September 2023

The Green Issue - Spending a day with the people behind the most important small farm in America

A CALIFORNIA RIVER RUNS FREE

OUR GIANT GUIDE TO THE BEST PLANT-BASED EATS IN SD

THE DEL MAR WINE + FOOD FESTIVAL ARRIVES

The

Issue

Spending a day with the people behind the most important small farm in America

SEPTEMBER 2023

$6.95

HELPING NATURE LIVE LARGE. SINCE 1874.

Every day, you’ll find us out in nature in Southern California and the Baja California Peninsula. We search and research to find new ways to preserve this amazing place we call home. And we do it thanks to your participation and support. You can help by visiting the Museum, becoming a volunteer, or taking part in our nature walks or other programs.

Join our community of nature lovers. Sign up for email updates to learn the many ways you can help nature live large. Visit sdnat.org.

WE’RE HERE FOR NATURE.

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As a Main Street bank at our very core, we’re guided by the opportunity to help our customers and communities thrive. That’s why we innovate to help make banking easier, more convenient and more accessible. It’s why we take a one-to-one approach to service and support that’s centered on each customer’s unique goals and needs. And it’s why we’re committed to investing our time and resources into helping to make San Diego a great place to call home.

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Marcy Mackless Market Managing Director, Private Bank marcy.mackless@pnc.com Xiomara Arroyo Market Manager, Organizational Financial Wellness xiomara.arroyo@pnc.com

Alan Prohaska Regional President and Head of Corporate Banking alan.prohaska@pnc.com

Valerie Attisha VP, Client and Community Relations valerie.attisha@pnc.com

Stephan Coleman Market Managing Director, Institutional Asset Management stephan.coleman@pnc.com

Steve Bernstein San Diego Region Retail Lead steve.bernstein@pnc.com

Rick Martinez Commercial Banking Group Manager rick.martinez@pnc.com

Brian Love San Diego Mortgage Lead brian.love@pnc.com

WE ’ RE ALL ABOUT THE BIG PICTURE .

Working together, our doctors don’t just see you. They see the big picture of your overall health. By collaborating and seamlessly sharing your records, your care team stays on the same page, so your health always takes center stage. Visit kp.org/sandiego today because together we thrive.

CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 2023, VOLUME 75, NUMBER 9

64 IF YOU UNBUILD IT, THEY WILL COME Southern California is set to destroy a bridge, clearing its first river from headwaters to the Pacific Ocean and restoring habitat for endangered native trout. Features

56 EAT PLANTS Our giant guide to the best vegan and vegetarian cuisine in the city. From Italian comfort food to drive-thru classics, it’s never been more fun or more flavorful to eat plants in SD.

68 FLAVOR FIELDS Famed photographer Eric Wolfinger guides us through an intimate, beautiful journey at Chino Farm, where the son of farmers sent to a WWII internment camp quietly runs what’s been dubbed “the most important farm in America.”

SEPTEMBER 2023

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Departments

In Every Issue 14 EDITOR’S NOTE Our planet is alive with wild wonder, but the balance is tipping. Executive Editor Mateo Hoke reflects on connection and fatherhood in a time of climate grief. 18 LOCAL STOKES September’s sustainable picks include functional athletic wear, a farmer’s market in a box, and plant-based cheeses that don’t suck. 20 COVERING 75 We take a break with Pacific Beach’s elusive philosopher-rollerblader, SloMo, at home in his garden. 84 CALENDAR September in San Diego means concerts (Weezer; Coldplay; CRSSD), festivals (our inaugural Del Mar Wine + Food Festival; Festival of Beer), and classics (Julian Grape Stomp; Miramar Air Show). 88 SACRED SPACES In Leucadia lies a hidden sanctuary for flower freaks. We go inside the most diverse orchid collection this side of the sun. Food & Drink 22 DEL MAR WINE + FOOD FESTIVAL PREVIEW The city’s newest, tastiest, and star-studdiest event debuts September 6–11. We’ve got the inside scoop on what to drink, eat, and do while rubbing elbows with celebrity hosts. 28 MAIN DISH A journey through the gastronomically endowed Convoy District for hand-pulled noodles, mochi dough, bulgogi rolls, and hot pot frog. 30 PEOPLE A San Diegan’s quest to bring hemp mylk to the masses. 32 RECIPES Fall is a time for cozy home cooking. We’ve got you covered with planet-friendly recipes for BBQ-glazed yuba skewers and a moist spiced pear cake. Arts & Culture 42 MUSIC Emerging OB artist Kyle Rising lights a fire and breaks on through with his newfound viral fame as a reincarnated rock legend. Living & Style 44 HOME The climate is changing fast. Is San Diego building for the future? 54 DESIGN A lifelong designer stitches up old wounds and quilts a greener wardrobe in Barrio Logan.

28 42

SEPTEMBER 2023

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COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA

Departments

Escapes 78 WEEKENDER Are regenerative approaches the future of travel? Special Sections 37 WEST COAST WINE DESTINATIONS 76 VEGAN & VEGETARIAN GUIDE

Boredom is not your style, and it’s not ours either. That’s why our vibrant communities of adventurous souls are such an invigorating environment to call home. It’s all here, in one captivating locale with a wealth of distinctive experiences. Fascinating connections. Exquisite cuisine. Attentive service. Personalized wellness programs. Plus, health care support should the need arise. Everything you need to live life your way. be more you .

