Welcome to the third edition of South OC Good Eats!
The food scene in South Orange County continues to flourish as one of the finest destinations in Southern California, and we are proud to celebrate some of the latest highlights in the neighborhood. Some of these places are spots you’re very familiar with and have marquee appeal, while others are just starting their culinary journey and deserve to be showcased as well.
For this issue, we shine a spotlight on some of the interactive cooking classes available in the area, providing residents and visitors the chance to learn or improve their cooking skills. Two o erings, one in San Clemente and the other in San Juan Capistrano, are hoping those interested will join them in bringing out the joy in cooking.
We are also excited to feature San Clemente’s Gibroni’s Pizza, who are just shy of celebrating their one year anniversary and hitting their stride in the evolution of their Detroit-style pizza operation, which began out of a garage in the summer of 2020 before growing into a local institution.
We hope this section opens your eyes and fills your stomach with the best food that South Orange County has to o er. Dig in!
Interactive Cooking Classes Offer an Array of Options
By Kaila Mellos
Businesses throughout the county o er residents and visitors the chance to learn or improve their cooking skills. Two o erings, one in San Clemente and the other in San Juan Capistrano, are hoping those interested will join them in a journey to make food fun.
Cooking with Ben — San Clemente
In San Clemente, Ben Mastracco works as a freelance chef, catering to multiple breweries, wineries and private clients throughout San Diego and Orange County. He learned about food from his mom, a professional recipe developer and food stylist. After earning a degree in nutrition and food science in 2011, he started his career as a culinary scientist at a large processed food company in San Francisco.
There, he saw firsthand how processed food can be, making him rethink his approach to eating and cooking.
After years of studying various ingredients, learning about food from seed to harvest, and spending time in factories observing products being manufactured on a mass scale, he decided to leave the corporate world behind and dedicate his life to real, fresh and wholesome food.
“ I got a degree in nutrition and food science, and then worked as a food scientist in the processed food industry,” Mastracco said. “It was very interesting, but eventually, I realized I didn’t love it, and it clashed with my nutrition background and all the weird processed foods. I always liked teaching, and I started with the launch of some classes.”
Recently, Mastracco hosted a pad Thai cooking class at Judge Brewery in San
Tspoons’ classes also include the creation of tasty desserts. (Tspoons/Submitted)
Clemente. His classes in San Clemente have been a partnership with the brewery for just over eight months, and he hopes to continue growing not only there but also in nearby locations.
“ Most of my venues I teach at once a month, which is how I set it up. I’ve taught at Judge Brewery in San Clemente for eight
With such a wide array of cuisines, their classes have a huge demand. (Tspoons/Submitted)
or nine months. Every month, we’ve had a class there, and I have no plans to discontinue anytime soon.”
Mastracco said those classes typically have around five or six people looking to learn a di erent type of cuisine. On his calendar of cooking classes, he has included the Pad Thai class, a pasta-making class with homemade marinara and pesto, gnoc-
In San Juan Capistrano, Tspoons has provided a wide range of weekly courses since 2012. (Tspoons/ Submitted)
chi alla vodka and handmade sushi.
His mission statement in all his classes, which he likes to mention at the beginning of each session, has been “food should be fun,” and he does everything he can to bring the community joy through that.
“ I am a big believer, and I mention it usually at the top of every class, is just that the goal in these classes is really to have fun, and I’ve always been a big believer that that won’t happen in a stu y, teaching atmosphere. I try to just keep it light and fun, and I think you’re just going to learn more. I always wanna try to associate cooking with something fun,” Mastracco said.
“I know for many people, cooking is challenging, a chore, or even work; it’s not something that they look forward to. Doing them at the wineries, breweries, and in these casual environments helps to just tee it up for everybody and help them walk away from these experiences thinking that was fun, and if nothing else, creating a bit more of a positive association with cooking, instead of looking at it as purely something that they have to do to survive.”
Mastracco releases his monthly calendar of events at the end of the month. He also offers private corporate events, meal prepping services, and private chef dining experiences. For more information about Mastracco
and his classes, visit benmastracco.com.
Tspoons Cooking Classes — San Juan Capistrano
In San Juan Capistrano, Tspoons has provided a wide range of weekly courses since 2012. The chefs there specialize in handson cooking classes, customized cooking parties, and team-building opportunities. At Tspoons, guests apply essential skills and techniques taught in class while receiving hands-on instruction from our chef instructors. Various daily cooking classes, featuring guest chefs, technique classes, and skills workshops, are available for adults, teens, and children.
“ We teach all di erent types of classes, Italian, French, we have Brazilian, we have every cuisine you can think of,” said Michaelin McCall, manager at Tspoons. “We try to do all di erent types of things and also like to work with other people in the communities. For example, we work with the Ecology Center to do a farm-to-table. We just want a community feeling here and for people to have a great experience and leave with unforgettable memories.”
With such a wide array of cuisines, their classes have a huge demand. Their most popular courses include Italian class and Jap-
anese specialties, such as ramen and sushi.
