Cook's Corner

Last updated
Cook's Corner
Cook's Corner logo.jpg
CooksCorner2005.JPG
Bikes in front of Cook's Corner, circa 2005
Cook's Corner
Restaurant information
Established1884
Food type American
Dress code Casual
Street address19152 Santiago Canyon Rd
City Trabuco Canyon
State California
Postal/ZIP Code92679
Country United States

Cook's Corner is an Orange County, California bar built in 1884 that is popular with motorcyclists. [1] It is located between the city of Lake Forest and the unincorporated community of Silverado. Cook's Corner is situated in Trabuco Canyon, California at the three-way intersection of El Toro Road, Santiago Canyon Road and Live Oak Canyon Road.

Contents

History

The building is named for Andrew Jackson Cook, a merchant who acquired 190 acres (77 ha) of land in the South Orange County area after serving as a private in the CSA in Springfield, Missouri, making fortunes through raids, which helped the western expansion to California. The building was constructed not long after, in 1884. In 1926, Cook's son, Earl Jack "E.J." Cook, converted the structure into a restaurant meant to supply food to miners and local ranchers. Seven years later, after the end of the Prohibition period, alcohol began being sold again, and Cook's was converted into a bar. The Cook family sold Cook's, which included the bar, the Cook's family house, and about 40 acres of land to two owners, Victor Villa and Volker Streicek, of the Santa Ana, California based motorcycle accessories company Cheat'ah Engineering in 1975. The Cook family purchased a ranch in Montana and moved out of Southern California. Volker and Victor had founded Cheat'ah Engineering in 1969, along with Ron Rondeau. They purchased Cook's as an investment, but also as a place where motorcycle clubs could gather in peace. Volker and Victor were proud of the fact that Cook's was a place to party with very few fights between motorcycle clubs and patrons. The owners established a policy where no motorcycle club colors were allowed at Cook's. Cook's became one of the more famous social places for bikers in Southern California. Volker and his wife Shirley ran the bar in the late 70's, before moving to Colorado. Victor and Volker sold Cook's in the 1980s. Volker died on March 29, 2011, in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. [2] Victor still lives in Southern California.

Cook's today

Today's Cook's Corner is a wooden structure similar to a World War II-era restaurant and bar. The property includes a pool table, outdoor recreational area for horseshoe games, as well as trails for mountain biking and hiking. The majority of bikers come to Cook's Corner on the weekends, when Cook's hosts a number of events, mainly dealing with motorcycles, including the "CHOC ride of 2006," and the "9/11 Remembrance ride." On the first Sunday of May each year, [3] about 2,000 come for the annual Blessing of the Bikes given by a priest of nearby St. Michael's Abbey. [4] In May 2006, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made a stop in Orange County, and ate at Cook's Corner. During the California wildfires of October 2007, newscasters reporting on the Santiago Fire ate lunch at Cook's Corner, as well as firefighters working to control the blaze.

In May 2008, a small-scale landslide destroyed a large section of the famous outdoor patio. ABC 7 and NBC 4 were among some of the news teams that broadcast the event. Damages were somewhat minor, and the repairs took just a few days.[ citation needed ]

Mass shooting

On August 23, 2023, a shooting occurred at the bar in which four people were killed (including the gunman) and six wounded. It was reported that an ex-Ventura Police officer had traveled to the bar to kill his ex-wife. He would later open fire with shots being called in between 6:40 and 7 pm (PST). The shooter was believed to have shot his wife in the bar and one bystander on the patio along with two bystanders in the street near the intersection of Live Oak Canyon Road and El Toro - Santiago Canyon Road. It was estimated that over 50 first responder vehicles had reported to the scene. The suspect, 59-year-old John Snowling, a retired Ventura County law enforcement officer, was pronounced deceased after reportedly being shot in a silver Toyota Tundra pickup truck, after attempting to flee the scene. [5]

Cook's Corner re-opened on September 1, a little more than a week after the incident. [6]

Motorcycles at Cook's Corner Cook's Corner wideshot.jpg
Motorcycles at Cook's Corner