ON THE COVER Juventino Salazar, who’s worked at Chino Farm for more than 30 years, hand picks strawberries. We take an intimate look at “the most important farm in the country” on page 68. Photo by Eric Wolfinger.

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On the Web SanDiegoMagazine.com

I LET AI RUN MY LIFE FOR A WEEK Curious to see if AI could streamline her routines, SDM ’s associate editor lets ChatGPT and other AI-powered apps take control of her meals, outfits, workouts, and even new potential friendships.

FUTURE IS COLOR: A NEW JAZZ SERIES IN BARRIO LOGAN The series brings San Diego’s creative community together each Thursday night with DIY jazz shows.

62 We bring the power to help them shine bright. Monarch School brings hope to unhoused youth.

ASK AN EXPERT: HOW TO START INDOOR ROCK CLIMBING Mesa Rim’s Dom Sengvilay shares essential tips and gear recommendations for beginners learning how to scale gym walls.

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SEPTEMBER 2023

Variety is the Spice of Life.

Be authentic. Stay independent.

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There’s a New Spirit in Town

Editor’s Note

In the Land of 10,000 Tomatoes

ife on Earth is astonishing. The more I learn about the intelligence of fungi, or about the unique dialects of whale pods, or about how many

balance, and we’re tipping. Sad news keeps coming, feels like a storm that might never pass. Globally, July 2023 was the hottest month on record. Ever. The Gulf Stream—which carries warm waters from the Caribbean into the Atlantic— appears to be collapsing earlier than predicted, bringing catastrophic impacts. Billions of people could lose the rain they count on to grow food. The Amazon is suffocating, the lungs of our world struggling to breathe. It’s scary. I worry for my young son. I want him to experience all the delicate enchantment in the world that I do. I want the planet’s lungs breathing strong. I want to know the turtles will keep hatching for him, and for those who come after. I want to go to bed at night knowing the world is growing bigger for him, not shrinking. I want to do all I can. But sometimes it’s difficult to know what that is. One of the things I’ve learned in my four decades on this planet is that if something scares you, go toward it. The faster you run at the storm, the faster you get through. So we’ll keep sharing stories that help us more deeply connect with our world. And I’ll take every opportunity to show my son how lucky we are to call this planet home, where there are 10,000 tomatoes to taste—80 of which can be found just down the road.

DrinkBatch22.com @drinkbatch22

different kinds of tomatoes there are (10,000!), the more I fall in love with simply being alive. A person could study this planet for a thousand years and not fully comprehend it. In honor of our breathtaking planet, we’re sharing stories that help us better understand the environment here in SD. On page 64, we witness the freeing of the first river in Southern California. On page 44, we explore San Diego’s efforts to build toward a greener future (spoiler: there’s room for improvement), and, on page 68, we spend a visually stunning day at one of the best farms in the country (where they grow 80 kinds of tomatoes. 80!). It’s a cool issue. Mother Earth, after all, is a charismatic cover star, wild and fascinating. I love it here on Earth, where wonder surrounds us. I’ve consumed plants that have altered my neurological pathways. I’ve lain on my belly in the sand, watching baby sea turtles crawl a slow journey from nest to ocean, wishing them well as they wiggled their flippers for the first time in the shallow waves of the Pacific, knowing they will someday return to that very beach to lay eggs of their own. And, perhaps most incredible of all, I’ve welcomed a slippery human child fresh from the great cosmic center, kissed his forehead, and held him as he breathed his first breaths. Talk about wild. There’s real magic in this world. San Diegans know this. Our region is soundtracked by a symphony of waves and blessed with a full spread of the best features Earth has to offer. But this planet’s ecosystem is built on

MATEO HOKE Executive Editor

14 SEPTEMBER 2023

Please join us for our

THE CONTENT

THE BUSINESS

Chief Content Officer

Chief Executive Officer

TROY JOHNSON

CLAIRE JOHNSON

Vice President Marketing and Events Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Chief Financial Officer

DAVID MARTIN

Executive Editor

MATEO HOKE

Managing Editor

JACKIE BRYANT

MICHAEL HORTH

Acting Managing Editor

JENNIFER IANNI

SHELBY KALCHIK

Digital Editor

NICOLLE MONICO

Marketing Manager

LAURA HUNTER

Associate Editor

AMELIA RODRIGUEZ

Production Manager Senior National Advertising Executive Integrated Account Directors Programs and Events Specialist

