The Fast Foodie

Some weeks ago in this column, the Foodie praised the independent eateries that, decades ago, made fast food what it is today.

Everywhere you eat had to start somewhere, and Ground Zero must have wowed its customers with amazing atmosphere, a marvelous menu and superior savories, sweets and service.

But while franchising opportunities might have appeared to them sometime in the past, other outlets choose to stay small and local, never opening more than one or a handful of eateries. They’re often run by people with true passion for serving great food at a fair price, and sharing it every day with appreciative patrons.

Harry’s Place at 7181 West Garden Grove Blvd. in Garden Grove is an example. Placed at the corner of Knott/Goldenwest and Garden Grove Boulevard, I don’t know when it first opened but the homey décor gives me a late-70s/early-80s vibe, and the menu reflects that era as well. Burgers, breakfasts, sandwiches, salads, “South of the Border” specialties, it’s all there.

The first thing that hits you when you walk into Harry’s — they have no drive-thru — is the smell of their steaming hot grill, right behind the register. I can’t remember ever experiencing that anywhere before, and it promptly announces to you, “fresh, hot and tasty.”

Happy to say, the food backs up your expectations. If I had to explain Harry’s approach in one word, it would be: straightforward. The breakfast items like eggs, pancakes, sausage and bacon are classic American. The burger was an intriguing mix of the flavor of In-N-Out’s burgers, with the charbroiled character of a Carl’s Jr sandwich.

Then there was the steak sandwich. Again, straightforward is the best way I can describe it. It’s an actual charbroiled steak, just above a quarter-inch thick, on a toasted French roll with lettuce, tomato and mayo. That’s it, that’s all, and it was quite satiating. I ended up taking home half of it for late-night leftover snacking.

Another thing that struck me about Harry’s is their menu variety. I’ve only been able to sample three of their options, but they feature a fortune of foodstuffs. We’ll have more on Harry’s Place in future installments of The Fast Foodie.

Back to the behemoths.

The Stanton area was blessed with a location of legendary fried chicken fingers franchise Raising Cane’s about a month ago, at 12775 Beach Blvd.

Like every other Cane’s I’ve visited, the lines are long but service is super-efficient, the menu is simple and short (just variations of their fingers, fries, coleslaw and drinks), and the chicken is probably the most juicy and tender of any franchise in the U.S.

But their secret weapon is the Texas Toast, so crisp, soft and gingerly seasoned with garlic. Yum!

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and please send your feedback to fastfoodieWHJ@gmail.com!

This Thanksgiving was the 23rd year that owner Andreas Psaras, fourth from left in the photo, and his crew have helped the hungry and less fortunate.

But it couldn’t be done without community support. Dozens stepped up to donate turkeys, money and time to the effort.

They are: Food 4 Less; Super King Markets; Golden State Water Company’s Kaven Motadi, Deven Sisodia and Ken Vecchiarelli; Nena De la Torre with Golden Touch Auto Body and Towing; Tammy Burris with LKQ-Pick Your Part; Paul Sahagun, with La Lampara with Mobil Homes; George Lazaruk with CR&R; Emily Grant with SoCalGas; Tom Carpenter with Frontier Real Estate Investments; Adam Othman with USS Cal Builders; Elvin Campbell, Stanton Boys & Girls Club director and representing the Stanton Lions Club; Barb Karch, with Adventure City; Vincent Petronio with Magic Lamp M.H.P.; Jerry Ristrom, with the Stanton Lions Club; CARE Ambulance Field Training Officer and EMT Jacquelynn Bonom and Samara Monroy; Damian Valdez, with Super King Markets; Stanton City Councilwoman Alyce Van; Stanton Mayor David John Shawver (coordinator of the event); Kristy Morehead with CR&R; CARE Operations Manager Daniel Ko; and Gary Balikjian with City Collision.

Local dignitaries, as well as Stanton locals, attended.

It was a an event to celebrate veterans but also mourn the passing of Stanton-ite Ed Royce, a World War II veteran who died on Oct. 16 at the age of 94.

Royce served as a PFC in the United States Army as a forward-advance observer. He was a leader of the Resistance Movement in France who kept communication with allied troops, enabling the military to combat the enemy.

