San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour

Ted Lasso is the hero we need and America’s de facto life coach, but he needs to fix himself when it comes to tea. It is finally taking off in U.S. culture, at least partially because consumers are looking for healthier drinks and are increasingly sober-curious. Sure it took a while. Ever since they threw the king’s stash into the Boston Harbor, coffee seized power and has served a few thousand consecutive terms in the part of our hearts where we keep the love for hot beverages. But now specialty tea—sourced from very specific, often family-owned tea gardens across the world—is ascending our love charts in U.S. culture. It seems like it took matcha—a tea the color of Instagram—to open our hearts to coffee’s low-key cousin, but we’re here for it. San Diego’s Paru Tea Bar—the good-tea concept by married couple, Amy Truong and Lani Gobaleza—is proof. On this podcast, Truong explains their humble beginnings in 2017 (she would collect rideshare scooters and charge them to earn extra money while they launched their

Wait, what? Longtime writer and person on TV Troy Johnson and his wife Claire have become the new majority owners of San Diego Magazine. When did this happen? How did this happen? Are writers allowed to own things? In this special edition of “Happy Half Hour,” David demands some answers. He interviews Troy and Claire and asks them all the major questions, about their hopes and dreams and whether or not David will be getting a substantial raise. Questions like: WHY? Will Troy still write and host podcasts and be on Food Network? What changes are coming to San Diego Magazine? The short version: Troy and Claire believe in SDM and local media and local people. This is them, investing everything they are into where they live. For the long version, take a listen. A new SDM is currently being blueprinted and dreamt up and mapped out in our offices and on our Zooms. It’s all very exciting.

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week’s special guest is Mike Minor, the new executive chef at The Marine Room in La Jolla. The Marine Room has been one of the city’s most iconic restaurants since its opening in 1941, and Mike will be filling the shoes of Bernard Guillas, who put his French twist on the restaurant’s seafood fare for the past 27 years. Mike talks about his plan to make the mainstay restaurant even more sustainable when it comes to sourcing local catch, like swordfish and tuna. While he promises to honor the restaurant’s tradition, he also wants to evolve the menu around classic dishes and add his own flair. One example is the new Perfect Egg dish, which is an egg stuffed with corn veloute, sous-vide egg yolk, foamed egg whites, and caviar. Before his new gig, Mike was the executive chef at the acclaimed Border Grill in his hometown, Las Vegas. He also ran a “Mexicue” food truck that fused authentic Mexican cuisine with Texas barbecue which was voted Top 200 Food Trucks in the country.

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week, we’re chatting with Rachel Shemirani, senior vice president at Barons Market. Barons is a gourmet grocery store that was founded by a local family in Point Loma and has nine locations in San Diego and Riverside. Rachel's father, Joe, started the business in the early ’90s because he couldn’t find an organic grocery store that sold food he enjoyed. Rachel and her sister, Dana, started working in the stores as cashiers when they were in high school, and now they both hold leadership positions in the company. Rachel oversees advertising and marketing, and is also the gatekeeper for new products—she leads weekly food panels to hand-select new products, which involves 40 people sampling anywhere from 80 to 120 different products, and whittling down the best. Rachel says that everything sold on Barons’ shelves has made the taste testers’ cut. We chat with Rachel about how they compete with large grocery chains and what sets them apart, how they’ve been weathering the

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! We're excited to have chef William Bradley of Addison back on the show. In case you missed it, Addison was recently elevated from one Michelin star to two a few weeks ago, for the 2021 Michelin Guide California. We had William on the show in January, and he’s back to talk about what this latest award means for the restaurant and for San Diego’s dining scene. William shares how he and his staff moved away from serving traditional French cuisine to “California gastronomy” instead—dishes that include elements from the multitude of cultures found in the state, along with regional ingredients. A new bite on their tasting menu, the chicken liver churro, is an example of this. William says he believes that not cooking from someone else’s playbook and simply striving to be different is why they were awarded a second star. He says getting the first star was “like climbing Mount Everest,” but he and his staff didn’t want to become comfortable after receiving that recognition, so the