CHELSEA ECKSTROM

Web Content Editor

COLE NOVAK

Art Director

SAMANTHA LACY

AMANDA LENOX GINA MENDOLA

Custom Content Editor

SARAH SAPEDA

Social Media Manager Social Media Coordinator

EMILY HEFT JORDAN ALWOOD

JIM ELY SCOTT FISK

Videographer

JEREMY SAZON

Senior Partnership Manager

LISA BILOTTI

Staff Writers

DANIELLE ALLAIRE JARED CROSS CASIEL SANCHEZ ANNA SIMS

Account Executive

MICHAEL SHEAR

Junior Designer Contributing Copy Editor Editorial Interns

Sales and Marketing Coodinator Accounting Managers Project Director

MADISON BEVERIDGE

VERONICA GRAHAM HAROLD ARNOLD ELISE PRADO

ISABEL DAVIS ALEX DINOFIA

LILI KIM MIMI LE REANNA LEBITSKI WILL RIDDELL

HR Consultant

RACHELLE LE BLANC

THE CONTRIBUTORS

Contributing Writers

Contributing Photographers

Contributing Artists & Designers LILIAN CHENG JONATHAN ROSEN

Contributing Producer ALEXANDRIA OTT

MELODY BATHAEE ROXANA BECERRIL MICHELE BIGLEY BRENT CRANE MACKENZIE ELMER ERIC WOLFINGER

CHRISTIAN SAMPSON ERIC WOLFINGER

at the

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SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE (ISSN 0734-6727), September 2023, Vol. 75, No. 9. SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE is published 12 times a year (monthly) by San Diego Magazine LLC, 1230 Columbia Street, Suite 800, San Diego, CA, 92101. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: One year, $18; two years, $28; three years, $40. Subscriptions outside CA are $3 additional per year; outside the US, $80 additional per year. Back issues are $10 per issue and can be purchased at sandiegomagazine.com, if available. For change of address or customer service, write SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION DEPT., PO Box 460266 Escondido, CA 92046-9800 or email sandiegomagazine@pcspublink. com. Periodical postage paid at San Diego, CA, and additional mailing offices. San Diego Magazine is a registered trademark of San Diego Magazine LLC. Copyright © 2011 by San Diego Magazine LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. POSTMASTER: PLEASE SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE, PO Box 460266 Escondido, CA 92046-9800

SEPTEMBER 2023 16

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1 September’s sustainable picks include functional athletic wear, a farmer’s market in a box, and plant- based cheeses that don't suck Trending Local Stokes

Get SWCHBAK, Save Lives While having fun in the sun is a San Diego staple, protection from harmful rays is a top priority. Enter SWCHBAK , a female-owned, SD-based company offering an array of functional athletic apparel and accessories made from sustainable materials in prints designed by artists from around the country. The brand’s line of gaiters (a neck and face scarf) are UPF 50, with a percentage of sales going to local nonprofit Stage Free Melanoma. swchbak.com

BY JENNIFER IANNI AND SAMANTHA LACY

Grate Things Whether it’s shredded, sliced, shaved, or melted, cheese is the essential star ingredient or finishing touch on many a meal. But for some folks, delicious dairy tops their dietary no-fly list because of the havoc it wreaks on their system (or on the planet). And let’s be honest: Most plant-based cheeses just don’t taste the same. Enter chef Anthony Howe of Scratch House , who has set out to prove that plant-based cheeses can be as satisfying as their cream-based counterparts. During Howe’s tenure at SD vegan spot Donna Jean (see our vegan roundup on page 56), he saw the Swiss cheese–like holes in the vegan cheese market and decided to reinvent the standard. Today, he produces dairy-free dill havarti, fermented Fresno jack, smoked gouda, parmesan, and baby goat cheese made from cashews, refined coconut oil, water, rice flour, tapioca starch, and more. Whichever way you slice it, Scratch House has proved that good queso doesn’t have to come from a cow. scratchhousevegan.com

A Fruitful Bounty Do you like being awash (nay, drowning) in quality produce? Do you like when it’s affordable and local? Do you like it delivered to your door at no additional cost? So do we. That’s why we dig Yasukochi Family Farms . Based in Oceanside, the family operation grows a broad diversity of flavorful, seasonal vegetables, and supplements their CSA box with picks from other local producers. You can opt for a subscription-based jumbo or regular-sized box, or just order on the weeks you need it (there’s no price difference). There are also plentiful add-ons like eggs, extra fruit, and live basil plants. For many of us here at SDM , it’s basically made shopping for produce at the grocery store obsolete. yasukochifamilyfarms.com

18 SEPTEMBER 2023

Power100 Champions like the San Diego International Airport are helping secure our region’s cleaner, greener future. 100% renewable, 100% carbon-free.

Power100 is our most effective tier to help you reduce your carbon footprint. Power100 energy content is 100% renewable, 100% carbon-free and eliminates your greenhouse gas production through electric energy use. Service is available to all customers. San Diego Community Power is proud of our Power100 Champions. Learn how you can opt up your home or business at SDCommunityPower.org To learn more about the airport’s commitment to sustainability please visit sustain.san.org

Covering 75

s fall approaches, it’s a good time to pause and savor the mellow of summer. Night comes quicker with each day that passes. Soon, quiet afternoons in the backyard will give way to dark evenings by the fire. Now is a time to slow down. Nobody takes it all in quite like San Diego’s slow-rolling, suntanned philosopher, John Kitchin, aka SloMo, who you can generally A

find floating one rollerblade at a time down the Pacific Beach Boardwalk. A neurologist and psychiatrist, SloMo took up skating in retirement as a way to mellow out. “Since then, I’ve been living freely,” he says. “And skating literally everyday on the boardwalk for 24 years.” As we celebrate San Diego Magazine ’s 75 th anniversary, we’re reflecting on our history—

20 SEPTEMBER 2023

blading the boardwalk down memory lane, looking to past covers for inspiration and putting a modern shine on them. This month, we peek back at our August 1972 cover, an homage itself to Lippencott Magazine ’s 1895 cover, dubbed “Tennis.” Here, a stately gentleman finds a moment of repose on his way to a friendly game. We assume he’s mulling over his own thoughts on the state of being, how to unravel his personal

ontology. (Though we’re doubtful that pipe will elevate his tennis skills.) In our new version, SloMo pauses in his garden—reading, daydreaming, hidden away like the San Diego treasure he is. “There are two things that we all have,” he says. “One is the world of objectivity. What’s back in the other world, that of subjectivity, is where dreams are.” –ML

21 SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE

Food & Drink DMWFF PREVIEW

The Star of Del Mar The Del Mar Wine + Food Festival debuts Sept. 6-11– the city’s newest, tastiest, and star-studdiest event

BY TROY JOHNSON

22 SEPTEMBER 2023

DMWFF HIGHLIGHTS (For full schedule, visit delmar.wine)

hings evolve. Fast .