He’s shown here at a 2017 Veterans Day ceremony.

Pictured, Ricky Bethell, far left, casts his ballot on measures A and B at the Stanton Community Services Center. shown with him, from left, are Voting Inspector Cecilia Quiroz and Clerk Thuy Lan Nguyen.

Measure A (the pot tax) passed by a 67 percent to 33 percent difference.

Measure B passed with 64 percent of the vote, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters. About 3,000 citizens voted in the election.

The final touches are being put on the $32 million Village Center development at Beach Boulevard and Garden Grove  Boulevard.

The development features an In-N-Out burger, Panda Express, Planet Fitness, Chase Bank and much more.

In-N-Out and Planet Fitness, among others, are open. Developers expect everything to be up and running by February 2020.

“I think this is going to bring a breath of fresh air to the area,” said Stanton Mayor David Shawver. “I think our community deserves what we’re getting there.”

Shawver added that the center could bring in “several million dollars” to city coffers on a yearly basis.

The project has been a long time coming.

For years, the area has been vacant. Now, businesses will benefit from approximately 100,000 cars a day passing by.

Historically, Stanton has been known as the gateway to vacationland. Beach is dotted with 1960s and 70s hotels and motels that gave vacationers close proximity to Disneyland and the beach.

In-N-Out is probably the most talked-about locale in the center.

“In California, you haven’t made it as a city until you get an In-N-Out burger,” Shawver joked.

The center will also feature a dental service and an AT & T store, among others.

And it won’t just be a boon to Stanton.

The area serves as a gateway to Garden Grove. A vacant lot often occupied by vagrants hasn’t served as a favorable first impression for commuters making turning onto Garden Grove Boulevard or heading for Westminster. That’s changed.

Jessica Cedillo, 19, came to America from Mexico shortly after she turned 6-years-old.

Just one month later, she began attending elementary school; not speaking one word of English.

“I cried; school was so difficult because of the language barrier,” she said. “I used to tell my mom that I didn’t need to learn English and that I just wanted to go back to Mexico.”

Jessica shared that when she joined the Boys & Girls Club of Stanton in 2006, she met a great staff member, Joanna, who helped her with her homework.

“I gave Joanna a hard-time, knowing she didn’t speak much Spanish, but she never gave up on me and she taught me to speak English.”

Some six-to-seven months later, Jessica was fluent in English and her grades, as well as social skills, with her classmates improved. After mastering English, she remembers being able to help younger children with their homework at the Club; continuing on with her own Club membership, at the age of 11, she also became a volunteer at the Club.

Board President Brian Donahue said he noticed Jessica helping other Club members with their homework as well as with their English language skills and learned of her background, coming from Mexico and not speaking any English and then going on to help other children at the Club in any way she could.

“She grew to be a responsible teenager and was awarded ’Youth of the Year’ twice; we’re very proud of Jessica,” said Donahue.

“The Boys & Girls Club of Stanton has given me so much support within other areas of my life, that I was able to start volunteering at the City of Stanton, where I now work as a Recreation Leader,” she continued. “I truly believe that my passion for community and public service stems from receiving so much support from the Boys & Girls Club, that I want to pay it forward and help my community just like the Club helped me.”

In 2015, Jessica was selected as the Club’s “Youth of the Year” and she also went on to be selected as “Youth of the Year once again in 2018 and also received the “Community Builder Award” through the “Interfaith Council for Stanton, Garden Grove, and Westminster.”

“Jessica has been such a great example of what the Club does; she received our highest award, “Youth of the Year” twice,” said Executive Director Elwin Campbell. “She is the only two-time recipient of that award in our 50-year history.”

Jessica said in high school, the Club was always there throughout everyone of her accomplishments. “In 2017, Joanna helped me develop a resume to apply to Girls State as a Delegate, which is a leadership program designed to increase awareness and knowledge of governmental processes, while teaching young women about the duties, privileges, rights and responsibilities of citizenship.”

She said having the Club’s help to get accepted to the leadership program,  “Meant so much

because despite not being a U.S. Citizen, I’ve always been proud of my community. The

Club was also there as I became my school’s Student Body Secretary in 2017, as well

as navigating the pressures of applying for college as a first-generation college student and becoming one of the ‘Mariners of The Month’ at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove.”