See also

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rancho Santa Margarita, California</span> City in California, United States

Rancho Santa Margarita is a city in Orange County, California, United States. One of Orange County's youngest cities, Rancho Santa Margarita is a master-planned community. The population was 47,853 at the 2010 census, up from 47,214 at the 2000 census. Although it is named for Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores, which was in San Diego County, the city limits fall within the borders of Rancho Mission Viejo. At 20 characters long, it is the longest city name in California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Ana Mountains</span> Mountain range in California, United States

The Santa Ana Mountains are a short peninsular mountain range along the coast of Southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 61 miles (98 km) southeast of the Los Angeles Basin largely along the border between Orange and Riverside counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trabuco Canyon, California</span> Unincorporated community in California, United States

Trabuco Canyon is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains in eastern Orange County, California, and lies partly within the Cleveland National Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Custom motorcycle</span>

A custom motorcycle is a motorcycle with stylistic and/or structural changes to the 'standard' mass-produced machine offered by major manufacturers. Custom motorcycles might be unique, or built in limited quantities. While individual motorcyclists have altered the appearance of their machines since the first days of motorcycling, the first individualized motorcycles specifically labeled 'Custom' appeared in the late 1950s, around the same time as the term was applied to custom cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland National Forest</span> Southernmost National forest of California

The Cleveland National Forest is a U.S. National Forest in Southern California that encompasses 460,000 acres/720 sq mi (1,900 km2) of inland montane regions. It is approximately 60 miles from the Pacific Ocean, within the counties of San Diego, Riverside, and Orange. The landscape varies somewhat, with mostly chaparral canyons, arroyos and high desert, but dotted with meadows and oak and conifer forests. Near water sources, riparian environments and perennial aquatic plants attract native and migratory wildlife, such as at San Diego’s man-made Lake Cuyamaca. A generally warm and dry, inland-Mediterranean climate prevails over the forest, with the cooler months producing morning frost and snowfall. It is the southernmost U.S. National Forest of California. The area is administered by the U.S. Forest Service, a government agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, and is locally overseen by the Descanso, Palomar and Trabuco Ranger Districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silverado, California</span> Unincorporated community in Orange County, California, United States

Silverado is an unincorporated community in Silverado Canyon, which is located in the Santa Ana Mountains in eastern Orange County, California. Portions of the town sit on a former Mexican land grant Rancho Lomas de Santiago. Silverado is located at the boundaries of Cleveland National Forest. The site is a California Historical Landmark, and is located near the village site of Puhú.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission Viejo High School</span> Public high school in Mission Viejo, California, United States

Mission Viejo High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Mission Viejo, California, United States, as part of the Saddleback Valley Unified School District. The school has served the area since 1966. Students within its attendance boundaries live in western Mission Viejo, southwest Lake Forest, Trabuco Canyon, Rancho Santa Margarita, and Laguna Hills. Its mascot is Pablo the Diablo and its colors are scarlet and gold. 230 credits are required to graduate. It is the home to one of the only agricultural farms on a high school campus in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance</span>

Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance (JMA) is an umbrella organization of Jewish motorcycle clubs. The JMA's affiliate clubs consist of independent motorcycle riding clubs with JMA membership criteria. A member club designates a representative to serve on the JMA Council.

Santiago Canyon is a canyon and unincorporated community in South Orange County, California. According to the 2000 census, Santiago Canyon has several hundred residents living within its borders. Trabuco Canyon, Silverado Canyon, Modjeska Canyon and Williams Canyon are tributaries of Santiago Canyon. Santiago Creek flows northwest from the canyon, then west into the Santa Ana River. Neighborhoods in Santiago Canyon include Santiago Canyon Estates and Falcon View Estates. The landmark Cook's Corner motorcycle restaurant is also located within Santiago Canyon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santiago Fire</span> 2007 wildfire in Southern California

The Santiago Fire was a wildfire located near Santiago Canyon in Orange County, California, United States, and one of thirty California wildfires of October 2007. The fire was intentionally started.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arroyo Trabuco</span> Major tributary of San Juan Creek in Orange County, California