What started with five of us sitting around a table in a trailer in the dirt is now The Del

SEPT. 6: Opening Night Celebration @ Monarch Ocean Pub San Diego’s pro soccer heroes, the Wave FC, host the party at the epicenter of social life in Del Mar. SEPT. 7: Chateau Montelena

SEPT. 8: A Century of Grgich @ Ranch45

Mar Wine + Food Festival, a week-long celebration with 20-plus food and drink events around the city, all leading up to the big show: the Grand Tasting on Sept. 9 and 10. Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad fame are doing a mezcal dinner at The Lodge at Torrey Pines with executive chef Kelli Crosson, two of Baja’s most iconic chefs (Benito Molina and Drew Deckman), and a pal from Food Network (Beau MacMillan). Almost 100 of the city’s top restaurants are signed up to cook for the Grand Tasting. Alex Morgan came on as a partner before she left for the World Cup. Wave FC agreed to host the opening night party at Monarch Ocean Pub. Drew Brees, who can throw a football pretty well and can also apparently swing a tiny racket, is hosting a celebrity pickleball tournament at Bobby Riggs Racket & Paddle. Rob Machado decided to host a day at the beach, after which we’ll all walk to brunch at Herb & Sea. Like I said, things evolve fast. At least 10 of my friends from Food Network or food TV say they’re showing up: Antonia Lofaso, Aaron May, Catherine McCord, Beau Mac Millan, Eric Greenspan, Brian Malarkey, Carlos Anthony, Claudette Zepeda, Claudia Sandoval, and Tommy Gomes. Two Michelin-starred restaurants stepped up to cook in the VIP tent. One of the country’s top wine minds, Ted Glennon, who started in San Diego before working with a three-Michelin- star restaurant and launching his own vineyard, is joining. And we partnered with Feeding San Diego and designed a large portion of the events to raise money for their hunger-relief efforts. In short, people have rallied. For Claire and me, it’s a dream event. After all, part of our purpose for doing this whole owning-a-media-company thing was about building experiences for the city. And we’re incredibly grateful. At the very least, we’re bringing a massive portion of the city’s food and drink culture to an epic lawn by the sea for a serious celebration of our culture. Hope you can join us.

The iconic winery brings the newly released Paris Tasting Chardonnay and Yountville Old Vines Cabernet, plus others, for a five-course pairing dinner from chef Aron Schwartz and Brandt Beef. SEPT. 9: Catherine McCord Yoga Brunch @ Del Mar Plaza Yoga on the deck, then brunch by the Food Network personality, cookbook author, mom, and CEO of Weelicious. SEPT. 9-10: Grand Tasting @ Del Mar Polo Fields (Surf Sports Park) The big event: Around 80 of the best restaurants and drink- makers from SoCal and Baja. More than 200 wines. Live music on double-decker buses. A massive putting green. Art. Games. Maybe a unicorn or two. SEPT. 9: After-Party @ The Pendry Chef, great-hair guy, Top Chef All-Stars winner, and co-star of Next Level Chef Richard Blais hosts the after-party with some chef friends. SEPT. 10: Rob Machado Beach

+ Rare Society Dinner @ Rare Society

Chef Brad Wise cooks a four-course dinner

paired with wines from the Napa Valley legend. SEPT. 7:

Claudette Zepeda & Antonia Lofaso Dinner @ Vaga

Two SoCal chefs you know from Top Chef and Food Network cook at Zepeda’s signature restaurant at Alila Marea Resort. SEPT. 7: Tequila Reserva de la Familia & Winery Adobe de Guadalope Dinner @ Valle San Diego’s newest Michelin-star chef, Roberto Alcocer, teams up with Eduardo Morali (Pangea; Top 50 Best Latin American Restaurants) for a six-course pairing dinner. SEPT. 8: Racket & Paddle Future NFL hall of famer Drew Brees, celebrity chefs, pro athletes, and other famous friends compete for bragging rights. Plus, it’s a big fundraiser for Feeding San Diego. SEPT. 8: Dos Hombres Mezcal Dinner with Aaron Paul & Bryan Cranston @ The Lodge at Torrey Pines The Breaking Bad stars stop by for a five-course dinner made by celebrated chefs using their Dos Hombres mezcal as an ingredient. Whispering Angel Celebrity Pickleball Tournament @ Bobby Riggs

Cleanup @ Cardiff Reef Spend the

morning at the beach with San Diego’s surf legend, then join him at Herb & Sea for brunch food from chef Brian Malarkey.

23 SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE

Food & Drink DMWFF PREVIEW

GEORGE’S AT THE COVE STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING CAKE

ARLO BRICK OVEN BOLOGNESE Arlo’s Josh Mouzakes has the chops to do fancy- innovative dishes, and he does. But

Most restaurants peak, then ride that hype into a long, slow decline.

