Christina Ferrari operates Shoreline Lake and Cafe as escape for busy Silicon Valley people

Standing on a pier at Shoreline Lake, Menlo Park resident Christina Ferrari remembers the spot when it was a dump. Literally. “I remember coming here with my Dad as a kid,” she says.

All grown up, Christina is the owner and president of Silicon Shores Corp., which has managed the Shoreline Lake Aquatic Center and Lakeside Cafe for the past 14 years. As such, she is a knowledgeable expert about the manmade facility that’s used year round.

“The saltwater lake covers 50 acres,” she says. “The water comes from the Charleston Slough and is pumped back out via Permanente Creek. We use Solar Bee as the water circulators. It’s pumped in and out 22 hours a day — the lake is not affected by the tides.”

While not affected by tides, Shoreline Lake is only about 300 yards from San Francisco Bay. “The winds make it ideal for sailing and windsurfing,” Christina explains. “That said, some people come here just to bird watch.”

Diners at the The Cafe take note of the pastries, which Christina oversees,  “I went to Nativity School in Menlo Park and then attended Castellija before heading south to the University of San Diego,” she recounts. “Then I went to Paris where I learned to cook classic French pastry and cuisine.

“In San Diego, I learned to scuba dive and windsurf, so you could say a lot of my passions are wrapped up in this job.”

Shoreline Lake is home to childen’s camps, sailing/windsurfing/stand up paddle board classes as well as a kayak polo team and outrigger canoe club. High schools use the lake for their sailing teams and a new racing series started recently.

“My goal is to bring unique water sports to the Bay Area and Silicon Valley,” Christina says. “We can be an escape for people who work long hours — a place for people to enjoy the outdoors.”

Photos by Scott R. Kline