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Greer’s OC: Sales from OC Blend benefit schools

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Caffeine can help local students!

The first Orange County Blend coffee and tea arrived at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf stores throughout Orange County, and proceeds will benefit local schools. The Orange County Blend Coffee is smooth with a light citrus aroma, a slight malty taste and a caramel finish. And the exclusive Orange County Sunshine Blend Tea is a premium oolong tea that’s sweetly scented with orange blossoms and tart orange zest.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is giving $1 from the sale of each bag of the OC Blend to 24 Orange County schools to help fund computer labs, art, music and science programs and more. The Orange County Blend Coffee costs $9.95 and the Sunshine Blend Tea costs $8.95. Coffee Bean has locations in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Corona del Mar and more.

For more information, visit coffeebean.com/index.aspx.

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A treasure Trove in Laguna

It’s not easy to categorize Trove in Laguna Beach. Is it an antique store, gallery or a place to find museum-quality pieces to call your own?

Devotees simply say, “Wow.” It’s a one-of-a-kind showroom with now twice the space since it moved from its Coast Highway location to Ocean Avenue last summer.

Longtime Trove seekers knew that co-owners Heather and Bobby Lee would have an even better place to store their treasures, a mix of art and home furnishings, including 18th-century primitive pieces from Belgium; mid-20th century Danish pieces; organic hemp hand-loomed linens; luxury Matteo bedding and atypical finds; fertility figures that served as rice paddy markers from Malaysia; a rare mid-1800s cook’s canteen from the back of a stagecoach with canisters for spices and a grind handle for coffee or flour; an antique bronze hibachi from Japan; and a mid-century modern Howard Keith sofa from London.

It’s also a resource to find contemporary art pieces by Cheryl Ekstrom, who has exclusive rights to make limited-edition stainless steel sculptures of an Eames chair and ottoman. She also offers stainless steel sculptures of the marshmallow sofa, swan chair and large and small bean bag chairs.

Trove is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at 370 Ocean Ave. in Laguna Beach. For more information, call (949) 376.4640 or visit https://www.trovegallery.com.

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Dine green at Crow Bar

Congratulations to the Crow Bar and Kitchen in Corona del Mar for taking a green initiative. The Green Restaurant Assn. just certified Crow Bar, an upscale gastropub, as the first “green restaurant” in Orange County.

Not only does the Crow Bar boast a James Beard award-winning Executive Chef John Cuevas (formerly with Montage Laguna Beach), but it uses local and sustainable ingredients in its inventive pub foods. Other markers for making this certification include the banning of Styrofoam, to-go packages are biodegradable and made from recycled materials, and its Natura water system is environmentally friendly.

Eco-conscious diners should know that the Crow Bar isn’t the only green restaurant in OC, just the first one to get the National Restaurant Assn.’s certificate (an expensive process). Just a partial list of restaurants that are doing their part for the environment includes Mesa, Native Foods, Old Vine Café, Ecco, Taco Asylum, 118 Degrees and Valhalla Table at the Camp in Costa Mesa; Avanti Café in Costa Mesa; Sandy’s Beach Grill and Duke’s in Huntington Beach; Veggie Grill’s two locations in Irvine; and Z Pizza in Irvine.

You can also see which restaurants Slow Food Orange County recommends for doing their part to support locally grown seasonal and sustainable produce and more at https://www.dinegreen.com.

The Crow Bar is open 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Monday; 11:30 a.m. to midnight Tuesday and Wednesday; 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday; and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday at 2325 E. Coast Hwy. in Corona del Mar. For more information, call (949) 675-0070.

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Fendi events at South Coast Plaza

Fendi at South Coast Plaza invites you to two rare events, celebrating the art of quality and craftsmanship March 10 and 11. From 6 to 8 p.m. March 10, architecture buffs can celebrate with a champagne toast the contemporary installation titled “Modern Primitives” by famed New York architects Aranda/Lasch (https://www.arandalasch.com and special guest Silvia Venturini Fendi will demonstrate traditional handmade leather techniques.

From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 11, you can preview the luxe Fendi Selleria made-to-order handbag collection with bright and bold colors ideal for spring. Roman craftsmen will be on site so that you can customize and create your own Fendi Selleria handbag. Private appointments are available; just call (714) 619-2553.

A Fendi Selleria is a coveted bag, made in limited editions and numbered. A machine never even touches the leather.

Fendi is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday on Level 1 at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. For more information, call (714) 751-1111 or visit selleria.fendi.com.

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‘For the Love of a Child’

Fashion meets finding a brighter future for children of child abuse at Childhelp’s 25th annual Fashion Show and Luncheon at 11 a.m. March 7 at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach.

“For the Love of a Child” will be a spectacular runway fashion show from South Coast Plaza’s premiere stores, including Wolford, Versace, Saks Fifth Avenue, DKNY, David Yurman, Brooks Brothers, Faconnable, Bally, St. John, Intermix and more and a lovely lunch and inspiring speakers from Childhelp of Orange County.

Tickets cost $150 each. For reservations, please call Nancy Whitlock at (949) 548-4228 or e-mail at nancywhitlock@sbcglobal.net.

The Island Hotel is at 690 Newport Center Drive in Newport Beach. For more information, visit https://www.childhelpoc.com/fashionshow.

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Nekter Juice Bar, round 2

Go get a green healthy fix in Corona del Mar! Nekter Juice Bar is opening its second location in Corona del Mar, its flagship shop is in Costa Mesa. This is the place to fill up on organic juice blends, raw nut milk smoothies, healthy, raw, gluten-free, vegan snacks and acai bowls. Fans appreciate that unlike some smoothie-type shops, Nekter stays away from sugar and preservative-filled ingredients. All of Nekter’s juice recipes use organic fruits and vegetables, never processed ingredients. Drinks are low-calorie and low-sugar.

“As an example, our average drink has 100 to 200 calories with about 10 grams of carbohydrates,” co-owner Steve Schulze said.

It also offers a signature Nekter Cleanse, a detoxification and reenergizing program with locally grown, organic, freshly pressed fruits and vegetables. Nekter is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 2801 E. Pacific Coast Hwy #C in Corona del Mar and 474 E. 17th St. in Costa Mesa. For more information, call (949) 642-4473 or visit https://www.nekterjuicebar.com.

GREER WYLDER writes Greer’s OC for the Huntington Beach Independent each Thursday and the Daily Pilot and Coastline Pilot each Friday. She’s the founder and president of greersoc.com, a free daily e-mail service that provides the latest in Orange County fashion, dining, music, events and trends. Her blog can be viewed https://www.greersoc.com and she can be contacted at greer@greersoc.com.

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