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week we’re excited to welcome Saman Javid, who is now leading the kitchen at La Jolla’s iconic George’s at the Cove. Saman is from the Bay Area, and he started his culinary career working at Fork in Marin County and B Restaurant in Oakland. He then moved to New York City, where he was sous chef at the acclaimed Gramercy Tavern for several years. He joined George's about four months ago as executive chef. Saman says he was always surrounded by delicious food, as he grew up in a Persian family (and his family also owned a restaurant). We chatted about his vision for the landmark restaurant (George’s has been in the neighborhood for nearly 30 years), the difference between the produce in New York and California, and what excites him about San Diego’s dining scene. And since we’ve had Michelin on our minds lately, he shares what it’s like to work at a restaurant that has a Michelin star. In Hot Plates, Pamir Kabob House, an Afghan restaurant that closed its doors earlier

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week our special guest is David Contreras Curiel of Karina’s Mexican Seafood, a San Diego institution that is celebrating its 40th anniversary this week. David and his siblings are leading the family business that his parents started back in Spring Valley in 1981, and he shares with us the story of Karina’s humble beginnings. David’s father, Don Arnulfo Contreras, and mother, Maria Ines Curiel, founded the restaurant (which is named after their eldest daughter) to create a better life for their six children. Don was a good cook, so he built the business by preparing the seafood dishes that he’d grown up enjoying in his home state of Sinaloa, such as ceviche. For a short while, the entire family lived above the restaurant, and David started working there when he was six years old. Today, there are several Karina’s locations around the county, and the family also operates Savoie Italian Eatery, Taka Sushi, and Saffron Thai. David has 25 nieces and nephews, and he says t

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week our special guest was requested by listeners, and we’re excited to have him on the show: Kory Stetina, owner of Kindred in South Park. Kindred is a vegan restaurant and bar with a heavy metal vibe that opened in 2015, and it's regularly been named both a critic’s and readers’ pick for Best Vegan Restaurant in our annual Best Restaurants issue. Kory says he’s been vegan since his early 20s, and he was first exposed to vegetarianism through his love of punk rock. He initially started Kindred as a pop-up when he couldn't find any local food-and-drink events that catered to his diet, so he started with vegan dinners paired with beer. He anticipated a small crowd, but a couple hundred people came out instead—seeing that demand eventually led to him opening the full restaurant. Since then, Kindred has redefined ideas of what vegan cuisine is and could be, and its “Permanent Vacation” tropical-themed cocktail nights have been a hit—Kory estimates that most of his client

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! We’re back after a short Labor Day break, and we’re with Justin Gaspar, the head baker at Hommage Bakehouse in Pacific Beach. Hommage, which launched last fall, is based inside La Clochette du Coin, a French bakery and café. Justin, who is from the Bay Area and worked at the acclaimed Manresa Bread (that's the bakery that spun off from Manresa restaurant, which has three Michelin stars), says the pastries he bakes at Hommage honor both his Filipino heritage as well as his classic French training. Justin walks us through the menu, from the croissants to the kouign-amanns and breads, and gives us a preview of soon-to-debut pastries like an ube custard bun. You have to try the kouign-amann with blueberry compote! Justin also shares with us the big news that he will be competing on Baker's Dozen, a new Hulu show that streams on October 7. In Hot Plates, Cocina de Barrio, a Oaxacan restaurant in Hillcrest that made our Best Restaurants list for Best Birria, is opening a second

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! We’re sorry that the audio quality this week isn’t fully up to par; David was still in the desert during recording. In case you missed it, our 2021 edition of Best Restaurants just went online, and the print edition is available in stores. On the cover this year is Rare Society, a neighborhood steakhouse from Brad Wise, chef and owner of Trust Restaurant Group. Brad is originally from New Jersey, and he made a name for himself in San Diego’s food scene with Trust and Fort Oak, which both specialize in open-flame cooking. He’s since expanded with The Wise Ox Butcher and Cardellino. We’re here to learn more about his new projects (Rare Society and Wise Ox are both expanding to North County!), and how he’s overcome current challenges, like understaffing. On this episode we show Brad the cover of the September issue, and he walks us through the dishes we featured. Also joining us is Lauren Winget, one of our former podcast hosts! She is now working at Trust Restaurant Group. L