Jessica talked about how the Club’s staff cheered her on through college rejections and acceptances.

“I want to continue helping others through community advocacy, either in local government or as a high school Spanish teacher. With the support I received from the Boys & Girls Club, I’m able to motivate my younger siblings, ages 12 and 13, to also get involved in volunteer opportunities  in Stanton.

Jessica also took part in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Explorer Program and was advanced to an Explorer Sergeant. She’s a graduate of the Garden Grove Unified School District on the Honor Roll and Principal’s Honor Roll at Pacifica High School.

“Jessica is one of the most remarkable teens I have had the pleasure of working with in my 12-years at the Boys & Girls Club of Stanton,” said Unit Director Joanna Succar. “She’s an inspiration to all, and her potential is limitless; her love for service and community activism is an integral part of who she is. She’s a great leader who truly embodies all of the values that our Clubs work so hard to instill in our youth.”

“Jessica is such a hard-working, dedicated, active and always pleasant volunteer and a natural-born leader,” said Former Stanton Mayor Al Ethans. “We’re very fortunate to have her in our city.”

From an unsure beginning in America, Jessica not only works for the City of  Stanton as a Recreation Leader but is now beginning her second year at Irvine Valley College, where she’s working toward an Associate Degree in Spanish and, Social and Behavioral Sciences, which she will achieve in May of 2020.

What’s next for Jessica? This Fall, she plans to apply for a transfer for the next school year to pursue her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish.

For Boys & Girls Club information, call 714-891-0740.

Almost a week after Stanton was blamed for a large sewage spill that resulted in the closure of Huntington Harbor and waters around Anaheim Bay, Sunset Aquatic Marina, Portofino Cove, Anderson Street Marina and Mother’s Beach, Orange County locals are still confused.

They shouldn’t be.

Those waters were never contaminated.

The sewage spill at Dale and Monroe Avenue in Stanton never made it past Katella Avenue.

“The sewage never left Stanton,” said Mayor David Shawver. “The bottom line is we stopped the flow.”

Orange County Health Care Agency officials reopened the beaches, acknowledged that the spill, in fact, never left Stanton, and stated that they were merely taking precautionary measures.

“Precautionary” might be an understatement.

The sewage spill, which occurred at about 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 28 owing to a blocked sewer main,  flowed down Monroe and went into an open channel, heading south. The flow, estimated to be tens of thousands of gallons, traveled about 400 yards down the channel and  petered out about 20 miles from any ocean water.

“The next morning we were out pumping it. We cleaned it all out,” Shawver said.

Meanwhile, county health officials had closed beaches.

They reopened them on Friday, Aug. 30 after results of water quality tests conducted in the Huntington Harbour showed the water was not contaminated.

“I am grateful for the hard work of the agencies involved, and happy that Huntington Harbor waters will be open for Labor Day weekend,” Michelle Steel, vice chairwoman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, said in a statement. “The closure yesterday was a precautionary measure, but testing has shown the waters were not contaminated.”

Locals flocked to beaches and waterfronts over a blistering Labor Day weekend, during which temperatures were in the 90s.

The spill did not affect water for home-use in Stanton, nor did it damage any infrasture along Dale and Monroe.

Proceeds from sales at this stand will go to “Santa’s Siren,” which helps less fortunate children and families at Christmas-time.

At right is Bud Heitman. who is working on the booth.

Fireworks can be purchased July 1-4 and can be set off from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Independence Day.

The event is organized by the GGUSD Adapted Physical Education Department and the Special Olympics of Southern California.

When the district’s 700 student athletes arrived at the stadium, they were greeted with cheers from high school student leaders. Hundreds of leaders from the district’s eight high schools volunteer to run Special Games events, including relays, softball toss, soccer kick and basketball.

“Special Games brings out the best in our students and showcases the supportive and caring culture our district provides for students of all abilities,” said Lan Nguyen, board of education president.

The games kicked off with a torch run, shown in the photograph.

The event featured cars, a kids area with games, crafts and more.

Food trucks were available, offering lunch options. Pictured here are classic cars.