Bringing Taste to the Classroom

“Schools are my main focus,” Aliso Viejo resident Claire Shepard said, “because we all need a good education.”

Shepard's smile is warm and welcoming.  Her voice is soft as she talks about the close relationships she has formed in the restaurant business and how she enjoys being able to give back to the community.

“It was always our dream  to open a little boutique-y restaurant,” Shepard said.

That dream  began when Shepard met her husband, Lonnie Shepard, at Dove Canyon Country Club where he was the chef.  Claire, a student at San Diego State University, was hired as a concierge and banquet server.

After graduating with a business degree, Claire was hired as the banquet manager at Michael’s Supper Club (now Dana Point Yacht Club) where Lonnie was already working as a chef.  One year later, Claire and Lonnie took over the catering business at Michael’s and ran it for seven years before opening their own restaurant.

They found the name for their dream restaurant in a culinary dictionary.

Infusion  [In-FYOOZ shun]  the result of pouring or filling to combine various components into a mixture with characteristics of the parts.

In 2005, they opened Infusion Restaurant and Martini Bar in Ladera Ranch.

Lonnie’s steaks, chops and fresh fish, infused with flavor and artistic presentation, soon attracted a regular clientele.  Claire made friends with the regulars, some of whom were local business owners and real estate agents.  Together, they formed the Ladera Ranch Chamber of Commerce.

“Doing events with them and being involved with the community…we’ve done some great things,” Claire said.

Claire’s attention was drawn to the schools in 2009 when Capistrano Unified School District teachers were receiving pink slips due to budget cuts.

Her daughter, Ellie, was a second grader at Canyon Vista Elementary school when her teacher received a pink slip “just because she hadn’t been teaching for many years,” Claire said.

In an effort to raise money to save those teachers’ jobs, the CUSD Foundation held a fundraiser in the West Mercantile Shopping Center where Infusion is located.  Claire and other business owners donated a portion of their profits to the Foundation.

At Canyon Vista Elementary School’s fundraising carnival in April, Claire and Lonnie set up a booth, this time selling street tacos and hot dogs from their new restaurant, Casa Ranchero, located near Infusion in Ladera Ranch.  Their sales benefitted the Canyon Vista P.T.A.

“When you have the resources and the connections, it’s nice to be able to do things like that,” Claire said. “I feel very fortunate.”

In addition to fundraising, Claire and Lonnie are involved at Canyon Vista in other ways.  They show their gratitude to all the teachers by catering an annual lunch for them during Teacher Appreciation Week.

When their children, Ellie, 10, and Ben, 7, are studying careers, Lonnie visits their classrooms.  He talks about his job and teaches the children how to make healthy snacks. 

The boys and girls don paper chef toques provided by Lonnie.  They giggle as they put cubes of fresh fruit on skewers and make little wraps with turkey and cream cheese.

They are infused with joy.