Arroyo Trabuco is a 22-mile (35 km)-long stream in coastal southern California in the United States. Rising in a rugged canyon in the Santa Ana Mountains of Orange County, the creek flows west and southwest before emptying into San Juan Creek in the city of San Juan Capistrano. Arroyo Trabuco's watershed drains 54 square miles (140 km2) of hilly, semi-arid land and lies mostly in Orange County, with a small portion extending northward into Riverside County. The lower section of the creek flows through three incorporated cities and is moderately polluted by urban and agricultural runoff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of motorcycles and motorcycling</span> Overview of and topical guide to motorcycles and motorcycling

The following outline is provided as an overview of motorcycles and motorcycling:

This is a glossary of motorcycling terms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biker bar</span> Type of bar

A biker bar is a bar that is frequented by bikers. Some are owned or managed by people who are friendly toward bikers. Some bars and restaurants advertise that they are "biker friendly" to attract more bikers and motorcycle (bike) enthusiasts. Biker bars are patronized by people from all walks of life, including bikers, non-bikers, and motorcycle club adherents, including outlaw motorcycle clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Fire (2018)</span> 2018 wildfire in Southern California

The Holy Fire was a wildfire that burned in the Cleveland National Forest in Orange and Riverside Counties, California. The wildfire started on August 6, 2018, at around 1:15 PM PDT, in the vicinity of Trabuco Canyon. A suspected arsonist was booked into the Orange County jail in Santa Ana, California but found not guilty in 2023. The blaze burned 23,136 acres (94 km2) and destroyed 18 buildings, before it was fully contained on September 13, 2018. While the fire was actively spreading in early and mid-August, residents of the nearby cities of Corona, Temescal Valley, and Lake Elsinore were placed under evacuation orders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silverado Fire</span> 2020 wildfire in Southern California

The Silverado Fire was a wildfire that burned in October and November 2020 in southern Orange County, California northeast of Irvine. The fire started on October 26 around 6:47 AM near Orange County Route S-18 and Silverado Canyon Road, fueled by strong Santa Ana winds gusting up to 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) and low humidity. Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy stated, "The winds were extraordinary even by Santa Ana standards. Fire spread is exceeding more than anything I've seen in my 44 years." The fire initially moved south from Loma Ridge toward the Orchard Hills, Northwood and Portola Springs communities of Irvine before moving southeast through Limestone Canyon and toward the communities of Foothill Ranch and Lake Forest. The fire burned in a path similar to that taken by the 2007 Santiago Fire, mostly through terrain that had not seen significant burning in the 13 years since that fire. 100% containment was announced on November 7, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Trabuco Canyon shooting</span> Mass shooting in Trabuco Canyon, California, U.S.

On August 23, 2023, a mass shooting occurred at the Cook's Corner bar in Trabuco Canyon, California, United States. Three people were killed and six others wounded before the gunman, 59-year-old ex-Ventura police officer John Snowling, was shot and killed by responding police officers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airport Fire</span> 2024 wildfire in Southern California

The Airport Fire was a wildfire that burned 23,526 acres (9,521 ha) in the Santa Ana Mountains in Southern California in September and October 2024. The fire destroyed 160 structures in Orange and Riverside counties and caused 21 non-fatal injuries. At its peak, 20,780 structures were threatened by the fire.

References

  1. Yi, Daniel (February 27, 2005), "Face-lift for vintage biker bar; Past meets future as new owners spiff up canyon landmark", Los Angeles Times
  2. KELOWNA OBITUARIES, 1 Apr 2011.
  3. Biker Wear, 2 Jan 2010.
  4. OC Register, 2 Jan 2010.
  5. "At least 9 people shot, suspect down at Trabuco Canyon bar". ABC7 Los Angeles. 2023-08-24. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  6. Ritchie, Erika I. (August 31, 2023). "Cook's Corner announces reopening; auction and benefit concert are raising money for victims, staff". Orange County Register.

33°41′02″N117°37′13″W / 33.683835°N 117.620387°W / 33.683835; -117.620387