After 40 years, George’s is still sitting pretty at the top. Exec chef Trey Foshee deserves credit, but talents like

pastry chef Aly Lyng should also get their due. Lyng’s sticky toffee pudding cake is a more interesting cousin of the molten-lava classic. A deep, rich sweetness comes from date paste, and the amaretto toffee sauce is so good, it’s an emotion.

his bolognese, inspired by his grandpa, is one of the best bites in the city. A combo of beef, veal, and pork with fennel seed are simmered in a creamy, pink tomato sauce, then served in a semolina bread bowl and snowed in with pecorino and basil.

COWBOY STAR ROASTED PACIFIC HALIBUT “Indie steakhouses” are rare things. Most dry-aged specialists have been hooked up to their chain motherships by now. That’s why C-Star is so loved. I judge steakhouses by how

they cook non-beef, like chef Victor Jimenez’s Japanese-inspired halibut. It’s cured in koji and served with garlic scapes and roasted maitake mushrooms, wading in a bacon dashi.

CIVICO 1845 RAVIOLO AI GAMBERI

It’s time America realized butter is merely the raw ingredient destined to become brown butter: butter heated until the milk solids are toasted and caramelized and form one of the best flavors on the planet. And this ravioli—stuffed with local prawns and ricotta, tossed in brown butter-thyme sauce—is like

a documentary film of its charms. 4

KINGFISHER SNAKE RIVER FARMS WAGYU SKIRT STEAK It’s not a Kingfisher dish without a spark of fish sauce. When it comes to this steak (Snake River does phenomenal beef), exec chef David Sim smartly treats it hands-off, just upping its ante with a flavor-cranking beef jus. The salad cuts through the richness with corn, tomatoes, and—you guessed it—fish sauce. The fried squash blossom is stuffed with Kingfisher’s own tofu mixture, a riff on the Vietnamese dish dau hu thit.

80-ish of the city’s top restaurants will cook at DMWFF. Here are 14 of them and the knockout dishes you need to try on their menus right now.

24 SEPTEMBER 2023

MISTER A’S CAVIAR

PARADISAEA KUROBUTA PORK CHOP It is lovely in here. A designer’s dream built into a former La Jolla piano showroom— and also a pretty fantastic restaurant. Chef Mark Welker was the executive pastry

TATER TOTS One of the top French chefs in the city offers his take on the best thing that ever happened to American school lunches. If you don’t like

THE MARINE ROOM

DRY AGED BLUEFIN TUNA CARPACCIO The best food news of

recent times is that the stock of bluefin tuna has now recovered to a point that NOAA considers it a “smart seafood choice.” So local bluefin is, once again, a San Diego calling card. Enter Marine Room chef Mike Minor’s wild, pretty carpaccio—thin-sliced bluefin, lemon zest, apple blossom, lemon oil, truffle oil, yuzu salt, micro- cilantro, summer truffles, coral lace.

chef at NYC’s Eleven Madison Park (widely regarded as one of the best restaurants in the world). Try the chops, blush-pink Kurobatas in a tarragon cream sauce and jus with lapsang souchong, a Japanese oxidized black tea.

them, you may be broken. They’re “loaded tots” made in a Mister A’s way, with caviar, chantilly cream, and chives. Four-star snack bar.

CUCINA ENOTECA OCTOPUS

Octopus done wrong is old erasers. Done right, it’s this—tender, with the right bit of chew, edges charred crisp. Enoteca exec chef Cesar Sarmiento has a doozy of a version that sings thanks to a hazelnut romesco sauce you could bottle and guzzle.

NINE-TEN GRILLED

HALF JERK

CHICKEN Chef Jason Knibb was born in Jamaica and raised in SoCal, so

MARISI MARISI G&T

no surprise his jerk with local-farm co-stars is fantastic. It’s a half-chicken, brined for 24 hours to guarantee juiciness, stacked with those famous jerk spices, then smoked and charred on the grill. It comes with confit Japanese sweet potato and a Fresno chili sofrito.

Marisi’s Spirits VP Beau du Bois is a refined booze encyclopedia. But sometimes the best drinks don’t require nouveau science. Just a slight shift of perspective. Take this Portuguese riff on the classic gin and tonic. The addition of white port—fortified, sweet wine—creates a bright, peachy, almost vanilla sweet-bitter cocktail that’s worlds better than just juniper and quinine.

JUNIPER & IVY TUNA WELLINGTON Welcome back, ’80s fashion and beef Wellington. You

love puff pastry? Juicy steak catalyzes your happiness? How about we wrap that steak in puff pastry? Only, in San Diego, we don’t really ranch. We fish. Juniper & Ivy chef Anthony Wells has a long track record of loitering on local fishing boats. He Wellingtons

VALLE WAGYU STRIP

When chef Roberto Alcocer opened Valle in 2021, he said his goal was a Michelin star. This July, he got it. The only option for dinner is an eight- course prix-fixe that includes this stunner: Wagyu strip steak with shiitake mushrooms, plus daikon radish that’s confit (or marinated) in bone marrow.

