The City of Ocoee was formed as a small agricultural settlement supported by the local citrus and vegetable farming industry. Following the end of the Civil War, a number of settlers moved into the area including Captain Bluford M. Sims, a native of Tennessee who served in the Confederacy. He had purchased a tract of land from Dr. J. D. Starke and established the first citrus nursery in the United States. Sims had a number of other credits and accomplishments to his name including road commissioner, Freemason, and contractor for the first framed court house in Orlando. It is the section of land Sims used for citrus growth which now comprises most of what is considered downtown Ocoee.
A township of 820 residents, Ocoee was first settled adjacent to Starke Lake, southeast of Lake Apopka, in the mid-1800s. The Town of Ocoee was the name of a subdivision platted by Dr. H.K. Clarke, Charles J. Chun and R.B.F. Roper created the Town of Ocoee subdivision in 1886. He took the name from a river in Tennessee. Ocoee means "apricot vine" in the Cherokee language - what we now call the passion flower. The city logo is inspired by this flower. The Town of Ocoee was recognized as a municipality by the Florida legislature in 1923 and became the City of Ocoee in May 1925.
The first school in Ocoee was established in 1880. It was a three sided hut located on Floral street, which was later replaced by a two-story wooden structure built on Bluford Avenue. That structure was replaced in the early 1920s with a brick building. Mrs. E D. Perkins was the original teacher. William Blakely arrived in Ocoee in 1881. He soon became school principal and teacher. He was also Postmaster and Justice of the Peace. In 1913 he bought a home on West Oakland avenue and converted one of the rooms into a library which he allowed the community to use. Blakely would devote more than 50 years to teaching, running a general store, and promoting Ocoee as a desirable place to live.
As the tracks were laid and completed for the Florida Midland Railroad in the 1880s, growth in the area was rapid. Many more settlers moved in, large areas were cleared, and the market grew larger with better transportation facilities. Hard surfaced roads did not come until many years later, but the sand trails were improved. As a result crops like corn, cotton, and sweet potatoes were abandoned in favor of more lucrative citrus groves and vegetables for the winter market of the north. Though the Florida Midland Railroad would experience some decline and disrepair over time for another more preferred gauge of track, it had unquestionably done much to spur growth in Ocoee.
State Road 50 (SR 50) was constructed south of downtown Ocoee in 1959 and provided a direct east-west connection between the City and a growing Orlando. The development of SR 50 made Ocoee more accessible and attractive to developers, who wanted to build new affordable housing developments. Florida’s Turnpike was the next major roadway constructed through Ocoee. This 309 mile long freeway was extended through West Orange County in 1964, just south of the Ocoee downtown area, and provided Ocoee with excellent north-south access. Decades later, in late 1990, the connection between Ocoee and Orlando was further secured when the western extension of SR 408 was completed. The tollway, also known as the East-West Expressway, connects the Turnpike south of SR 50, through downtown Orlando, and to the University of Central Florida in the east. The final piece of the Ocoee connectivity story is SR 429, also known as the Western Expressway. Completed in 2000, this tollway connects U.S. 441 in the north and Interstate-4 (I-4), just south of Walt Disney World.
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For more than 90 years, OCP has faithfully and effectively responded to the needs of the Church—to the diverse and changing needs of parish communities and individual worshipers, in the U.S. and around the world.
Owen graduated from college with a B.A. in philosophy and graduated from the School of Theology in 1974. He also attended Willamette University for advanced studies in pipe organ, and Marylhurst College, working towards a degree in music. Owen worked for Oregon Catholic Press from 1976-1992 as Music Editor, Editor of Missal and Music Publications, and as Publisher. He moved to London in 1992, where he founded a company that publishes and distributes religious education materials. Owen is a prolific composer and has written many pieces published by Oregon Catholic Press, including Heritage Mass and Respond & Acclaim psalm settings. He is married to British composer Bernadette Farrell, and they have one daughter. Owen was appointed to the OCP Board of Directors in January 2015.
Mary received a B.S. in business administration from Oregon State University. She is a licensed certified public accountant and member of the Oregon Society of Certified Public Accountants. Mary is chief financial officer for the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon (SSMO) Ministries Corporation. Prior to joining SSMO, Mary served in leadership positions at ODS Health Plan, KPMG and Liberty Mutual. She has served audit clients in financial services, higher education, manufacturing, technology and various other industries and organizations, including the Archdiocese of Portland. Mary was appointed to the OCP Board of Directors in January 2016.