Welcome back to Happy Half Hour! We are sorry, the audio quality this week isn’t fully up to par. You can blame David for being in Las Vegas for a heavy metal concert. This week our special guest is Ian Tenzer, the executive research and development chef at Puesto Mexican Artisan Kitchen & Bar. Ian joined the company last fall, which started in La Jolla and now serves its popular tacos and micheladas at nine locations in Southern California. Ian moved here from New York, where he worked with acclaimed chef Daniel Humm for several years and as sous chef at Eleven Madison Park, which has three Michelin stars and was named the World’s Best Restaurant in 2017. In his current role, Ian creates new menu items for all of Puesto’s locations, which he calls a “dream position,” and he's working on making their operations completely environmentally sustainable. We chat with Ian about what it really means to be a “zero-waste” restaurant and how he’s doing it, what it was like to cook at Eleven Madison Park, and the n

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! We’re recording this episode from a premier club suite at Petco Park, thanks to this week’s sponsor, the San Diego Padres. Our special guest this week is Jaclyn Lash, the Padres’ vice president of special events. She joined the team in 2011 and oversees all events for the Padres and Petco Park, including concerts, game-day festivals, private and special events, and gatherings for the team. Before joining the Padres, she was at Jimmy Kimmel Live!, coordinating guest appearances and booking musical artists. We had to ask what it’s like to meet and work with celebrities regularly, and she shares some fun stories (one including Kanye West!). Jaclyn is here to tell us how they transform the ballpark into venues for everything from the Monster Energy Supercross to The Links at Petco Park, a nine-hole golf course; and about upcoming concerts such as the Hella Mega Tour on Aug. 29 with Green Day, Fall Out Boy, and Weezer. You can see a schedule of more upcoming concerts here. In H

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! We’re returning from a short break and taped this episode from a premier club suite at Petco Park, thanks to this week’s sponsor, the San Diego Padres. We’re here with Eddie Quinn, vice president of partnership services for the Padres and the park’s resident beer expert, as they face off against the Miami Marlins. Eddie started his career with the Padres as a bat boy before he headed off to college, then he returned to San Diego and rejoined them as a sales representative. He’s been with the team ever since (more than 15 years!) and worked his way up to his current title. He tells us about the craft beer program at the park and how many different breweries they partner with, and names his top three favorite brews that are available on site—listen in to get his recommendations! In Hot Plates, we have some big news to catch up on. Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen restaurant, named after the chef’s popular TV show, is opening its fourth (and largest) location at Harrah’s Resort

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week we’re with Emmanuel Favela and Tony Haro, founders of Hellote in Chula Vista. Hellote is a new outdoor eatery that specializes in elote, Mexican street corn, served in both traditional and nontraditional ways. Emmanuel and Tony opened Hellote last fall, and they both have backgrounds in architecture (but zero restaurant experience), yet Hellote has been a success. We chat about how they conceived of the idea and created such a fun and inviting space on Main Street. We also learned that Emmanuel once worked as a designer at Funko (which explains the adorable Hellote logo!) and that they went to Texas to get special corn roasters that can cook the ears at a scorching 800 degrees. They walked us through the menu: Aside from a standard elote (Valentina sauce, lime, Cotíja, mayonnaise, and Tajín), there are dessert tamales, arrachera baked potatoes, inventive snack boxes of roasted corn topped with black ash mayo and chicharrones, and entire ears of corn covered in Fl

Happy Pride Week! Our special guest is Roanna Canete, owner of The Gluten Free Baking Company in North Park. Roanna founded the company in 2015 when her son was diagnosed with a gluten allergy and she started baking for him—that led to formally studying cooking and baking, and starting the business. The storefront opened on 30th Street in the spring of 2020 and offers donuts, brownies, bagels, and pastries that are all gluten free; they can also make wedding cakes and gingerbread houses. In honor of Pride Week, Roanna created a menu of cupcakes and a special Pride rainbow cake, and she’s donating 20 percent of the sales to The National Black Justice Coalition, a civil rights organization focused on empowering the Black LGBTQ+ community. We talk with Roanna about the importance of allyship, and how business owners can get involved in social justice issues and help make a difference, even in small ways. In Hot Plates, the founding chef of Dija Mara is opening a new Southeast Asian restaurant in North Park. Buon

