Community Corner

Campbell Character of the Day: Japanese and Romanian Cabaret Singer, Cruise Ship Planner and Sushi Waitress

Anyone who has lived in New York or LA knows no waiter or waitress is actually a waiter or waitress.

But there's no better example of that than Campbell's Oana Meza, who serves at Sushi Confidential at 247 E. Campbell Ave. and also at Pacific Catch at 1875 S. Bascom Ave.

Yes, she works hard bringing food to tables at two places. But her backstory is enough to keep you sitting around listening long after you've left a tip.

Born in Romania 35 years ago, Oana (pronounced Juana), started her career as a singer in her home country and then, hit by the travel bug, fell in love with Japan. She learned Japanese and dazzled audiences by singing Cabaret songs in their native tongue.  

Her fluency and voice drew crowds, as people were amazed to hear a foreigner singing so well in their language. But then, disaster. She grew a node on her vocal cord and lost her ability to sing well.

That got her to another career, working on cruise ships as an event planner, where she learned her second language, English. Finally, after liking Americans, she decided to try living here and moved to Campbell two years ago.

She's been to 23 countries and is fluent in three languages (Romanian, the third). The most beautiful places she's been are her home country, the U.S. and then Japan, she says.

And, she adds, she's single. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here