade I got with it a wise purchase. It was loaded with chopped cherry peppers and topped with a creamy cheese sauce.

The other dogs on the menu include an Angus Beef Chili Cheese Dog, also featuring the cheese sauce, a Crispy Onion Cheese Dog and a Fried Pickle Dog.

While I was at Shake Shack, I got a limited-time Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Shake for an extra $9.99.

Each Shake Shack only serves 50 of them a day and when I placed the order at 11:35 a.m. I was told I was No. 49.

The shake is made with pistachio frozen custard blended with toasted kataifi shredded phyllo, topped with pistachio pieces and kataifi and served in a cup coated with chocolate. It wasn’t very thick and can be sipped, but it was served with a spoon that helped with the chocolate. The kataifi has a nice texture, kind of like Shredded Wheat.

Information: shakeshack.com

“We’re an authentic Tijuana taqueria. I grew up on both sides of the border and us Mexicans we’re obviously always eating tacos in Tijuana and I saw that gap here in Brea for that authentic taco, that mesquite-cooked carne asada,” said Ivan Flores, the founder and CEO of the small but growing taqueria chain, which will open in Brea by the first week of August.

Flores opened his first Tacomasa in Long Beach in 2021, followed by locations in El Segundo and Cypress. He’s also responsible for Blue Burro, a burrito taqueria, and the Buffalo Spot, which serves chicken wings, buffalo fries and shakes.

The new Tacomasa restaurant will sport an authentic taqueria style with tile floors and tile on the tables.

“You’re going to feel like you’re at a taqueria in Tijuana and that smell of the mesquite, the carne asada cooking is what’s going to bring you in,” he said.

At Tacomesa the tacos are authentic Tijuana-style dishes, which means they are cooked over mesquite and served in house-made tortillas and unless otherwise requested, they’re made “con todo,” which means with everything; onions, cilantro, guacamole and salsa.

Among the stars on his menu are the asada (steak) tacos.

“When it comes to tacos I’m a carne asada guy. A lot of places don’t use mesquite like in Tijuana which we use. And we have our own special guacamole that we use just for the asada and with our handmade tortillas every single bite is a special treat,” Flores said.

Also on the taco menu are nopal, tripe, adobada, chicken and tongue tacos. The menu also includes vampiros, which are a cross between a tostada and a quesadilla served on a crispy tortilla with melted cheese, plus the menu offers mulitas, made with two crispy tortillas sandwiching meat, cheese or other fillings. Tortas are also a popular items at Tacomasa and they’re made with mayonnaise, cheese, onion, cilantro, guacamole and salsa.

And of course Tacomasa has burritos and for those in Brea trying one for the first time at Tacomasa Flores recommends the adobada, a marinated pork burrito.

“We have the family recipe, it’s a lot of different spices and we marinate it for 48 hours. The marinade is what counts in the adobada,” he said. “Each bite takes you too heaven,” he added.

Tacomasa will open at 275 W Birch St., Brea. For more information go to tacomasa.com

“We were looking to expand and had a ton of requests online to come out to Rancho Santa Margarita, with people saying, ‘We need good pizza out here,’” said Julie Karges, marketing director of Sgt. Pepperoni. “It’s been a match made in heaven, honestly, from this warm and welcoming group of individuals and families in an isolated community who really care for each other.”

Located inside the site of a former Pizza Press, the fourth installment of the pizzeria will feature the same menu fans of the pizza parlor know and love, with more than a dozen pies from which to choose, like the Bronx Bomber (pepperoni, sausage, mushroom and jalapeño) or Grandma’s Pie (a square-shape pizza with mozzarella, marinara and basil); sandwiches, salads, kids pasta and desserts.

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Sgt. Pepperoni is also known for its pizza of the month, which, come August, will be Thai Chicken.

On the heels of the pizzeria’s newest space — and as joining its existing venues in Aliso Viejo, Irvine and Newport Beach — Sgt. Pepperoni plans on opening its fifth location later this year at John Wayne Airport.

In September, Sgt. Pepperoni’s will host its regular fundraiser for CHOC Children’s Hospital, with all proceeds from the pizza of the month and desserts directly benefitting the children’s hospital.

Established in Newport Beach in 1976, the pizza spot was purchased in 2013 by childhood pals Jeff Roberts, Andy Hong, Rob Dobman and Stan Frazier, a former Sugar Ray band member and drummer.

“All of us grew up around here and came here when we were kids, and now we’re bringing the legend back to its original glory,” Roberts told the Orange County Register in 2013.

Myers passed away July 1. He was 66.

According to a message posted to Brunos Italian Kitchen’s social media platforms: “To many, he was known as the “Mayor of Brea” — a nickname that spoke to his magnetic personality and deep connection to the community. He had an incredible way of making everyone feel seen. Whether it was your first visit or your hundredth, he greeted you with a giant smile and genuine warmth.”