SOLOMON BAGELS & DONUTS EVERYTHING BAGEL

Local bakeries have tried all kinds of soul- trading to recreate the almighty boiled-shiny NYC bagel, but still we suffered. Enter Jeffrey Wang, bagel hero. He started in New York and built a bagel empire. His were so good that he eventually sold the whole shebang to Einstein Bagels and retired in San Diego. He came out of seclusion to grace us with Solomon Bagels, one of the best in the city.

top-quality local tuna instead of steak and serves it with a tuna bordelaise.

25 SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE

The Wines

Food & Drink DMWFF PREVIEW

CHATEAU MONTELENA Most folks know Montelena as the Napa winery that beat out French chardonnays in a blind tasting (it became the premise of the 2008 Alan Rickman film Bottle Shock ). Fewer know that DMWFF co-founder Ernie Hahn’s grandfather was one of the winery’s founding partners in 1972.

CALERA WINERY Calera winemaker and pinot noir icon Josh Jensen spent two years looking for the perfect limestone-rich soil in California before finding it in Mount Harlan near Monterey. He’d eventually be on the cover of Wine Spectator and be named SF Chronicle ’s Winemaker of the Year. An icon.

RETURN OF THE WINE PUNK

MADE BY LIGHT Made by Light founder Mark Valin—who started as a busboy at The Bridges country club in San Diego, worked his way to wine director, then became a winemaker himself—is bringing his very first bottles DMWFF. “[Valin] is focused on Rhône and Sicilian varieties,” Glennon adds.

APERTURE CELLARS Aperture was founded by world-famous photographer Andy Katz (his photos are everywhere, including on the cover of albums by the Doobie Brothers and Dan Fogelberg) and his son, Jesse. “In 14 short years these wines have taken on a mythic status—rare creatures sought after by collectors and hedonists,” Glennon says.

Sommelier Ted Glennon comes back to San Diego for the Del Mar Wine + Food Festival

He’s a part-time DJ now. He’s a dad. He’s still got that sturdy—but not wild—beard. But, mostly, Ted Glennon is one of the country’s top wine minds, one who made a big impact in San Diego before he left. And now he’s back for the DMWFF. Years ago, as beverage director of Hotel del Coronado, he introduced me to various European white wines. He wanted to debunk the then- prevailing notion that whites were somehow suburban fluff. We tried Grüner Veltliners, dry German rieslings, little-known hits from the Loire. I was new to wine, didn’t know the decorum. I sipped self-consciously. That’s when Ted took a massive sip of a riesling, swished it, gulped it down. “It’s juice,” he said. “Just drink it.” Since then, Ted has spent four years as the beverage director for the Pebble Beach Wine + Food Festival (back then, it was the French Laundry of food festivals). And he became a winemaker himself, crafting cult California wines under Vöcal Vineyards. He’s returning for DMWFF to help curate some wines, from well- known to rare and quietly buzzy. He might even DJ.

SKYLARK WINE Winemaker Robert Perkins is coming home for DMWFF. “He grew up on Coronado and found his way to winemaking via being a sommelier in San Francisco,” Glennon says. “I have always loved these honest and delicious wines.”

BODEGAS ESTEFANIA “Raul Perez in Bierzo in

Northwest Spain is one of the world’s great winemakers,” Glennon explains. “Working with very old vines, he brings forward spicy, elegant, satisfying wines.” ROSS COBB Ross Cobb is well- known to California pinot noir fans. He’s a skate punk who grew up in Marin County and worked on his family farm in Sonoma County as a kid. Now in his 22 nd vintage, he gets his music fix by making wines with Primus bassist Les Claypool.

LA CACCIA La Caccia comes from “a Tuscan estate untouched for 1,200 years,” Glennon says. “The wines are now produced under the eye of Napa superstar Marc Gagnon, and they possess great potential for cellar aging.”

26 SEPTEMBER 2023

27 SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE

Food & Drink MAIN DISH

Convoy Cravings

A handful of our favorite spots in San Diego’s adored Asian food mecca

BY BRENT CRANE

here are few places on earth as gastronomically endowed as the Convoy District. Recognized by the city in 2020 as San Diego’s official “Pan Asian Cultural

LEFT A bowl of RakiRaki’s spicy kimchee ramen. ABOVE Realm of the 52 Remedies’ sotol- and whiskey- based Yuzu cocktail.

District,” it has it all: Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Thai, and other cultural cuisine from the continent. On weekends, it feels like the Las Vegas strip, with queues snaking out of noisy restaurants, frustrated drivers circling for limited parking, and Gen-Zers filming TikToks in cute boba cafes. There are around 100 eateries in Convoy, but it’s not just a hub for grub. One also finds bars, massage parlors, karaoke caverns, dentists, optometrists, accountants, and car dealerships— so many car dealerships—all squeezed, beautifully , into ugly strip malls. A few generations of first-gen moms and pops turned a former manufacturing zone into a cultural destination. The bonanza began in 1979, with the opening of a Chinese grocery store called Woo Chee Chong. Soon other Asian grocers followed. Then Asian eateries. Then Asian-owned businesses. You get the picture. And the expansion continues, with “Coming Soon” placards decorating storefronts in spades. Evidently, San Diego’s demand for excellent Asian food—relatively scarce beyond Convoy’s hallowed lots—is insatiable. Here are five things to order in Convoy right now: 1 HOT POT FROG @ SPICY CITY —For your Sichuan scoville fix, look no further than this loud, unassuming little diamond, around for 14 years. The perfectly salty, oily, spicy dishes transport diners to the frigid streets of Chengdu. Even the soundtrack is similar: boisterous, happy Mandarin. The twice-cooked pork, served with scallions, ginger, and pepper in fatty slices, is divine. But do not shy away from the hot pot frog.

