The Market Place Opening Celebration

The Market Place, a longtime favorite in Orange County for shopping, dining and family fun, is ushering in a new era with an Opening Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 1 to 6 p.m.

The popular center will debut its newly expanded lawn and common area, a modern open-air gathering space designed for the Tustin and Irvine communities. The refreshed destination offers a place to connect, relax and enjoy a wide range of dining options and culinary experiences.

The free community event will feature tastings, entertainment and a ribbon cutting with local leaders. Highlights include:

• Signature tastings, light bites and specialty drinks from Shake Shack, Mendocino Farms, Blk Dot Coffee and more.
• A ribbon cutting ceremony with City of Irvine Mayor Larry Agran, Dave Coffaro, CEO of the Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce, and other community leaders.
• Live music performances, a DJ set, lawn games, giveaways and prizes.

Guests will also enjoy snacks and sips from eateries including BLK Dot Coffee, California Fish Grill, Corner Bakery Cafe, Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream, Islands Fine Burgers and Drinks, JA Jiaozi Authentic Dumplings, Luna Grill, Mendocino Farms, Regal Edwards Market Place and Taco Rosa.

The Market Place is located at 2961 El Camino Real in Tustin.

Pasta Sisters Marks 10 Years With $8 Pasta Day

Pasta Sisters is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month by rolling back prices to 2015.

On Sept. 23 only, the family-owned restaurant will serve its classic Tomato & Basil with Spaghetti for $8 (regularly $15). The price is a nod to Pasta Sisters’ opening menu and the viral Buzzfeed video that declared their $8 pasta better than a $100 dish in Los Angeles link

And in honor of 10 years, below 10 favorite Pasta Sisters facts.

1.     They are the only U.S. restaurant with a tortellini machine approved by the Bologna Chamber of Commerce and Learned Brotherhood of the Tortellino to make this pasta by machine vs. hand. 

2.     Matriarch Paola Da Re was part of an Italian expat community that gathered at Beverly Hills’ Caffè Roma in the ’80s. At 18, she met a young Celestino Drago, who encouraged her to open a restaurant instead of the commercial kitchen she was planning – and the rest is history.

3.     Drago once said Paola’s eggplant parmigiana is one of the best he’s ever had — high praise since she’s from Northern Italy and the dish is usually claimed by Sicilian cooks.

4.     All pastas and sauces are made fresh daily (starting at 4 a.m.).

5.     They source 00 flour from a mill near their hometown in Veneto that uses 100% Italian grain – truly no additives whatsoever.

6.     They cover 100% of healthcare plan costs for FT staff; many of their first 15 employees are still with them.

7.     An inspiring American dream story in difficult times: the family immigrated from Northern Italy, the matriarch (who didn’t speak English yet) went from nannying to opening a storefront when those families said she must, started with a tiny spot in Mid-City, grew slowly to 3 locations, see regular lines out the door…and have kept affordability a priority all the way through (as a struggling family in their early days, this was key).

8.     Their dishes come directly from generational Italian family recipes.

9.     While a sad note, I share in case there is ever an opportunity to revisit the story and source new leads: years ago, a burglar stole their restaurant safe, which tragically included their grandmother’s diary of recipes, housekeeping notes, and memories of life in Northern Italy. With today’s internet crime solvers, you never know….maybe it could be returned one day

10.  For the first time, they’re open to franchising — but only to fellow small businesses, not large groups or private equity. Hoping to support another American dream.

Segerstrom Center Welcomes Yearlong Karon Davis Installation

Segerstrom Center for the Arts will welcome Curtain Call, a yearlong installation of a major sculpture by acclaimed artist Karon Davis, beginning in fall 2025. The work, on loan from Salon94, reflects Davis’s signature style of hauntingly beautiful life-sized plaster figures that capture the fragility, resilience and struggle of the ballerina body.

The installation pays tribute to the dancers who perform on the Center’s stages and to themes deeply connected to the art of dance. Its arrival coincides with the Center’s 2025–26 Dance Season and honors the legacy of Henry Segerstrom, whose vision was to make world-class art, both visual and performing, accessible to the Orange County community.

By bringing Davis’s sculpture to its campus, the Center continues that tradition, transforming its grounds into a dynamic hub where performance and public art come together. The sculpture will be on view throughout the 2025–26 season, offering audiences a chance to experience Davis’s work in dialogue with the world-class performances at Segerstrom Hall.

The piece will stand as both a visual echo of the dancers on stage and a public artwork accessible to all who visit. It reflects the Center’s mission to be more than a performance venue, creating a place where art in all its forms can be experienced, shared and celebrated.

With Curtain Call, the Center reaffirms its commitment to presenting world-class artistry while creating spaces that inspire connection, creativity and community long after the curtain falls.

For more information, visit scfta.org