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The message goes on to note, “He didn’t just build a restaurant — he built a community. And we are all better for having known him.”

Myers got his start in the food industry as a teenage busser at Casa Molina in Arizona (he also attended the University of Arizona, according to his LinkedIn profile), moving to Orange County in the early 1980s.

He had a lengthy career in hospitality management and ownership, including holding the title of president of seafood restaurants at Taps Fish House and Brewery in Brea and the Catch in Anaheim, as well as joint venture partner for Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine in Rancho Mirage, Dallas and Chicago.

In 2011, Myers held a fundraiser for a Cha Cha’s bartender who was undergoing treatment for breast cancer. He was named Restaurateur of the Year by the Orange County Business Journal in 2014.

No cause of death was provided by the family. Myers is survived by two children and leaves behind his wife, Ester Myers.

“Los Angeles, this city, has a lot of people passionate about food and they love to see creative food and that’s why we want to come here,” said April Li, the marketing director for Hi Bake.

Founded 12 years ago, the bakery has about 60 locations in China and is making the leap to America with a soft opening Thursday, July 17 in a 30-seat, 1,500-square-foot spot with a patio at 235 N. Canon Drive in Beverly Hills.

The first U.S. location will serve savory and sweet items including some of the Hi Bake’s best known dishes like the Tokyo Banana Roll Tiger Skin edition, which is a fluffy, banana-shaped sponge cake wrapped around a creamy banana custard. And don’t worry, there’s no tiger in it, but the outside of the sponge cake is made in a way that it resembles tiger stripes.

“These are really popular in China and Japan and I think they will be popular here too,” she said.

Other filling dishes will include a crispy sausage, a cheese croissant, a decadent molten chocolate lava croissant and a unique wagyu beef croissant.

“It’s a delicious croissant just filled with the wagyu beef,” she said.

There will be more traditional bakery items like strawberry, chocolate, pistachio, and French custard tarts, bagels, cakes, and a rotating menu of house-made drinks and ice cream. The menu focuses on pets too with a line of treats designed specifically for pets. Plans call for more restaurants in the future at yet to be determined U.S. locations.

Hi Bake soft opens Thursday, July 17 at 235 N Canon Drive, Beverly Hills. For more information go to hibakebakery.com.

The restaurant, which is joining the busy Home Depot-anchored Plaza de la Paz shopping center, is going big, offering free lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The menu features traditional Greek fare, including pitas, entrees, salads and sides and desserts.

The restaurant was founded in 2014 by cousins Big Nick, Little Nick and Baby Nick. In addition to California, it has locations in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Kansas, Texas and Missouri. The Laguna Niguel eatery is the brand’s sixth in Orange County.

Address: 27221 La Paz Road, Suite E.

Burlington opens in Garden Grove

The bargain retailer Burlington Stores is opening July 25 in Garden Grove.

The store takes the place of a shuttered Party City at 9661 Chapman Ave.

Burlington touts prices up to 60% off other retailers’ prices on brand name merchandise, which includes clothing, housewares, accessories, shoes and more.

The new addition in Garden Grove brings the store count in California to 114.

Medical facility opens in San Clemente

Providence Mission Hospital recently opened a multispecialty medical facility in San Clemente.

The 12,000-square-foot facility, which provides primary, specialty and urgent care services provided by partner Mission Heritage Medical Group, is just off the 5 freeway near the Outlets at San Clemente.

The center offers a multispecialty clinic, an imaging center and walk-in urgent care services staffed by Providence Mission Heritage physician partners.

Address: 395 W. Avenida Vista Hermosa.

Urgent care is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Phone: 949-304-2116.

Honda Center hiring

The entertainment hub within the Honda Center is hiring a host of positions in food and beverage categories and operations.

Open positions include cooks, attendants, hosts and server assistants with wages between $19 and $22 hourly. Other jobs in janitor, parking and public safety departments also are available with hourly wages between $21 and $25 dollars.

For more information on the jobs and others not listed, go to ocvibe.com/jobs. Applicants also can email a resume and cover letter to jobs@ocvibe.com

New hotel near Joshua Tree

Reset Hotel opens July 21 in Twentynine Palms, not far from the north entrance of Joshua Tree National Park.

The hotel, which sits on 180 acres, was built using modular building methods in order to reduce its impact on the environment with a shorter construction phase.

Features include 65 guest rooms, each with patios and stove fire pits; a clubhouse with co-working space, café, retail and a communal fire pit; a bistro offering seasonal fare; a 1,000-square-foot salt water pool and jacuzzi; saunas, cold plunges, yoga and other desert-inspired programming.

Room rates, according to a search Friday, run from $175 nightly up to $457 (high seasons and holidays), depending on the days booked.

The hotel was co-founded by HP Investors in San Diego-based, entrepreneur Adam Wininger, and designer Benjamin Uyeda.

