Sitting in front of the small empanada shop on Avenida Del Mar in San Clemente, artist Joshua Paskowitz confessed the massive, colorful sunset mural of the city’s famed pier and waves he started weeks ago could have been done by now.

But he’s simply enjoying the process too much, sitting out in the sun, talking surf stories with passerby while painting and seeing old friends.

“I’m milking it, hard,” he said with a sheepish smile.

“This is an ode to San Clemente and the richness of the past and all those great families who had their kids here and took them to the beach and had great legacies in San Clemente,” Paskowitz said of the building-length mural he is creating.

It’s the same vision The Real Empanada co-owner Marcelo Nonaca, who commissioned Paskowitz for the project, has for the surf mural and his new business – an easy grab-and-go option for beach-bound families making memories of their own.

Artist Joshua Paskowitz is painting a surf mural outside The Real Empanada shop on Avd. Del Mar in San Clemente, CA. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Paskowitz is the son of famed surfer Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz, one of the early San Onofre settlers who raised nine children in a 29-foot camper, long before van life was trendy.

Paskowitz didn’t want to just paint any sunset surf image. He wanted it to tell a story.

The piece – about 43 feet long by 8 feet tall – is called “The Four Generations of Surfing in San Clemente” and is an ode to surfing’s past, showcasing those who have shaped the culture in the surf-rich town.

The final touches to the painting will happen in coming weeks, with a ribbon cutting planned for March 11.

Riding three of the waves will be local legends, the first being Preston “Pete” Peterson, a early-era waterman who won the Pacific Coast Surfing Championship several times through the 1930s. He was a friend and mentor to Paskowitz’ dad, who ran the mainland’s first surf camp out of the family’s camper, just south of San Clemente at San Onofre State Beach.

For the ’60s era, he will paint John Severson, Surfer Magazine’s founder who was “such a powerful influencer in surf media and art.”

Fast forward to the ’80s and you’ll see San Clemente legend Matt Archbold, described by Paskowitz as the “James Dean of surfing,” who represents the town’s “spirit of individualism, style and commitment.”

Artist Joshua Paskowitz is painting a surf mural outside The Real Empanada shop on Avd. Del Mar in San Clemente, CA. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

“There’s so many great figures in San Clemente, it’s easy to get overwhelmed,” he said of narrowing down his choices.

The last wave represented will be the wave of the future – an “Instagrammable” spot passerby can stop and take selfies in front of the barreling surf.

With surfing riding into the mainstream, Paskowitz said he worries the stories of those who shaped the culture – like his father’s – will be lost, so he’s dedicating himself to sharing those stories. He has an exhibit currently at the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum.

He’s enjoying telling the stories to inquisitive passerby while he paints.

A mural embracing the town’s surf vibes was what Nonaca also envisioned, in line with why he and his cousin, Kenny Porter, opened the empanada shop. The entrepreneur and artist instantly hit it off with their shared love of surf travels and tight family connections.

Nonaca grew up in Los Angeles, but said he would frequent South Orange County as a kid to visit an uncle, who would take him to T Street, where he learned to ride waves.

As a teen, he moved to Argentina and stayed through college, fueled during those years by the savory pastry treats found at small shops throughout the country.

Twenty years ago, when deciding where to live when returning to the United States, Nonaca said he thought of those nostalgic years as a kid riding waves in San Clemente.

But something was missing in this town he loved. There seemed to be few options for quick meals for families heading to the beach, he said.

So he said he told his cousin, “Let’s create something about the lifestyle. A healthier way to live, being active, surfing and the beach. Let’s rebrand empanadas for the lifestyle.

“We wanted to represent something that’s beach-friendly food,” he said.

The Real Empanada co-owner Marcelo Nonaca just opened shop a few months ago with a vision that beach-bound families can grab and go to the sand and surf. (PHOTO BY LAYLAN CONNELLY/SCNG)

So they revamped an old insurance business to set up shop in the middle of the pandemic and opened a few months ago, using recipes Nonaca learned in Argentina, a baked version of the savory pastry as opposed to the fried ones found in other South American countries.

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Several family members help with the operation, including Nonaca’s two sons, Joey, 19, and Santino, 15, who can be found pressing empanadas in the back. Even daughter Luna, 7, gets behind the counter to take orders.

“She can sell anything, no one can say no to her,” Nonaca said.

The menu is basic – beef, chicken, ham and cheese and a vegetarian option – but they are experimenting with new flavors and have a secret menu of desserts, including a decadent dulce de leche-filled version.

Nonaca said he hopes the tasty eats will be a part of beach-bound family memories.

“There’s so many great places in San Clemente, the beach being one of them. We’re spoiled here, the weather is awesome,” he said. “Instead of being cooped up in a restaurant, grab a few empanadas and go to the beach.”

While the baked pastries are Argentina inspired, they are San Clemente’s own, Nonaca said. “It says on the box, ‘Made for San Clemente with love.’”