Tucked into the Seabright neighborhood, Linda's Seabreeze Café has been a Santa Cruz gathering place for decades. The café got its start as a partnership with original owner Linda, and when she decided to sell her share, longtime partners Tex and Claire Hintze took over — keeping her name on the sign as a nod to the business they'd built together.

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Under Tex and Claire, the café became known as much for its warmth as its food. Tex ran the tiny kitchen with remarkable speed and trained every cook who came through it, while Claire worked the floor and looked after staff like family. Everything was made from scratch, from organic tofu scrambles to homemade corned beef hash, and customers could always mix and match their order at no extra charge. Birthdays meant a free cinnamon roll with a candle — Tex's recipe, a perfect balance of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, became the stuff of local legend, with regulars stocking their freezers before leaving town to make them last.

More than the menu, though, it was the generosity that defined the place: gift certificates donated to local schools and fundraisers, grace extended to anyone short on cash, and a self-serve coffee station run entirely on the honor system. Through it all, the café stayed a true community anchor — a spot where neighbors celebrated milestones, sought comfort after hard days, and felt at home.

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In late 2024, Tex and Claire passed the torch to veteran restaurateurs Marcie Bei Magdaleno and her husband Mark — a couple they trusted to carry the café's community-first spirit forward. Today, Linda's Seabreeze Café continues that legacy: a beloved neighborhood institution built on good food, generosity, and genuine care for the people who walk through its doors.

Adapted from Adriana Owsley's tribute in Lookout Santa Cruz, "Linda's Seabreeze Café: A Santa Cruz legend, and a cinnamon roll to live for."

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"Linda's Seabreeze Café: A Santa Cruz legend, and a cinnamon roll to live for."
— Adriana Owsley, Lookout Santa Cruz [Read the full story here]