Goodbye to a good friend
Suzie Harrison
After 10-years of serving the Laguna Beach Community, not only
through his restaurant but through his sizable charity work and
donations, Mark DePalma is closing the doors of his restaurant.
He said he wants to emphasize that’s he’s really not going
anywhere, he will still be very much involved with the community. He
will be doing catering with chef Martin Gonzales, who has been with
DePalma for 20 years, and plans to open another restaurant in the
future, in this place he calls home.
The last big event at Mark’s will be a benefit for the Laguna
Beach Community Clinic from 5 to 9 p.m. May 27, which, for a $45
donation per person, includes an open bar and major hors d’oeuvres.
He will donate 100% of the proceeds to the clinic.
Throughout the years, he has given much to the AIDS Services
Foundation.
“Although it’s a mixed crowd here, I have a big following in the
gay community,” De Palma said. “My brother died of AIDS.”
The reason Mark’s is closing is that he realized he doesn’t get to
spend enough time with his family. He’s making time for such things
as coaching his son’s Little League team.
“I am going backward in my childhood,” De Palma said. “I’m
coaching my son and doing some easier things. I can concentrate on
one thing and that works out better.”
Catering is like a vacation to him, he does so much of it and only
has to have a small staff of 10.
“And it will be 10 years, I just decided to close the doors, move
on to do my catering, concentrate more on that,” De Palma said. “I
can do a much better job -- I’m hoping everything goes well with the
new people.”
The “new people” are the people who are opening Rox Restaurant in
Mark’s current location.
“This kid used to be my manager, he got together with Chuck Rox,
who got together with the chef at the Ritz Carlton,” DePalma said.
“They’ll be coming in and redoing the whole building.”
DePalma said he will still be very much involved with his AIDS
Services Foundation donations.
“The biggest thing is with ASF, I’ll do a lot with them,” De Palma
said. “I want to reach out to other places in Laguna Beach, like the
clinic.”
“It’s depressing,” DePalma said. “I didn’t think I would leave,
but it’s time to move on.”
He said that his mentor told him the key of keeping customers
happy is to pretend that they’re walking into one’s home, and make
every customer feel important.
“I am grateful for a loyal clientele,” DePalma said. “The one
thing I want to emphasize is that the people of Laguna Beach have
been so great to me and have supported me.”
In return, he’s always tried to support causes throughout Laguna,
such as battered women, the cancer society, ASF and AIDS activism.
“I have no problem doing any of these things, I enjoy it,” DePalma
said. “People will say to me, ‘It’s so nice you did that thing,’ I’ll
say, ‘What did I do?’ I’ll forget about it, and it comes to me later
on -- I’ve got a funny feeling it all comes back to you. Karma.”
He said the things he’ll miss the most are things like his private
ASF benefit holiday party, which has raised $15,000 to $20,000 each
year.
“It’s not what you can get, but what you can do -- something that
fulfills your heart that can help others,” DePalma said.
But don’t expect him to disappear; Laguna is his home and he’s
planning on sticking around for a long time.
Mark’s Restaurant is at 858 S. Coast Highway and is closing on
June 2. For reservations for the benefit on May 27, call the clinic
at 494-0761, ext. 125.
To find out about Mark’s catering or to make a reservation before
they close, call 494-6711.
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