$49.00 USD
$27.00 USD
Claudia Niccola never planned to open a tea house. At the time, she was
deep in the demands of life as a NICU nurse. Her husband Allan was
teaching and helping run their family’s music store. Their kids were
grown, and life was shifting into a new season.
Claudia started praying for something more. Not just something to do, but something with heart.
Then one afternoon, her youngest daughter, Arianna, invited her out for
tea. It wasn’t just the tea that changed things. It was the setting. The
stillness. The way conversations slowed down and suddenly felt more
meaningful. Claudia brought her other daughters, Shannon and Lisa, not
long after. The three of them started making tea dates a habit. They
laughed, they cried, they dreamed a little.
And one day, they dreamed bigger. What if we built a place like this?
Something cozy and beautiful. A little cottage with music playing and
real china on the tables. A space where people could escape the noise and
reconnect with each other.
Claudia was all in. Allan needed some convincing at first, but he saw the
spark in her eyes. Before long, he was dreaming too.
A Place Worth Fighting For
They knew from the beginning that it couldn’t be in a shopping center or
a strip mall. This wasn’t just a business. They wanted to own the land. To
build something that would last.
Then one day, driving through San Juan Capistrano, they passed a tiny
red shack on Los Rios Street with a “For Sale” sign in the window. The
neighborhood was rough. The building was boarded up. But it felt right.
They called right away, only to learn it was already in escrow. Still, Allan
called back. Every week. On the tenth week, the seller answered the
phone and said, “You won’t believe who just called me.” The buyer had
backed out. They bought it that day, and that was just the beginning!
City regulations required them to live on the property, but the red shack
wasn’t fit to live in. It barely had room for a stove. Luckily, their Realtor,
Phil, had a solution. An old Victorian home was about to be demolished
just a mile and a half away. They could have it for $5,000 if they could
figure out how to move it. They jumped on the opportunity!
The Night the House Moved
At two in the morning, under a dark sky, the house started its journey. A
full crew of engineers and city workers escorted it down the road while
the Niccola family walked alongside it. It crossed a bridge, ducked under
power lines, and took up the entire road. Power had to be shut off.
Permits had to be pulled. At one point, a man stopped his car to tell the
police, with complete sincerity, that he had just seen a house on the
bridge. He wasn’t wrong.
Claudia insisted they protect the old sycamore tree out front, and to this
day it still stands tall over the lawn. The house was gently set onto its new
foundation. The red shack and the Victorian became neighbors, and
partners, in something extraordinary.
Built by Hand, Held by Heart
The Niccola's did most of the work themselves. Claudia oversaw construction and permits. They picked out antiques, scoured estate sales for
teacups, hunted for wallpaper, and brought in mismatched chairs that
somehow all felt like they belonged together. Their daughter Arianna
came home from UCLA on weekends to help. Friends pitched in. A
young draftsman named Tom helped design the space. A chef named
Vince came in to help them build the menu.
They even enrolled in restaurant classes at UC Irvine to make sure they
got it right.
For two years, they lived in a small house next to the property. The whole
family helped where they could. Laying brick, painting, and landscaping.
The very first meal they ever shared on the property? Kentucky Fried
Chicken. Eaten while sitting on the floor during construction.
At last, in January 1998, the doors were ready to open.
A Dream Made Real
Forty-five guests walked through the door that first day. Both friends and
guests became part of the story.
Over time, it grew into more than a restaurant. It became a place people
marked their lives. Baby showers. Birthdays. Weddings. Memorials.
Grandmothers brought their granddaughters. Old friends reconnected
over tea and scones.
Claudia welcomed every guest like an old friend. Grandson Damian
brought fresh flowers for the tables. Together, they built a place that felt
like home.
A Legacy That Still Lives
From the very beginning, Damian had been part of it all. He swept floors,
helped in the kitchen, and watched the place grow. Years later, after a
successful career in accounting, he felt the pull to come home.
Now, he leads The Tea House on Los Rios with the same heart and care
that started it all, honoring the past, while building the future.
Through all the years, the feeling has stayed the same. Tea poured from
real pots. Scones served with their signature California cream. And the
quiet magic that makes people say, again and again, “I can’t wait to bring
my mom here,” or “This is the place I want my daughter to remember.”
