Jan Gaffney
by Terry Eselun
Jan Gaffney, the retired founder of the wildly popular Jan’s Health Food in Huntington Beach, began surfing in 1962 in Long Beach where she grew up. She remembers buying her first surfboard at a super market shortly after meeting a boy who surfed. Surfing quickly became her passion, even replacing her love of horses through the sixties and seventies. She was a “local” at the Huntington Beach Cliffs and the Pier. After graduating from CSULB with a degree in anthropology, but with no specific plans for her future other than surfing, Jan took a summer job at the Good Earth Health Bar owned by Steve Pezman. She loved the healthy food, and after three years, she bought the store and changed the name to Jan’s.
Jan’s has been a local favorite of surfers and others for 40 years. Jan was an icon in Huntington Beach, serving the community for 20 years out of George’s Surf Shop, then 10 years at Huntington Surf and Sport, and finally to its present location on Main St.
Jan created an environment where locals could gather, eat super fresh and healthy food in a casual, beach atmosphere. Since retiring and selling the business in 2010 Jan enjoys bird watching and has traveled the world on birding adventures.
Jan was forced out of the water in the late 70’s due to a back injury, but she misses it to this day. One of her competitive highlights includes beating Joyce Hoffman in large surf at San Miguel, Baja in the 60’s. Drawn to WISA as a founding member in 1975, Jan was stoked to have the camaraderie of other women. “WISA felt like a family,” she says. “They made surfing and contests fun!”
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