Clint received a B.S. in business administration from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH. He has been a certified public accountant since 1987, a certified management accountant since 1994 and, as an honors graduate of the Cannon Trust Tax School, led the Trust & Estate practice for Boldt Carlisle+Smith. In 2012, Clint received the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross in acknowledgement of his service to the Archdiocese of Portland. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, a founding member of the Santiam Vicariate Evangelization Committee and a covenanted member and co-director of the Institute for World Evangelization – ICPE Mission in the U.S. Clint was appointed to the OCP Board of Directors in January 2014.
Maureen received a B.S. in nursing and a M.A. in liturgical composition from the University of Portland, where she has been the associate director of music in campus ministry since 2000. She worked as a registered nurse for several health care systems and as music director at Holy Cross Parish for eight years. She has over 20 years of experience as a pastoral musician, teacher, composer and arranger, and has published various collections with OCP. Maureen was appointed to the OCP Board of Directors in January 2012.
Bishop Cary graduated from Mount Angel Seminary high school and college, and attended St. Patricks Seminary in Menlo Park, CA, for a year before taking an 18-year leave of absence. Returning to the seminary in 1988, he was sent to the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where he received a licentiate in moral theology from Gregorian University in 1992, and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Portland in September of that year. He was ordained Bishop of Baker on May 18, 2012, and was appointed to the OCP Board of Directors in January 2013.
Fr. Jeffrey Eirvin received a B.A. in graphic design from Oregon State University prior to entering Mount Angel Seminary. In 2007, Fr. Eirvin began his theological studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome where he received a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from the Angelicum and a License of Sacred Theology from the Gregorianum. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Portland in June 2013 and served in several parishes prior to being named director of vocations for the archdiocese. Fr. Eirvin was appointed to the OCP Board of Directors in January 2014.
Fr. Hugo Maese is a Missionary of the Holy Spirit. He attended Mount Angel Seminary College, and was ordained a priest in 2005. Fr. Hugo received a Master of Divinity and M.A. from St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, CA. He served in parish ministry, as Vice Superior at St. Joseph House of Theology in South Bend, the Center for Research and Dissemination of the Spirituality of the Cross in Mexico City, and the Missionary of the Holy Spirit Formation House in Long Beach before being named Pastor at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Hillsboro and Superior of the Missionary of the Holy Spirit Community. Fr. Hugo was appointed to the OCP Board of Directors in January 2017.
Dr. Elaine Classen Park has a license in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute (1988, Magna Cum Laude) and a Sacred Theology Doctorate from the Gregorian University (1994, Summa Cum Laude). From 1990 to 2012, she was on the faculty at Mount Angel Seminary, where she was Professor of Sacred Scripture and served as Academic Dean/Vice President for ten years. While at Mount Angel, Dr. Park served on the Board of the Association of Theological Schools and on the steering committee of the Midwest Association of Theological Schools. After Mount Angel, she taught for one year at the University of Portland in the Theology Department, and was Pastoral Associate at Christ the King Parish in Milwaukie for four years until her retirement in 2017.
Msgr. Paperini received a B.A. in english education from Portland State University before attending Mount Angel Seminary. He was ordained a priest in June 1977. He received both a Master of Divinity and M.A. in theology from Mount Angel, a master's in liturgy from the University of Notre Dame, and a master's in education from the University of Portland. He served at Mount Angel Seminary as instructor of liturgy, formation director for 19 years and as president-rector for 11 years. Msgr. Paperini was appointed to the OCP Board of Directors in January 2013.
Archbishop Alexander K. Sample is the eleventh bishop of the Archdiocese of Portland. He was ordained a priest June 1, 1990, and served in several parish assignments in Marquette, MI, before moving to Rome to earn a degree in Canon Law. Upon returning to Marquette he served the diocese in a number of capacities including as a member of the Marriage Tribunal, as chancellor, as a member of the College of Consultors and as director of the Department of Ministry Personnel Services. He was ordained Bishop of Marquette in January 2006, and was installed as Archbishop of Portland on April 2, 2013.
Mike received a Bachelor of Business Administration from University of Portland and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Utah. He served six years in the U.S. Air Force. Mike retired in 2015 as chief executive officer of The Portland Clinic. He has also served as president of Oregon Medical Group Management Association and Portland Rotary Charitable Trust and is a past board member of the Portland Rotary Club. Mike was appointed to the OCP Board of Directors in 2010.
Ken received a B.S. in physics and mathematics from Whitman College, a M.S. in computer science from Washington State University and a M.S. in systems science from Portland State University. He co-founded Mentor Graphics Corporation where he worked for thirteen years. Ken also founded Ignis Systems Corporation, a healthcare software and services company, which is now part of Liaison Healthcare Informatics. He has been involved with music ministry in his parish for the past 20 plus years and has served on the Archdiocese of Portland Pastoral Council and the Board of Directors of the Oregon Repertory Singers. Ken was appointed to the OCP Board of Directors in 2011.
