About Claudia Orona
Claudia is a self-described Mexican girl living in a Danish town in California. She was born in Aguascalientes City in Mexico and moved to Carpinteria, California with her family in 2002. She graduated from Carpinteria High School in 2006. Throughout High School and College, she focused on training as a dancer and theater artist working on various community college theater events and arts festivals, including Santa Barbara City College Theater Group, Arts for Humanity!, American Dance and Music, Gustafson Dance, and Summer Solstice Celebration.
In 2008, she moved to the Santa Ynez Valley and funded Solvang Trolley & Carriage Co. with her family. They opened Solvang Trolley Ice Cream Parlor in 2010, and reopened the Little Mermaid Restaurant in 2014, going from building a modest self-employment family model to managing over 30 employees. Claudia produced the Solvang Faerie Festival from 2011 to 2018. At the Faerie Festival, she coordinated volunteers and world-renowned talent to bring an immersive experience to downtown Solvang. She has also volunteered for various festivals, parades, and special events throughout the Santa Ynez Valley.
Aside from her endeavors in Solvang, she is passionate about professional cooking and fine dining. She trained with Acme Hospitality in Santa Barbara and does occasional pop-up concepts. She blended her artistic pursuits and culinary endeavors at Black Rock City, where she cooked for over 150 first responders at the Burning Man Festival.
Claudia believes her experience in community art projects and tourism-related businesses in Solvang bring a fresh perspective to the City Council. She is grateful for being able to thrive in Solvang and wants the opportunity to be available for generations to come.
When she's off duty, Claudia enjoys dancing, cosplaying, the outdoors, and art and music events. She collects Michelin-starred restaurant cookbooks and is a fan of stoic philosophy.