“ Our Italian pasta-making classes are probably one of the most popular ones we do. Our sushi and ramen class has also been extremely popular,” McCall said. “Pretty much every class we have is nearly sold out. We have our calendar of classes that guests can look at to find something they are interested in.”
With the wide range of classes available, no specific skill level is required to participate. They aim to teach guests everything they need to know within the standard threehour classes, concluding with a family-style meal featuring the dishes prepared by the guests.
“ Guests do not have to have any skills at all to come in and do a class with us. The classes run for three hours, and people come in and cook for probably two hours and 15 minutes. We then sit them down with their appetizer and then the chef’s plate, and serve them at a family-style table with all the food they’ve prepared throughout the night,” McCall said. “They have a really nice social evening with candles, and it’s a great atmosphere for people to bring friends and meet new people. Our little motto is cook together, stay together.”
For more information on Tspoons, visit tspoons.com.
With the wide range of classes available, no specific skill level is required to participate. (Tspoons/Submitted)
A Slice of Detroit, a Heart for San Clemente
By Angélica Escobar
ust shy of its one-year anniversary, the team at Gibroni’s Pizza in San Clemente is hitting its stride and then some. What began as a Detroit-style pizza operation run out of a garage in the summer of 2020 has evolved into a full-fledged local institution. Now, Gibroni’s is pairing its crispy, cheesy 8-inch by 10-inch square pies with a mission that blends culinary creativity with community engagement.
In March, co-owners Tony and Lindsey Gioutsos kicked off a monthly collaboration series with breweries across Orange County and San Diego. Each event features a special pizza and custom-brewed beer created in partnership with a featured brewery. The goal? Not just to serve up bold flavors, but to support local charities with every slice and pint.
Last month’s event featured Oceanbrook Farms, with fresh limes and avocados straight from the farm woven into an El Pastor pizza timed for Cinco de Mayo. This month, Gibroni’s is teaming up with Los Molinos Beer Company, recent winners of “Best
Beer” in town, to launch a Vietnamese-inspired pizza — nicknamed the “Banh Di” — inspired by Los Molinos’ signature bánh mì sandwich.
On June 2, they’ll celebrate the collaboration with a school’s out bash. Families from the local Boys & Girls Club, located nearby, are invited to enjoy face painting, balloons, music, and plenty of pizza. A portion of the day’s proceeds will be donated directly to the nonprofit, and for the remainder of the month, $1 from each specialty pizza and beer sold will benefit the organization.
“It’s not just about great pizza or beer — it’s about doing something positive for the town that’s become our family,” said Lindsey. “We’ve been here for 10 years, and now that our kids are growing up in San Clemente, we want to be part of building the kind of community we’re proud of.”
Each participating brewery also selects a beneficiary nonprofit. Gibroni’s founder Tony, a Detroit native, works directly with the brewers to create new beers for each occasion. For the upcoming Los Molinos collab, they’ve crafted a strong pale ale infused
with Citra and Mosaic hops — yielding a citrus-forward profile perfect for warm summer evenings.
“It’s a style Jon Eckelberger (head brewer) and I both love — bright, floral, social,” Tony said. “It’s fun to make something with your buddies that people can enjoy together.”
The monthly events at Gibroni’s aren’t the only way they’re investing in the local scene. Tony recently served as a guest judge for San Clemente High School’s “Battle of the Bands,” and the shop hosted the winning bands for a free performance for friends and family. It’s all part of a growing effort to support youth, arts, and community programs through food and festivities.
The energy behind it all is rooted in the restaurant’s origin story. Tony and Lindsey launched Gibroni’s with nothing more than a few steel pans, a passion for Detroit-style pizza, and a loyal neighborhood following. Their first customers came to their driveway pop-ups, sometimes waiting months for a spot. That hustle now lives on in every panbaked square of dough, layered edge-to-
edge with caramelized cheese and topped — Detroit-style — with sauce.
“Detroit pizza’s normal to me,” Tony said with a laugh. “But it’s still hard to find out here. And when you do, it’s usually someone trying to ride the trend. They’re not from Detroit — they don’t know how to make it like I do.”
There’s more to Gibroni’s than pizza. Michiganders can purchase Great Lakes State favorites like Faygo pop, Mackinac Island fudge, Better Made chips, Vernor’s and Superman ice cream.
Now with monthly beer collabs, fresh dough made daily and a focus on supporting San Clemente families, Gibroni’s is serving up more than pizza — it’s building a community, one square slice at a time.
Gibroni’s Pizza is located on the San Clemente trolley line — at 555 N. El Camino Real — which makes it easy to bounce between partner breweries, such as Los Molinos, for the whole pizza-and-pint pairing experience. For updates on upcoming collaborations and events, follow @gibronispizza on Instagram.
From left, Lindsey Gioutsos, Tony Gioutsos, Roman Krecu and Jon Eckelberger toast to community, collaboration and craft. The Gibroni’s Pizza and Los Molinos Beer Company teams are gearing up for their June 2 event, featuring a Vietnamese-inspired pizza, a custom-brewed pale ale and a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of the South Coast Area. (Angélica Escobar/Submitted)