By Pollyana Ramos Tucker
A gentle breeze drifts by from the open doors across from where we are sitting. Cherry Blossom petals hang from the ceiling. Bright, neon lights along the wall help light up the intentionally dark corner that is filled with Japanese-inspired design. An Izakaya inspired menu sits in front of us. This is where we meet Cesar Vallin, managing partner of Cloak and Petal, located in the heart of Little Italy.
Cesar Vallin: Mother from Nayarit. Father from Tijuana. Born and raised in Pacific Beach. Also in the cards? An entrepreneurship style mindset that started from a bright, young age for Vallin.
“I was selling gum, Jolly Ranchers and Laffy Taffy in middle school. Blow Pops for 25 cents. I always had that in my head… I knew that I always had the mentality to make more money, to run a business.”
Along with his mother and father, Vallin spent his childhood right here in San Diego. From Pacific Beach to Clairemont, he found success in baseball, starting at 5 years old and continuing for 17 years. Three shoulder surgeries later would close the door on that chapter, but Vallin still had a vision of success on his mind.
“I think most of us; we want that instant gratification, right? We want that instant money.”
Vallin continues, “I would say for like 10 years I went down the wrong path. I got very lucky that I didn’t mess up my life. With support from my mentors and my parents…they were like hey, if you want to continue down this path and make stupid decisions, you’re gonna end up somewhere you don’t want to end up.”
“A lot of my mentors were playing the long game. They were playing the game of investing in different areas and then making good decisions. And in the long term, you’ll see the fruits of your labor.”
In 2007, Vallin took his first steps into the restaurant industry, a bar/nightclub in La Jolla. Vallin was very candid with the nine year journey being a complete learning experience. “It was kind of my school. I didn’t respect money a whole lot. For us (Vallin and partners) to stay in for nine years, I would say we did something right. We just held on for too long and by the time we tried to get our business acumen up to date, it was too late.”
With his business and future in the industry in question, one constant remained in Vallin’s life. The support from his mother and father.
“I remember coming home and telling my parents that I just couldn’t do it anymore. My dad said, just walk away. We believe in you.”
And he did. “I lost everything. I moved back in with my parents, lost my car, lost my cell phone.”
Not one to give up, less than a year later Cesar Vallin would find himself right outside of Cloak and Petal. “I was sitting outside with a clicker. And I would count how many people would walk by here. I talked to the owner that was selling it, and he gave me the keys to come in. I would come in and I would sit there by myself and I would close my eyes and tell myself what I wanted the place to look like. I would visualize what I wanted the place to look like. And little by little things started aligning for me.”
Vallin was able to garner support from his partners and from people he says who had believed in him for a very long time.
That was in 2017. By 2019, Vallin was 30% owner of Cloak and Petal. While the restaurant took off, Vallin remembers a few bumps in the road, including 2020 when the pandemic hit the U.S. Knowing the restaurant could take a financial hit from Covid restrictions, Vallin still chose to shift his efforts on helping the front lines with the restaurant’s food. “During Covid, we focused on giving away free food to first responders. We probably gave away like 2,500 meals. I didn’t care about making money. I just wanted to support them.”
The restaurant’s success continues today, as Cloak and Petal remains a top spot for both locals and tourists to visit in San Diego. During our conversation, Vallin hinted at a couple of new potential spots for more locations, including the idea of adding more izakaya inspired spots.
Given all the ups and downs through Vallin’s career, one thing remains clear.
Family.
When asked if he was able to lean on his parents during the highs and lows of his career, Vallin responded without hesitation. “My parents? Yeah. Oh, absolutely. My dad’s my hero. So is my mom.”