Address: 7000 Split Rock Ave., Twentynine Palms. To see more, go to stayreset.com

On the move

Rich Gripp at California Faucets was recently promoted to vice president of Accounting and Finance at the Huntington Beach company. He joined the company in early 2023 from Newlight Technologies, starting as director of Finance. Gripp also was director of Finance at Newlight, and before that, American Woodmark/RSI Corp.

Dr. Gary E. Deng, a specialist in integrative medicine, is the new director of the Integrative Oncology Program at the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. The new center operates in partnership with the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute. Deng, who spent nearly two decades at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, said his goal at UCI Health is to help patients achieve “the best outcomes by improving their mental, physical and spiritual well-being in their fight against cancer.”

Attorney Shayne Wulterin recently joined the law firm Kahana Field in Irvine as a partner in the General Liability and Construction Defect practice groups. His move to Kahana also brought to the firm a team of 14 other attorneys and paralegals from Ford, Walker, Haggerty & Behar. His specialty is general liability cases involving catastrophic loss, professional liability, premises liability, malpractice and negligence.

Brian Schaefgen is the new chief financial officer at the Orange County Community Foundation. Previously, he was CFO at Bellingham Marine, Bellwether Financial Group and 5 Bars. Schaefgen has also served as a board member, treasurer and committee member fornonprofit organizations including ForKids, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and Families Forward.

Coming up

Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire will host their fifth annual Pickleball for Wishes tournament from 2-7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 at the Tennis and Pickleball Club at Newport Beach. Proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish program, which grants wishes forchildren suffering from critical illnesses. For more information and to register, go to PickleballForWishes.org.

Good works

Team members at SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union participated on June 11 in an annual Development Education (DE) Day of Service, volunteering at Second Harvest Food Bank’s Harvest Solutions Farm in Irvine. They and other volunteer groups from the region harvested 6,000 pounds of fresh produce, which was delivered throughout the county to college food pantries, senior centers, homeless shelters and other community groups.

Milestones

Cassi Hallam, the chief marketing officer at System Pavers in Santa Ana was honored recently with the Green Industry Pros, Women in the Industry “Unsung Hero” award for 2025. Hallam earned the distinction because of her “significant contributions” at the company, where she leads a team of more than 100 associates in brand, digital, field marketing and contact center operations. She joined the firm in 2019.

Status Update is compiled and written by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items and high-resolution photos to sgowen@scng.com. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.

Red Lobster, in collaboration with Chain, has teamed up to offer a unique horror-themed food experience with its “Dread Lobster” food truck to promote the new “I Know What You Did Last Summer” sequel.

The murderous hook-wielding fisherman returns for revenge after the events of the 1997 and 1998 films and is on the hunt for his latest victims.

Horror fans and foodies alike can expect to receive their horror meal in a fully themed happy meal-style box.

Call-backs to the original films include the beauty pageant featured in the first film, the Croaker Queen, and the town of Southport-themed crime scene soda.

Dread Lobster patrons can sink their teeth into the Fisherman’s Catch Cheddar-Baked Lobster roll topped with Red Lobster’s iconic cheddar bay biscuit crumbles, a bag of Croker Queen Old Bay seasoned Potato Chips, and sip on a Crime Lime passion fruit and lime soda.

The truck has already made several appearances over the last few days, with its most recent at the Chain House in Hollywood, but you have one last chance to catch the truck before it and its seafaring meal return to sea.

The truck will be at the Silver Lake Farmers Market, located at Silver Lake Junction, on Saturday, July 12, at 11 a.m. Although RSVP tickets have already sold out, a standby line will be available for those who are lucky enough to secure a box, according to a representative from Chain.

Will you venture in search of the truck and be the next to receive the message, “I know what you ate last summer…”?

Christened Peace Pizza, this weekly event fires up in the farm’s outdoor oven every Wednesday. The pizzas feature a naturally fermented sourdough crust, with sundry toppings that are plucked fresh from the farm’s soil just a few feet away, ensuring maximum seasonal flavor.

ALSO READ: Chicago deli that inspired ‘The Bear’ will serve its famous sandwich in LA

Beyond the pizzas, guests can also enjoy bowls of greens, some sweet treats and a selection of wine and beer, all accompanied by live music. Kids are, as always, welcome, making it the ideal mid-week outing for the entire family.

Since the summertime pizza series has become so popular, reservations via Resy are encouraged. Peace Pizza happens every Wednesday throughout the summer from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m.

In related Ecology Center news, the San Juan Capistrano farm will also host a rhythm and roots dance party on July 27 called Electric on the Farm. The Jerry Garcia Band–inspired gathering will feature a roster of live bands playing “for the free spirits, the open-hearted wanderers, the ones who know how to follow the sun and dance into the dusk,” according to the Ecology Center.

Find it: The Ecology Center, 32701 Alipaz St., San Juan Capistrano, 949-443 4223