What’s on the menu: This downtown Surf City favorite tries to have something for everyone and succeeds. The breakfasts are huge and very creatively prepared. At lunch the Shore House offers dozens of burger and sandwich varieties, and for dinner you might want to try the daily specials.
They stick to the basic dinners here and cook up tender turkeys, brawny roast beef, chicken, pork chops and at least two seafood items. The 18 different pasta dinners will stick to your ribs, too.
Recommendations: It is usually lunchtime when we visit the Shore House, and I can’t get away from their huge and delicious Turkey, Swiss, Avocado Sandwich. It is prepared on sourdough bread with lots of parmesan cheese before it is buttered and grilled just enough to melt the Swiss. This sandwich is guaranteed to send you right to your cardiologist.
As with all of their sandwiches, it is served with fries, pasta, coleslaw, cottage cheese, fruit or those too-good-to-pass-up Cajun Curly Fries. The Shore House has a way with potatoes, and they heap them on for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
As an appetizer for your dinner crowd, try the Chef Ricardo Special – grilled flat bread with carne asado, melted cheese, guacamole and sour cream.
What makes this place different: You can flop in a casual window booth at the Shore House or sit outside and watch the fifth block of Main Street go by. The atmosphere is very casual and quintessentially Californian.
If you are in a hurry, it might not be your place. But if you want the West Coast experience with great food and laid-back ambiance, this may be for you.
Back a couple of days ago, I was staring down a hungry wife and one container of leftovers from Haven Gastropub in Orange.
The night before, Wifey Nadia and I went in for the Orange County Restaurant Week Menu (she had the pork belly, I went with the hanger steak) and the steak portion was so big that I brought some home — but only enough for one.
Then I got crafty. I chopped up the truffle fries and remaining hanger steak, topped the mixture with two bacon fried eggs and parsley, and that’s how my Haven Hangover Hash was born.
But it got me thinking of leftovers, and what we do with them. In the two years I’ve written for Food Frenzy, I’ve accumulated a few leftovers of my own, pictures of meals I’ve had, or places I’ve been, that never really made it to the blog.
Since we already started with a breakfast picture, I figure we’ll keep it going. First stop, Paul’s Pantry in Mission Viejo, a restaurant in South Mission Viejo serving up breakfast and lunch.
We were fond of the gooey cinnamon roll; the sugary icing was intense to say the least, but the pungent cinnamon was still the star of the show. I thought the huge dollop of butter on top was overkill, but overall, a very tasty roll. We also tried an omelete with ham and pineapple. I’d never tried the combination before, but the fruit went well with the eggs, and as we already know, pork and pineapple have been great together ever since meeting on Match.com.
I wish I could show you a picture of the beautiful brownies sold at Heidelberg Pastry in Laguna Hills, but they only make like 60 a day, and they’re always sold out by lunchtime (which is why they’re included in the breakfast portion of this here post). If memory serves correctly, the center is nearly brownie batter, and they’ve got a dusting of powdered sugar. I had one once upon a time, but have been unsuccessful on two return trips.
Next stop: Mr. Pickles in Lake Forest, the first O.C. location of a NorCal franchise. Sandwiches here are football-shaped affairs stuffed with meats, cheeses, veggies and a creamy garlic sauce. The selection is hit and miss, but covers all the bases and has a few unique items too, including Dutch Crunch bread, cranberry turkey sandwiches and wraps and a masterpiece called the Hang Loose with cream cheese, bacon and pastrami. The peppery meats go well with the creamy cream cheese and thick roll. This is a can’t miss sammy. Plus, every order comes with a pickle chocolate chip cookie. Ferrealz.
That free chocolate chip cookie was better than anything I paid for at Corner Fish Grill in Mission Viejo. Someone I know keeps telling me to try the fried shrimp tacos, but as a connoisseur of the deep-fried arts, I have to say it ain’t too hard to batter shrimp and cook it in some oil. And even that was too much for the poor crab cake I had. It was more like a maybe-this-is-crab-but-I-can’t-tell cake, and overall it resembled a crunchy hockey puck that had no discernible seafood flavor. The shrimp looked plump, but were over-peppered and rubbery, and never before have I eaten cole slaw, rice or black beans with so little flavor. On top of all of that, food took F…O…R…E…V…E…R and the customer service was non-existent. Pass.