Claudia Niccola never planned to open a tea house. At the time, she was
deep in the demands of life as a NICU nurse. Her husband Allan was
teaching and helping run their family’s music store. Their kids were
grown, and life was shifting into a new season.
Claudia started praying for something more. Not just something to do, but something with heart.
Then one afternoon, her youngest daughter, Arianna, invited her out for
tea. It wasn’t just the tea that changed things. It was the setting. The
stillness. The way conversations slowed down and suddenly felt more
meaningful. Claudia brought her other daughters, Shannon and Lisa, not
long after. The three of them started making tea dates a habit. They
laughed, they cried, they dreamed a little.
And one day, they dreamed bigger. What if we built a place like this?
Something cozy and beautiful. A little cottage with music playing and
real china on the tables. A space where people could escape the noise and
reconnect with each other.
Claudia was all in. Allan needed some convincing at first, but he saw the
spark in her eyes. Before long, he was dreaming too.
A Place Worth Fighting For
They knew from the beginning that it couldn’t be in a shopping center or
a strip mall. This wasn’t just a business. They wanted to own the land. To
build something that would last.
Then one day, driving through San Juan Capistrano, they passed a tiny
red shack on Los Rios Street with a “For Sale” sign in the window. The
neighborhood was rough. The building was boarded up. But it felt right.
They called right away, only to learn it was already in escrow. Still, Allan
called back. Every week. On the tenth week, the seller answered the
phone and said, “You won’t believe who just called me.” The buyer had
backed out. They bought it that day, and that was just the beginning!
City regulations required them to live on the property, but the red shack
wasn’t fit to live in. It barely had room for a stove. Luckily, their Realtor,
Phil, had a solution. An old Victorian home was about to be demolished
just a mile and a half away. They could have it for $5,000 if they could
figure out how to move it. They jumped on the opportunity!
The Night the House Moved
At two in the morning, under a dark sky, the house started its journey. A
full crew of engineers and city workers escorted it down the road while
the Niccola family walked alongside it. It crossed a bridge, ducked under
power lines, and took up the entire road. Power had to be shut off.
Permits had to be pulled. At one point, a man stopped his car to tell the
police, with complete sincerity, that he had just seen a house on the
bridge. He wasn’t wrong.
Claudia insisted they protect the old sycamore tree out front, and to this
day it still stands tall over the lawn. The house was gently set onto its new
foundation. The red shack and the Victorian became neighbors, and
partners, in something extraordinary.
Built by Hand, Held by Heart
The Niccola's did most of the work themselves. Claudia oversaw construction and permits. They picked out antiques, scoured estate sales for
teacups, hunted for wallpaper, and brought in mismatched chairs that
somehow all felt like they belonged together. Their daughter Arianna
came home from UCLA on weekends to help. Friends pitched in. A
young draftsman named Tom helped design the space. A chef named
Vince came in to help them build the menu.
They even enrolled in restaurant classes at UC Irvine to make sure they
got it right.
For two years, they lived in a small house next to the property. The whole
family helped where they could. Laying brick, painting, and landscaping.
The very first meal they ever shared on the property? Kentucky Fried
Chicken. Eaten while sitting on the floor during construction.
At last, in January 1998, the doors were ready to open.
A Dream Made Real
Forty-five guests walked through the door that first day. Both friends and
guests became part of the story.
Over time, it grew into more than a restaurant. It became a place people
marked their lives. Baby showers. Birthdays. Weddings. Memorials.
Grandmothers brought their granddaughters. Old friends reconnected
over tea and scones.
Claudia welcomed every guest like an old friend. Grandson Damian
brought fresh flowers for the tables. Together, they built a place that felt
like home.
A Legacy That Still Lives
From the very beginning, Damian had been part of it all. He swept floors,
helped in the kitchen, and watched the place grow. Years later, after a
successful career in accounting, he felt the pull to come home.
Now, he leads The Tea House on Los Rios with the same heart and care
that started it all, honoring the past, while building the future.
Through all the years, the feeling has stayed the same. Tea poured from
real pots. Scones served with their signature California cream. And the
quiet magic that makes people say, again and again, “I can’t wait to bring
my mom here,” or “This is the place I want my daughter to remember.”
