Grazing Theory’s proprietress, Gina LaMora, is known for her beautiful, high end charcuterie boards and her charming cheese and wine shop at Vail Ranch in South Temecula. But what many people don’t know is that the married mom of two has a weekend wild side. And that she has a need…a need for speed.
That need for speed comes in the form of weekend offroad adventures in the family’s Ford Raptor. The South African-born LaMora, a former civil engineer, enjoys spending weekends with her husband and sons going on high speed off road “Raptor Runs” all over Southern California.
“I first got into off-roading when I married my husband in 2010. He’s always been into off-roading, had motorcycles, dirt bikes – it was how we were courting each other. We worked at the same engineering firm together in Virginia and I reached out to him and said, ‘I think my midlife crisis hit me at 28 and I’m buying a motorcycle!’ And he said, ‘let me know if you want to go for a ride.’ And that’s how we started dating – it’s what we did as a couple before we got married."
And soon after the couple tied the knot, their passion for motorsports took a different turn. “After we got married, Justin said he wanted to buy a Ford Raptor. And his whole selling point to me was that we could drive 100 miles an hour over a dry lake bed…but we lived in Virginia and there were no dry lake beds there,” she laughs. “So we bought a big F-150 Raptor and that was my daily driver. We took the kids to school in it and our family stuff (happened) in that truck."
The LaMoras relocated to Southern California in 2018 and now spend at least two weekends every month enjoying the outdoors and pursuing their offroad adventures. “We go to Johnson Valley, Ocotillo and sometimes to Baja,” LaMora says. “We have friends who always invite us out. They know we love catering and we love making food so that has become how both our loves have merged. We typically pack up the truck, get our grill, our taco meat and we’ll make food and just enjoy the day as a family.”
“Last year I bought a Ford Bronco Raptor and now I like to take my truck because it is more plush," says LaMora. "Justin’s Raptor is a little more rugged and loud – he completely stripped and added all the race seats and the roll cages. If we’re taking the kids out, we usually take my truck – the boys love it! The whole family gets to go out and have fun." LaMora wants to encourage more people to try off-roading. “It’s very empowering for women to drive…and I think everyone should get out in the desert – drive to Joshua Tree, just get out in nature. It’s good for people to unplug.“
LaMora loves playing “camp mom” while out in the desert and enjoys planning the menu for everyone, packing lunches for the family and cooking outdoors on the grill at the campsites. “Mostly filet mignon and shrimp,” she says, “but I also make “potjie,” a South African beef stew. I make a big pot that can feed 30-40 people! But I always bring charcuterie too. I need to be bougie!”
LaMora says that her love for food and feeding people began in her youth. “I’ve always loved entertaining. I’m one of 24 grandchildren – big family. So I was always the one in the kitchen making food with my grandma, washing the dishes, setting the table, so feeding large groups of people has always been in me," she says. "We would go to the farm and that’s where we would learn how to feed the animals, how to fix the fence, how to shoot, how to make food from the animal you just shot. I grew up in a very rustic way in South Africa…and I love that the things I learned as a child apply to my life now.”
On Grazing Theory & Paying It Forward
"One of the things I’m very proud of with Grazing Theory is that we have given new businesses a platform to announce themselves to the community," LaMora says. "It’s kind of like a paying it forward. Since I’ve received so much help in my life, now I have the opportunity to help other people. We have 13 local companies that we represent in our store – from Mrs. G’s Jellies, Famous PUDN, a local honey maker, a cookie baker and some local wine makers. It’s nice to cheer people on because that little bit of encouragement can make or break a local business owner, especially when they are just starting out."
I always bring charcuterie...I need to be bougie!
I think everyone should get out in the desert. It's good for people to unplug.