Copyright San Diego Union-Tribune
When Rocina Lizarraga first moved to San Diego over 25 years ago, she lived in the Shelltown neighborhood, but later moved to National City because it reminded her of being in Sinaloa, Mexico, where she grew up. “National City was a big rancho, and it was actually named Rancho de la Nacion before, and it has a lot of history of agriculture, and I was brought up with a background in agriculture,” Lizarraga said. “So it caught my attention that every single patio that you see in National City has a fruit tree. And when you ask neighbors for a piece of fruit, they say ‘yes, go ahead’ just like in Mexico.” Lizarraga is a garden support specialist at Olivewood Garden & Learning Center in National City. The garden, which began blooming in 2008, sits on 7.85 acres of land, and its purpose is to provide health education classes and workshops, community relations and environmental stewardship. Lizarraga manages and coordinates special projects that call for food, environmental and social justice in National City. One way she does this is by collecting feedback and information from visitors of Olivewood Garden & Learning Center and collaborating with government agencies such as the San Diego Association of Governments to find solutions. She said from the feedback they get, Olivewood Garden & Learning Center’s staff, including herself, speak at city council meetings, county supervisors meetings and send public comment notices to their local government officials to inform their government leaders what the community wants and to help get their voices heard. “We advocate for policy change to make food distribution centers and outlet stores better and more efficient to get more fresh produce and more fresh foods out for the community,” Lizarraga said. “Also, right now we do not have a farmers’ market in National City, so we are advocating for one. The only thing that I have clear in mind is that when the community gets together, things happen. We are women of action, and we want actions fast, not lengthy. We want to put things into action.” Olivewood Garden & Learning Center has a program called Cooking for Salud, which is now in its 33rd cohort. It is an eight-week, nutrition education and behavior adjustment program taught in English and Spanish by Olivewood Garden’s staff, local chefs and nutritionists. The goal is to train individuals how to make healthier lifestyle choices through cooking and eating habits. Graduates of this program are called Kitchenistas. Lizarraga first got involved at Olivewood Garden in 2017 by signing up for the Cooking for Salud program, after her 12-year-old son was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. This mother of four children quickly realized she was part of the problem because she was the main person cooking for her children at home. Lizarraga started researching what she could do to improve her family’s eating habits and then found Olivewood Garden & Learning Center at her children’s school. “One of the kitchenista groups was presenting there and talking about what they do and the classes they have,” Lizarraga, a Kitchenista and graduate of the ninth Cooking for Salud cohort program, said. “They explained how to prepare healthy meals and alternatives to candy, like energy balls made with oats and dates. So I decided to start with myself and change my cooking habits, and I enrolled in the classes.” Lizarraga said she continues to live in National City after more than two decades because she says it’s become a more walkable community with hidden jewels to visit and has friendly neighbors. “It’s like a big family within a family,” Lizarraga said. “The businesses are welcoming. The schools are welcoming. You see a lot of your neighbors at local stores, at parties, at community events and in the parks, and it’s like this positive emotional connection when you see them. That’s why I feel connected to National City, and it’s why I say, ‘I don’t want to leave here’.” Here are her favorite places for dining, entertainment, open spaces and art in National City. Q: Where is your favorite dining option? A: Tacos El Franc is such a welcoming environment; you feel like you belong there. The ladies are super nice to you, and of course, the tacos are good. They have a very good culture of tacos, coming from Tijuana. Even the taqueros are saying hi to you. The shop has an open space, so you can see what they’re actually cooking. And I also love Citrina Berry Fresh. They have the most amazing sandwiches and side bowls. This is a family-owned business, and they have super healthy options like their mushroom sandwich, for example, and they have a portobello sandwich that my kids say is good. Q: What is your favorite small retail business or pop-up vendor to support? A: At the National City Swap Meet, you can get inexpensive stuff, and the treasures you might find are someone else’s waste, so you can find reusable things. And that’s also how to create environmental care. I am a big believer that you can reuse some of the stuff there. It’s also a good place to walk around, and there are also families selling new, affordable things. For example, I lost my hammer recently, so I went to the National City Swap Meet to buy a brand new one. I do not have to go to Home Depot to buy one. And I also shop around for fabric here. It’s a great place to go and support small businesses. Q: Where is your favorite open space? A: I like Pepper Park because it’s close to the bay, and it’s a relaxation area. This place is like my hideout when I’m stressed or I’m sad or any emotional issue that I have, I go to Pepper Park. It’s a stress reliever for the fact that I can look at the water flowing back and forth into the bay, and it’s relaxing, it’s emotional. I don’t go in the morning because cargo ships are loading and unloading cars, so it can get noisy, but in the afternoons and on the weekends, it’s super relaxing. And the park has a little playground, it has a bathroom and access to the bay where you can kayak. Q: Where is the best piece of artwork? A: The butterfly art structures at Butterfly Park and near Kimball Park. There was a community grant that we had for art, and an artist by the name of Roberto Salas asked the Kitchenistas at Olivewood Garden & Learning Center, “What can we do?” So we all said, let’s do something with butterflies, because we have a butterfly garden here. And I personally collect and harvest monarch butterflies and caterpillars and donate them to local schools and teachers here in National City. So we made metal-shaped butterflies and decorated them and put them near Kimball Park and at Butterfly Park in the ground with cement and a metal post, and that was around 2015. Q: Where is your favorite entertainment attraction or historic landmark? A: Brick Row on A Avenue is a very beautiful historical landmark in National City. The area is a row of Victorian homes built by the founder of National City, Frank Kimball, around the late 1800s, I think. It used to be the old city hall and the post office; there was a barn and administrative offices. And Frank Kimball’s house was relocated across the street. When you walk through that area, you can feel like you are in the 1800s. I live close by, and whenever I get the chance, I go walk over there. They have beautiful trees and benches there. It’s a must-see when you live here or when you visit National City.
