Palette Dim Sum, a Chinese-Cantonese restaurant that serves colorful dim sum and wok dishes, is coming to The Market Place in Tustin, replacing a shuttered Wokcano.
The restaurant, owned by Palette Tea House Group in San Francisco, is the first for the company in Southern California.
Las Vegas fans might have tried the Palette dim sum on a trip to Sin City. In addition to a Palette Tea House in San Francisco, the company also operates a Palette Tea Garden in San Mateo.
The restaurant, which serves lunch and dinner, sells a signature Palette XLB sampler that comes with soup dumplings colored with turmeric, paprika, squid ink, beets and spinach. XLB is the shorthand spelling for xiao-long-bao dumplings — a dumpling wrapped around a mouthful of meat filling and a splash of soup base.
Irvine Company, the retail center’s owner, expects the restaurant to open in April.
Address: 3015 El Camino Real
Novelty shop coming to Market Place
MINISO, a Chinese retailer that sells Japanese novelty items, opened in mid-February at The Market Place on the Tustin side.
A grand opening celebration for the shop takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, March 14. The store is near the TJ Maxx and Old Navy on El Camino Real at Jamboree Road.
The MINISO in Tustin will be the company’s second-largest in the U.S., according to Irvine Co., the retail center owner.
The retailer sells a wide variety of toys, collectibles and other oddities. Think dolls and stationary, pens, stuffed animals and wallets/purses. Miniso has some 7,100 stores worldwide.
Frida & Diego closes in Anaheim Hills
The Mexican restaurant Frida & Diego closed abruptly in Anaheim Hills.
Employees at the pizza restaurant next door, Pepz Pizza, said the restaurant closed three weeks ago with little to no notice.
The restaurant at 6300 E Santa Ana Canyon Road also was marked closed on Yelp.
Hoag Classic returns to Newport Beach
The Hoag Classic returns March 16-23 for its 29th year at the Newport Beach Country Club.
The 2025 players competing for the $2 million purse include golf legends Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els, Fred Couples, Bernhard Langer, Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen, Darren Clarke and David Duval.
All three rounds of the tournament will be broadcast on the Golf Channel.
The PGA Tour Champions event has raised more than $25 million over the years for Hoag’s program and services.
For information about tickets, pricing and the schedule, go to HoagClassic.com.
On the move
Eric Zimmerman has returned to Roland DG Corp. in Irvine, this time as its director of Global Market Research. With some 25 years in signs and graphics, Zimmerman previously worked for six years as director of Wide-Format Print for the Keypoint Intelligence and before that held several roles at Roland DG. In his new position, he will work with global marketing, product and sales teams. Roland DG makes wide-format inkjet printers, vinyl cutters, 3D milling machines and more.
On board
Hyo Kim recently was appointed to the board of directors of the nonprofit Dragon Kim Foundation. Kim is chief operating officer for Ark Clinical Research of Long Beach.
Beyond Blindness recipient of $780K in grants
Several organizations have contributed $780,000 in grants to the nonprofit Beyond Blindness in Santa Ana. The money will go toward the organization’s programs for children with visual impairments and other disabilities and their families. Contributors include:
—Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative ($150,000 over two years)
—The Dean Family ($25,000) and Enterprise Bank ($5,000), Del E. Webb Foundation ($100,000) for playground renovation
—Department of Developmental Services ($250,000)
—Dhont Family Foundation ($120,000), playground project and supportive services
—HealthCare Foundation for Orange County ($15,000)
—Pacific Life Foundation ($100,000) for new Head Start partnership and another $15,000 for year-round programs
Good works
GSF Foundation – the nonprofit at Golden State Foods in Irvine – recently hosted a bike building event with the Taco Bell Foundation, a first collaboration between the two foundations. The event, which featured a number of executives from both companies, was held at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire. The team put together 22 bikes.
The S. Mark Taper Foundation has given Second Harvest Food Bank a $150,000 grant to support the nonprofit’s work feeding the hungry in Orange County. Second Harvest feeds an average 446,673 community members each month. “This recognition comes at a crucial time as the level of food insecurity in our community continues to rise,” said Claudia Bonilla Keller, CEO of the food bank.
Orange County Rescue Mission is the recipient of a $200,000 grant from the annual Chick-fil-A True Inspiration Awards program. The Rescue Mission will use the money to expand its programs providing housing, rehabilitation and other essential services living with homelessness in Orange County.
Status Update is compiled and written by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items and high-resolution photos to sgowen@scng.com. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.