Welcome back! This week we chat with Tara Monsod, who recently took over as executive chef at Animae, the high-design Asian fusion restaurant owned by Brian Malarkey and Chris Puffer. Tara has also worked at Herringbone, Burlap, and at the acclaimed Mozza Pizzeria, and this is her first executive chef position. She recently changed Animae’s menu, and several of the new dishes reflect her Filipino American heritage and the flavors she grew up eating. David and I checked out the new menu (and didn’t invite Troy), and we recommend the scallop crudo with calamansi (a citrus fruit from the Philippines) and the beef short rib kare kare, made with a savory sauce of peanut oil and bagoong (shrimp paste). We chat about Tara’s passion for cooking and have a bigger discussion about whether Filipino food is finally getting the recognition it deserves, especially in a city that has one of the largest Filipino American communities in the U.S. She also shares the biggest lessons she learned from the late chef Anthony Sinsay

David, Marie and Troy are still at our sponsor, Home Brew Mart. Rumor has it David brought a cot and this is where he lives now. Understandable. The Linda Vista store is where the city’s first bootstrap scientists got all the ingredients, materials, recipes, rumors, and know-how to start the craft beer revolution in San Diego. It’s also home to Ballast Point—makers of one Sculpin IPA, one of the most famous craft beers in existence—who’s celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Colby Chandler—the second-longest serving employee who helped create Sculpin way back when—will share a few pints and some stories of craft beer’s days in the manger. This week we talk to the creators and host of a new documentary film, Beer City: San Diego. Host Aubree Miller (who’s also the creative director of Amplified Ale Works) and producer Dave Wadsworth spent three years documenting San Diego’s craft beer world, talking to the brewers, owners, and personalities who helped build the culture. The film also features and serves

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! We’re recording in person at Home Brew Mart by Ballast Point in Linda Vista, our sponsor for this week’s episode. Ballast Point is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and Home Brew Mart is where the company began. We’re with Colby Chandler, Ballast Point’s former vice president and speciality brewer. He’s the creator of the award-winning Sculpin IPA and the company’s second-longest-serving employee! This week’s special guest is Will Dryden, manager of operations for Baja Jerky. This new beef jerky company is headquartered in San Diego, with recipes created by Michelin-starred chef Brandon Rogers (Benu in San Francisco). Will fell in love with the cuisine in Cabo when he lived there, so the line has six Baja-inspired flavors of jerky like street taco, serrano lime, and even churro. He talks about how Baja Jerky stands out compared to national brands, the challenges in getting national distribution, some details of the high-quality beef they’re sourcing, and where yo

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week’s special guest is Barry Robbins, founder of Milton’s Delicatessen Restaurant in Del Mar. The New York–style deli is famous for its Reuben, matzo ball soup, homemade desserts, and breads; and it’s celebrating its 27th anniversary this year. You’ve most likely seen Milton’s multigrain bread and line of crackers in retailers like Costco: This national brand of baked goods was also launched by the deli. The company has a storied history, and we enjoyed learning about its origins and growth. Barry’s a Windy City native, and when he first moved here in the ’70s, he and his brother couldn’t find any deep dish pizza, so they started Chicago Brothers Pizza. They experimented with making frozen pizzas in the restaurant, and eventually distributed them nationally. Their pizza was one of the first frozen items sold at Costco (then called Price Club), and as many as 20 bakeries around the country were producing them—legendary Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda was even the compan

Welcome back to Happy Half Hour! This week we have two special guests, Jamie and Marie Brawn, owners of Homestead Solana Beach. The business—which served locally-sourced gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan food—was inspired by the duo’s own home cooking for their sons who both have food allergies. But like many, the pandemic forced them to switch gears; and the idea was born to turn Homestead from an eatery to a neighborhood market. Jamie and Marie were running both their catering company and Homestead before the pandemic hit. When they shut down the catering company, Homestead was forced to float on its own and adapt to a changing landscape. While food and drinks are still offered, the neighborhood market they launched has become the heart of the business, stocking the shelves with locally sourced and unique goods. For Jamie and Marie, “locally sourced” doesn’t just mean from the San Diego area, but any small business that has their own story. This philosophy has opened the doors to bringing in items like imp