2 BULGOGI ROLL @ STEAMY PIGGY —Newer to Convoy, circa 2017, is Steamy Piggy (and its even younger offshoot, Formoosa). The stylish, teen-chic spot—all hanging planters and flat screens airing Chinese cooking shows—serves casual Taiwanese small plates with playful twists. The bulgogi roll is scrumptious. So, too, is each of the five homemade dumpling options (six if you include the delicate chili wontons). 3 CUMIN LAMB BIANG-BIANG @ SHAN XI MAGIC KITCHEN — Noodle obsessives will find plenty to slurp on at this sit-down gem. The northern Chinese province Shanxi ( 山西 ) is cold coal country. The cuisine is heavy, warming, and meant to be enjoyed in groups. Magic Kitchen honors that tradition particularly well with its hand-pulled noodles, wonderfully thick and chewy ropes perfect for soaking up the flavorful sauces. The cumin lamb biang-biang are of another, godlier realm. 4 KIMCHEE RAMEN @ RAKIRAKI —Speaking of chewy noodles, RakiRaki, which

infuses its dough with mochi, boasts some of the finest ramen in town. The shop was launched in 2012 by Junya Watanabe, a Tokyo native with impeccable taste. The steamy bowls are served aburi- style, with toppings blow-torched for smoky complexity. The beautiful-people vibe feels more Cabo than Convoy, but it is always bustling. Get the kimchee ramen. 5 YUZU COCKTAIL @ REALM OF THE 52 REMEDIES —The fantastical Realm of the 52 Remedies is prettily obscured behind a faux Chinese apothecary that is itself nestled within a bustling brewery. The stunning lounge-slash-bar was perfected by the talented interior designer Michael Soriano. The libations are as surprising as they are sippable.

Listen Up! For more Main Dish, tune in to Happy Half Hour, our food and drink podcast, every week: sdmag.com/hhh .

28 SEPTEMBER 2023

Parenting is an Adventure! KPBS is here to help guide you. The KPBS Parents Hub is the place to find news, information and resources to help you make decisions about the children under your care and to care for yourself.

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We want to hear from you. How can we help? What’s missing? Email us at kpbsfamilies@kpbs.org.

PBS KIDS are trademarks owned by Public Broadcasting Service. KPBS is a public service of San Diego State University.

Food & Drink PEOPLE

A local boxer becomes an old-school milkman— with an innovative, earth-friendly twist STORY AND PHOTO BY JARED CROSS Got Mylk?

“I felt like I was running smoother and more efficiently,” he says. “Being from the Midwest, I loved milk—I was raised on milk—but I was looking for a non- dairy alternative to switch to.” He was working in sales at the time, but, he continues, “It wasn’t fulfilling to me. It was just a job to pay the bills.” Around this time, the pandemic was bringing the world to a standstill, which allowed Dotson time to pivot toward a lifelong calling. “Since I was a child, I’ve always wanted to build something from the ground up on my own. I’ve always felt like an entrepreneur, and I love cooking. It’s very therapeutic for me,” he explains. While researching the best ways to craft plant milk from scratch, Dotson learned that hemp seeds have far more to offer than comedic comparisons to marijuana. Hemp comes from the same cannabis sativa plant available for purchase at your local dispensary, but it can’t get you high. It is, however, high in a number of macro- and micronutrients. Almonds and cashews have been champions for plant-based progress and were obvious contenders. They’ve shapeshifted into butters, milks, crusts, and spreads. But they require thousands of gallons of water to produce a handful of servings, more than most other nuts and legumes—not-so-savory numbers for crops grown in one of the most drought-affected states. So Dotson got to work in the lab (his apartment kitchen) with hemp seeds, which thrive with less than a third of the amount of water needed to grow almonds. He began with a vanilla mylk, but chocolate was the first flavor suitable for outside sampling. Dotson crowdsourced opinions from friends, family, and roommates, who convinced Dotson his prototypes were a marketable, ready-to-sell product. “They were my first customers,” he says. “I would do drop-offs at houses, apartments, and dorms. It reminded me of the old-school milkman set-up, where they would travel around and leave milk outside your door.” Luv Mylk currently offers five varieties— unsweetened, chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, and horchata—all made from organic plants. Dotson’s product is also gluten-free, rich in iron and calcium, and full of omega-3s and -6s. Plus, it is nut-free, a rare distinction in the world of vegan milks. The future of Luv Mylk remains hemp-based, but Dotson is contemplating investing in pasteurizing equipment to extend Luv Mylk’s shelf life beyond seven to 10 days, making his products more compatible for use in coffee shops and cafés. No word yet on where lattes would rank on the food pyramid—however, if hemp in coffee can slow deforestation, let’s get to frothing.

he food pyramid is a hierarchy of half-truths. It has long painted an incomplete picture—one in which dairy and meat are pillars of health and nutrition—while failing to address the fact that animal agriculture assumes a starring role in driving climate change. The Game Changers , a documentary that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018, implies a positive correlation between a plant-based diet and high-level athletic achievement. It chronicles the lives of vegan athletes and explores the vegetarian diets followed by some Roman gladiators. The documentary resonated with Vincent Dotson, an avid boxer and Saint Louis transplant who developed an interest in the studies presented. According to the film, researchers reported observing more efficient blood flow and higher oxygen levels in athletes who followed plant- based diets when compared to omnivorous competitors from the same athletic disciplines. Dotson ran an unofficial experiment of his own, where his meatless Mondays segued into four-to-five vegetarian days a week and, eventually, to the omission of red meat and dairy altogether. The positive health effects he experienced offered swift confirmation of what he’d seen on the big screen.