Try Wood Ranch BBQ in Rancho Santa Margarita for great customer service and reasonably delicious BBQ. You’re looking at the sampler plate, which ran close to $30. The portions weren’t worth the price (Nadia and I were sharing), but it opened my eyes to Wood Ranch’s fantastic tri-tip, which is the big hunk of meat in the foreground. They serve it in big pieces, and you just kind of dig in when ready. The meat was juicy and the smoky sweet sauce was just right for the meat. If you’re looking for smoked meat, however, skip a trip here. This stuff is cooked in an oven.
And I’ve gotten complaints about my lack of ethnic food diversity (that’s what Jeff is for) and general avoidance of vegetables (also what Jeff is for). These two pictures will show you that’s not the case.
First up is the beef with bok choy at Jade Palace in Aliso Viejo. The picture looks like there’s a lot of beef and hardly any bok choy but there was a ton of my favorite green veggie hiding under all of the thick-sliced soy-slathered beef. I think I took down more of the greens than the meat on that night, as this bok choy was expertly prepared. Not soggy or waterlogged, but with enough give to easily chew through.
Also on display is the my favorite Thai noodle dish, pad see ew, at Diho Siam in Lake Forest. This location and the Mission Viejo location make my favorite Thai food in the county, though I’m sure that in itself could become a heated debate. For all the pad Thai lovers out there, try this dish, which combines flat rice noodles, bean sprouts, eggs, meat and broccoli. Love this stuff, and I was able to save half of the plate for the next day, but Wifey Nadia got to it first.
Carlos Perez began last season as the Angels’ starting catcher and finished as the backup. He has added a leg kick to his swing to try to improve at the plate.	
TEMPE, Ariz. — This time last year, Carlos Perez was poised to become an everyday catcher. Now, he’s fighting for playing time, with a reworked swing.
Perez hit .209 with a .244 on-base percentage in 2016, a drop from his encouraging performance in 2015. As a result, he’s now bringing a leg kick into his swing to try to rediscover his timing.
Perez has a homer and a triple in his last two Cactus League games, but he’s still hitting just .208 in the small sample of 24 at-bats in Arizona.
Last season was a difficult one mentally for Perez, who came in with such high expectations after he had hit .250 in 2015, including .333 in September.
“At the end of ’15 he played well for us down the stretch,” Scioscia said. “He caught well and got some big hits for us. He’s not too far removed from that, but there are some things last year he struggled with.”
Perez, who was the catcher on opening night, hit so poorly that he lost his job, and then in July he was briefly demoted to Triple-A.
“Nobody wants to get sent down,” he said. “But I just tried to work hard and get back to the big leagues. I think I played pretty good when I was sent down.”
Perez hit .359 in 10 games at Triple-A and returned to the majors. He finished the season mostly backing up Jett Bandy. Bandy was then traded over the winter for Martin Maldonado, who currently appears to be slightly ahead of him on the depth chart.
An infielder, Marte spent significant time in left field in 2016, as the Angels struggled to fill that spot and wanted to get his bat into the lineup. This spring, Marte has not yet played left in a game, although he’s worked out there a little, Scioscia said.
When asked if Marte still could find himself playing left field regularly in the majors, Scioscia said: “It depends how much a young player’s bat comes.”
In other words, if he hits well enough, it’s worth putting him at a position where he’s not a perfect fit if it gets him in the lineup.
“What he’s lacking now is experience,” Scioscia said of Marte’s development in left field. “He runs well enough. He throws well. We think he’s got the ability to play left field, but you talk about experience, angles and routes. There’s a lot going on.”
The Angels don’t need Marte in left this season, because they have both Cameron Maybin and Ben Revere. Both players are free agents at the end of the season, though, with no heir apparent.
Marte also could play himself into regular time at third starting next season. Yunel Escobar is a free agent at the end of the season. Luis Valbuena, who is signed through 2018, can play first or third, although he’s better at first.
Yusmeiro Petit will get a start for the Angels on Saturday, while Ricky Nolasco takes his turn in a minor league game. The Angels want to ensure that Nolasco can get five innings worth of work, and it’s easier to do in the more controlled environment of a minor league game.
Scioscia said it’s likely all of the starters will take one turn in a minor league game, although it could be for their fifth turn. They are in the midst of the fourth turn through the rotation.
Matt Shoemaker is still scheduled to make his fourth start, on Sunday, in a major league game. Tyler Skaggs is pitching on Monday in a minor league game, but it’s an off day for the major league team.
The Angels optioned right-hander Brooks Pounders. Pounders, who had been acquired in a trade with the Kansas City Royals in December, gave up five runs in six innings…
Scioscia said he’d seen video of the World Baseball Classic outings for Deolis Guerra and Jose Alvarez and they are “fine” as far as their preparation for the season.