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PREVIOUS SPREAD: GINA CHAMPIONCAIN TAKES IN THE SPECTACULAR CITY, BAY AND OCEAN VIEWS FROM HER GLASS-ENCLOSED BACK PATIO. THIS PAGE: CHAMPION-CAIN’S CHEERY, TRELLIS-COVERED FRONT YARD; ENZO, ONE OF HER TWO GOLDEN RETRIEVERS, “ON DUTY” AT THE FRONT DOOR. OPPOSITE (CLOCKWISE): MASTER BATH AND SOAKING TUB; FIREPLACE LOOKING OUT TO BACK PATIO; CHEF’S KITCHEN; FOYEUR LEADING INTO GREAT ROOM.
ICTURE THE BUSIEST, most driven, hardestworking person you know, and then multiply that person’s energy level and productivity by 10, and you’ve got a peek into the life of Gina Champion-Cain. If you know her at all, you likely suspect that she never sleeps. I certainly suspected as much, so I needed to see for myself where she rests her head at night. “I’ve been like this my whole life,” she says of her minimal need for sleep, which totals maybe four hours nightly. “But I get a good four hours,” she insists. “I used to get around three.” But don’t feel sorry for Champion-Cain. She’s one of those rare individuals whose zest for life and passion for work is so strong and infectiously genuine that she simply has no time to waste. “I love what I do so much that it’s not work. It’s who I am.” A longtime real estate developer, investor and one of the most successful entrepreneurs in San Diego, Champion-Cain is a bona fide powerhouse, whose thriving businesses embrace the best of all the city is and offers. She’s the CEO of American National Investments (ANI)—a real estate, restaurant, retail and hospitality empire that employs 750. Its brainchild—lifestyle brand The Patio Group—is the umbrella company for a range of local outfits. Restaurants include The Patio on Lamont in Pacific Beach, The Patio on Goldfinch in Mission Hills, Fireside by The Patio at Liberty Station, Saska’s Steak & Seafood in Mission Beach, Surf Rider Pizza Café in Ocean Beach, and Swell Coffee Co. in Mission Beach and Del Mar. The ANI portfolio also includes Luv Surf Vacation Homes, offering a dozen pet-friendly rental properties in Mission Beach, Mission Bay and Palm Desert; the Luv Surf Apparel beachwear line; The Surf Life retail shop in Pacific Beach; Luxury Farms specialty shops stocking gourmet pantry items and home wares in Coronado and Mission Hills; and local chocolatier Andrea’s Truffles. In the works: seven new restaurants, all of which are slated to open within the next year; a 25-unit residential/retail complex overlooking San Diego Bay in Bankers Hill; and a new juice concept. And that’s just scratching the surface of this ambitious businesswoman’s many dynamic endeavors. Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Mich., Champion-Cain booked a one-way ticket to San Diego in 1987. Once she landed, she was instantly smitten by the landscape and opportunities. “I said, ‘I’m never leaving.’ Living here is expensive, and it takes hard work to be successful. But I love that you really can be anyone and make it in this town. It doesn’t matter where you’re from.”
Champion-Cain’s north Mission Hills abode is both a reflection of her love of entertaining and of nesting. The 2,600-square-foot, three-bedroom Mission-style Craftsman house features soaring wood ceilings, a chef’s kitchen (she loves to cook) and a sprawling back patio— complete with multiple lounge areas, a fire pit, dining tables and unobstructed, panoramic views of Mission Bay, SeaWorld, San Diego Bay, Lindbergh Field, the downtown skyline, Point Loma and open ocean beyond. She shares the home with her husband Steve and three furry “children.” Her two, 100-pound golden retrievers will steal your heart; there’s flirtatious charmer Enzo, 2, and shy but sweet Rocky, 4. And Jake the cat is 22 and fabulous. The property’s enclosed front yard is sprinkled with gardens and foliage tended to by Champion-Cain herself, with a dog run that leads out to the back patio. Her love of art is evident at every turn in the house, with paintings and sculptures collected both locally and from her travels. Some pieces were still wrapped in plastic when I visited—recent scores from Little Italy’s annual ArtWalk, which supports local artists. A generous dining table just off the great room beckons with a “the more the merrier” vibe. Her home office is decorated with seemingly dozens of framed photos of loved ones and a flat-screen T.V., so the self-confessed sports fanatic can catch her games while working. The master bedroom does in fact contain a well-pillowed bed that promises restful sleep. The home’s overarching ambiance is one of low-key luxury—a comfy, cozy, welcoming respite—much like Champion-Cain’s restaurants. A typical day in her life starts at 4:30 a.m. with what she calls “Gina time.” This means coffee, gardening and taking the dogs to the park or beach for exercise. (Mission Bay and Mission Beach are favorites.) “We go every single day,” she says. Her first meeting of the day usually starts at 10 a.m. “And from there it’s just craziness. I’ll go until midnight, seven days a week.” Life as a developer and restaurateur comes with intense pressure, public scrutiny and criticism, especially in a social media-ruled world of Yelpers and the like. When asked how she handles it, Champion-Cain smiles. “I pay attention to what people say, but I don’t take it personally. I’ve always been highly confident, and I’m a tough girl. No one’s gonna work harder than me, and I never, ever give up. It’s hard to take me down.” Despite her nature as a hard charger, Champion-Cain says she is actually an introvert. “I’m not a social butterfly, which might surprise some people. I’m out and about a lot for work, but I’m happiest when I’m at home.”
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