30 SEPTEMBER 2023

Located at the Bahia Resort Hotel (858) 539-7635 | 998 West Mission Bay Drive | San Diego, California

Food & Drink RECIPES Green Eating Vegan recipes that deserve a spot at the table than 160,000 followers on her Instagram account @thegardenparty.official) and sleek South Park vegan spot Kindred (a regular on our annual Best Restaurants list) to share the stuff and steps behind their favorite plant-based eats. W elcome to your yummiest Meatless Monday ever. We tapped San Diego’s Rachel Steenland (who shares dreamy vegan recipes with more

BBQ YUBA SKEWERS Kindred – Serves 12

The BBQ Yuba Skewers are 100 percent the Kindred staff favorite. The warmth and crunch of the grilled yuba are amazing, and the sweet, tart, and rich “pomchujang” (pomegranate and gochujang) BBQ sauce offsets the spicy mustard, balancing the flavors perfectly. The pomegranate in the BBQ really shines through, giving this dish a subtle berry finish that pairs really well with the fall flavors featured in our current cocktail menu. –Caleigh Castañeda, Kindred General Manager

Pomchujang • 1 cup ketchup • ½ cup sour pomegranate molasses (Sadaf brand) • ½ cup gochujang paste • 3 ½ tablespoons agave nectar • 3 tablespoons Maggi seasoning • 1 ½ tablespoons sesame oil Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined.

Hot Mustard • ⅓ cup hot water • 3 tablespoons mustard powder • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar • 2 tablespoons agave nectar • 1 tablespoon canola oil • 1 teaspoon mirin • 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt • ¼ teaspoon white pepper, freshly ground Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined.

Yuba Skewer Yields: about 12 one-inch bites

1. Carefully unfold your yuba sheets into a single layer. 2. Using one layer at a time, lay the yuba in front of you so that the longest side is horizontal. 3. Using a pastry brush, brush both sides of the yuba sheet with the pomchujang. 4. Fold the yuba sheet in half, folding the right side over to the left. 5. Begin to roll the yuba up tightly like you would a Swiss roll, starting from the bottom edge closest to your body and rolling upwards. 6. Repeat with the second yuba sheet. 7. Cut your yuba rolls into one-inch pieces and skewer them (with the spiral facing outwards so that you can see all of the layers), either individually to create yuba “lollipops” or with several pieces per skewer to create kebabs. 8. Brush the yuba pieces with more pomchujang and sear them on a very hot, oiled grill until you achieve hard grill marks on both sides. 10. When they come off the grill, brush them once again with pomchujang, sprinkle them with sesame seeds, and serve them with hot mustard.

• 1 pack (two sheets) yuba sheets (Hodo brand) • Six-inch wooden skewers, soaked in water for one hour prior to assembly to prevent burning • Toasted white and black sesame seeds, for garnish

32 SEPTEMBER 2023

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35 SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE

Food & Drink RECIPES

EASY SPICED VEGAN PEAR CAKE Rachel Steenland of The Garden Party – Serves 12 This sweet fruit cake recipe is bursting with fall flavors and uses all the warm and comforting spices that you crave this time of year. The gooey pear caramel topping takes the cake to the next level. You can get the best flavor by using fresh, in-season pears. This recipe is perfect for serving at holiday gatherings. – Rachel Steenland

Toppings • 2 red pears • 6 tablespoons dairy-free butter • 1/2 cup brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. In a medium mixing bowl, add dairy-free butter and brown sugar and mix to combine. Then, add vanilla extract and oat milk and stir to combine. 2. Into a second medium mixing bowl, sift all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda, then add cane sugar, ground spices, and salt. Stir to combine. 3. Pour wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, then stir until combined. 4. Pour batter into the baking pan on top of the butter, brown sugar, and pear topping. 5. Place pear cake into the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean. Set aside to cool. 6. Once cooled, flip your pear cake. Place a serving plate over the top of the baking pan. Then, holding the plate and the pan together tightly, turn the pan upside down, placing the plate on your kitchen counter. Carefully remove the baking pan to reveal the spiced pear cake. 7. Serve warm or at room-temperature with a scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

1. Prepare pears by cutting them in half and removing seeds and stem, then thinly slicing them lengthways. 2. Mix together dairy-free butter and brown sugar, then spread mixture over the bottom of a nine-inch round baking pan. Top with sliced pears, overlapping to create a circular pattern. Batter • 1 stick (4 oz.) dairy-free butter • 3/4 cup brown sugar • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract • 1 cup oat milk • 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda • 3/4 cup cane sugar • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg • 1 teaspoon ground ginger • Pinch of salt

34 SEPTEMBER 2023

Savor today with a plan for tomorrow.

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GOLETA :: SANTA BARBARA :: MONTECITO :: SUMMERLAND

There’s dining. Then there’s savoring farm-to-picnic-table charcuterie and small batch Syrah in the radiant rose garden of a Spanish Colonial icon.

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