Dana Point Restaurant Scene Expects Boom In 2021

DANA POINT, CA — There are signs of life at the old Aurora's Market. Giana Bakery + Provisions, a new restaurant from Maison Café + Market owner Chef Danielle Kuhn, will open in Dana Point in 2021, Raintree Partners announced.

Giana Bakery + Provisions will offer fresh-baked bread and pastries, an Italian deli, a full-service dining room, and wine bar. We can't wait to step inside.

It will be located at 34146 Pacific Coast Highway in Dana Point, in a space owned by Raintree Partners, the former site of Aurora’s Market, according to Managing Director Jason Check.

Aurora's Market became available when the owner retired.

"Working with Danielle to bring something fresh to the market that would also be complementary to Prado West, our adjacent mixed-use development opening this spring,” Check said. “Our team got to know Chef Danielle after relocating our headquarters to Dana Point and frequenting her restaurant Maison."

The restaurant, which opened in 2019, is known for authentic, delectable food.

"She has an authentic connection to Dana Point, and exceptional spirit," Check said. "After I first met Danielle it immediately became clear why she is so beloved by the local community."

While the plans to bring Giana to the space were in place well before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Kuhn’s resilience and creativity demonstrated through her successful navigation of the unprecedented landscape further solidified that she was the ideal partner in this endeavor, Check notes.

Kuhn attributes her team who came together to learn new skills and take on new roles.

"We would never have been able to make it through this year without the community’s full embrace," she says of Dana Point. "Their support allowed us to not only pay rent at Maison, but to truly thrive, continue to incorporate new elements into our business, and proceed with expansion plans amid mass restaurant shutdowns.”

To successfully adapt to restrictions, Kuhn worked rapidly to strategically transform Maison into a market. The dining room was converted to shopping aisles, servers became cashiers, and Kuhn learned e-commerce and delivery platforms. When outdoor and socially distanced dining opened back up, she had the windows removed to expose the entire face of the restaurant, allowing for ample open-air dining.

“In the whirlwind first few weeks after the pandemic hit, there was naturally some uncertainty regarding the future of Maison and whether we would be able to move forward with opening Giana as planned,” Kuhn continues. “That was never a top concern for Jason and the Raintree team. From our first conversation following the stay-at-home orders, their top priority was my wellbeing and that of my family and my team.”

As a result of the pandemic, many property owners and small businesses are pushing the envelope in order to thrive and grow. Both Kuhn and Check note that this takes close collaboration between parties.

“Now more than ever, I understand the deep importance of having a partner that is willing to listen and do what it takes to support our mutual success," Kuhn said. "I am so excited about what the Raintree team and I will be able to accomplish together."

Raintree Partners also purchased a vacant lot adjacent to Giana and, with Kuhn, are transforming the space into Gigi’s Garden.

This will be an outdoor garden dining experience that will also be used as an event space, to grow in-house produce, and host cooking and gardening classes. It will also feature a trailer converted into a kitchen and portable bar.

“Our partnership with Danielle is part of the Raintree team’s ongoing commitment, as members of the local community ourselves, to bringing exceptional small businesses to Dana Point and keeping them in town, especially through difficult times,” continues Check. “For example, we recently helped Salon Revelation relocate to our recently renovated office building at 34052 La Plaza, when it would have otherwise had to leave the city. When COVID hit, we worked closely with the owner on rent abatement and permitting assistance to keep her business viable.”

Much is happening in Dana Point in 2021.

New Downtown Dana Point restaurants are blooming, including Rad Brat Brewery, Station Craft Brewing, and Dana Point Ale House, which opens at Prado West next summer.

“There are several retail, office, hospitality, and residential projects underway, in addition to the $300M Harbor renovation beginning in Q1 of 2021.

Further, Raintree is working with the City to create an outdoor Biergarten, public art venue, and seating area on a 5,000 square-foot vacant lot purchased in 2019 next to Prado West.

This ongoing investment into existing and new businesses will continue to increase Dana Point’s appeal as a premier South Orange County destination.”

Learn more at www.pradowest.com