The foundations of luxury

It was started as a place to talk about business, a dining club for tasting top cuisine and discussing real estate deals and corporate mergers.

Founded more than 23 years ago by George Argyros, William Lyon and 31 other Orange County tycoons, the Pacific Club has grown into one of the top members-only dining facilities in the region.

“The original concept was to have a very exclusive club in Orange County where businesspeople could meet and socialize,” said Pacific Club General Manager Joe Gatto.

Today the club, on MacArthur Boulevard near John Wayne Airport, has more than 500 members and is undergoing a major remodeling. Club President James Quandt said construction crews will have the new clubhouse done by October, just 10 months after demolishing the old facility. In the meantime, they’ve been using an interim clubhouse.

“It’s amazing how fast we’ve been able to work on this project,” Quandt said as he led a hard-hat tour of the club, which will include seven private dining rooms, an outdoor patio area overlooking an artificial lake, and a small grill for casual dining.

The club was conceived by Brooke Bentley of the Big Canyon Country Club in 1983. It was modeled on dinner clubs such as the Jonathan Club in Los Angeles and the University Club in New York, where members pony up thousands of dollars up front and several hundred a month for the right to eat at the club and use its exercise facility.

A 1992 Los Angeles Times article said the Pacific Club cost $12,000 to join and another $235 a month in fees. Quandt said he couldn’t release the latest membership dues, but said the pricing is “nominal.”

At the time it was built, a handful of country clubs dotted Orange County, but no dining clubs existed for patrons to consistently find a table and a glass of red wine. The founders developed the Pacific Club as a nonprofit so that all proceeds could be put back into quality ingredients. That means the finest wines from Napa, free-range chicken and the best French cheeses.

“It’s every chef’s dream,” executive chef David Martin said. “To have so many resources at your fingertips is incredible. I can pick up the phone and get anything I need.”

Martin said he frequently travels the globe to learn more about food and develop new menus, which he changes every few weeks. He regularly hosts culinary students and often holds educational courses so members can try different vintages from the club’s extensive wine cellar. Of course, it’s not easy to get in. Prospective members must be sponsored by four current members and have their application approved by a committee.dpt.17-goodolddays-CPhotoInfoN81R13T420060517izdr6incDON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)James Quandt, Pacific Club president; Joe Gatto, general manager; and David Martin, executive chef, stand at the site of the Pacific Club, which is being remodeled.