A thoughtfully curated collection of food, services, products, giving, and people in Orange County

Know Tableau

GET TO KNOW TABLEAU

Thank you for visiting our website — we’re so happy you’re here! Whether you prefer to browse the site for stories or want to flip through the virtual pages of our digital magazine, we know you’ll love Tableau. Each issue is full of inspiring people, interesting places, delicious dining, fun shopping, captivating art, and opportunities to give back.

Happy reading,

Letter from the Editor

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Welcome to the Spring issue of Tableau Magazine!

This is absolutely my favorite time of year, when the world feels fresh and full of possibility. Blue skies and puffy white clouds, rain showers that leave behind rainbows, green hillsides, wildflowers and beautiful garden blooms. The promise of summer just around the corner.

And, of course, Spring is about growth. And this edition of our wonderful magazine celebrates growth in so many forms. In these beautiful virtual pages you’ll find:

Personal growth — Bridget Belden provides her relatable perspective on development with some tips to get you on a positive path to insight and self-care
Gardening — Alyssa Hamilton shares her journey in starting a native garden
Fresh food — From Anita Lau’s garden-to-table restaurant review of 608 Dahlia to Amy Senk’s behind-the-scenes look at a new healthy cookbook whose sales benefit a local charity
Spring cleaning — Allison Hata’s feature helps us clean up, clean out and freshen up our homes
Wildflower spotting — Sara Hall’s guide leads you to the region’s best wild blooms

We hope you enjoy this special issue and that you’ll share your favorite stories with a friend or two. Happy Spring to you from the Tableau Magazine family!

With gratitude,

Carrie Freitas

Carrie Freitas

Team Tableau

TEAM TABLEAU

Meet the passionate and talented team that brings Tableau to life

Introducing the
TABLEAU STAFF

Miki Akil

After working as a publicist in Hollywood, Miki found her calling in consumer/lifestyle PR. She is a Houston native (who you’ll always find watching the Astros or Texans) with a proven track record of developing powerful marketing communications campaigns. After moving to the West Coast more than 10 years ago, she now calls Oceanside home and lives with her husband, two kitties and pups.

Carrie Freitas

Carrie hails from a newspaper / journalism family on her mother’s side, and a marketing/ printing family on her father’s — which explains why she is both a published writer and founder of Kitchen Table Marketing. She lives in Newport Beach with her husband and is a proud mom of two, and stepmom of three. Carrie is passionate about giving back to her community and supporting LGBTQ+ rights.

Thank you to the Spring 2023 issue's
CONTRIBUTORS

Bridget Belden

Bridget Belden is Founder and CEO of Magenta Consulting, a coaching organization providing world class tools to empower women to discover who they are beyond being a mom. After Bridget’s own struggles to find fulfillment as a mom with young kids, she started Magenta Consulting to help others on the same journey. She lives in Orange County with her husband of 30 years, Charlie and their dog Max. She loves travelling, spending time with friends and family, and will rarely pass up the opportunity for a good meal and a nice bottle of wine.

Sara Hall

Sara has nearly 14 years of experience at several daily and weekly newspapers, including The Record Searchlight in Redding, The Daily Advocate in Greenville, Ohio, the Newport Beach Independent, and most recently at Stu News Newport and Stu News Laguna. Her work has included photography, writing, design and layout. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, backpacking, traveling, and spending time with her husband and pets.

Alyssa Swanson Hamilton

Alyssa is a lifelong Southern California resident. She has been writing professionally for over 20 years, primarily for health websites and magazines. She is an MFA candidate at Sierra Nevada University and is currently working on a novel. She enjoys permaculture, tending her meadow garden, basking in freezing water wherever she can find it, and spending time in the desert under the stars. She lives in Newport Beach with her two teenage sons and a black Lab named Bear.

Sammy Har

Sammy is a Public Relations student and soon-to-be graduate at The University of Oregon. She has explored social media management as well as personal and professional writing particularly in the lifestyle/wellness community.

Originally from Southern California, she typically finds herself on the beach, searching for the best local Americano, or planning her next travel adventure to chase the sun alongside her family and friends.

Allison Hata

Allison Hata is a freelance writer and editor based in Southern California. She lives and breathes OC, covering food, style, design and culture around town for over a decade. A former editor for Newport Beach Magazine, Allison is passionate about telling stories that capture the fascinating people and places that shape her community. Her work has appeared locally in Modern Luxury, Pelican Hill Magazine, Design OC and more.

Anita Lau

Anita has been a food writer for almost 30 years, first in Asia, Australia and the Bay Area, before settling in Orange County, 15 years ago. Besides her blog, "diary of a Mad Hungry Woman", Anita was also an International Producer for Netflix's The Final Table, and has judged numerous cooking competitions, including Gordon Ramsay's, Hell's Kitchen. Locally, she has contributed to various publications, including Riviera, Laguna Beach and Orange Coast magazines. She is hugely passionate about giving back, and thoroughly enjoys volunteering, especially, involving underserved women and children.

Amy Senk

Amy is a longtime Corona del Mar resident and a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. She has worked at the Kansas City Times, Kansas City Star, Contra Costa Times, Coast Kids and Coast magazines, published the online news site Corona del Mar Today and currently is a regular contributor to StuNews Newport. A recent empty nester, she spends her free time hanging out with her husband and planning elaborate imaginary vacations.

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