San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
332 episodes - English - Latest episode: 12 days ago - ★★★★★ - 161 ratingsFood Network's Troy Johnson and San Diego Magazine's David Martin talk dining out, drinking up and what’s making news on the restaurant scene.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Gustavo Tonella Is Bringing Sonoran-Style Hot Dogs to Imperial Beach
May 19, 2021 21:45 - 1 hour - 125 MBWelcome back to Happy Half Hour! This week's special guest is Gustavo Tonella of Doggos Gus in Imperial Beach. Gustavo started his catering company in 2010, serving up Sonoran-style bacon-wrapped hot dogs in brioche buns. Then in 2019, he opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant right across from the IB pier, and introduced micheladas and White Claws topped with chamoy to his menu. Gustavo grew up eating street hot dogs in Mexicali, where they’re wrapped in bacon and topped with chipotle, vegeta...
Restaurants Are Struggling Find Workers. Dario Gallo of Civico 1845 Explains Why
May 13, 2021 20:24 - 59 minutes - 110 MBWelcome back to Happy Half Hour! Today’s special guest is Dario Gallo, owner of Civico 1845 in Little Italy and Civico by the Park in Bankers Hill. Dario was born and raised in Cosenza, Italy, and after graduating with an economics and business administration degree, he moved to the US with his brother, Pietro. They opened their first restaurant, Civico 1845, in 2015, and in 2020 they opened Civico by the Park. The restaurants specialize in Calabrian dishes, pinsa Romana (ancient Roman-style ...
Restaurants Are Struggling to Find Workers. Dario Gallo of Civico 1845 Explains Why
May 13, 2021 20:24 - 59 minutes - 110 MBWelcome back to Happy Half Hour! Today’s special guest is Dario Gallo, owner of Civico 1845 in Little Italy and Civico by the Park in Bankers Hill. Dario was born and raised in Cosenza, Italy, and after graduating with an economics and business administration degree, he moved to the US with his brother, Pietro. They opened their first restaurant, Civico 1845, in 2015, and in 2020 they opened Civico by the Park. The restaurants specialize in Calabrian dishes, pinsa Romana (ancient Roman-style ...
We Chat with Acclaimed Chef Eric Greenspan about the World of Ghost and Virtual Kitchens
May 06, 2021 17:23 - 1 hour - 122 MBToday we have a very special guest, chef Eric Greenspan. Eric has over 20 years of experience in the culinary world, having worked with chefs such as Alain Ducasse and Rocco DiSpirito, and apprenticing at the three-Michelin-star El Bulli in Spain. He was executive chef at several successful restaurants in LA, including Patina, The Foundry, and Maré, and is a noted cookbook author and regular judge on Guy’s Grocery Games. Eric is on the show today to talk about ghost kitchens and virtual kit...
How Food Writer Sabrina Medora Galvanized Local Chefs for an Event to Fight Racism through Food
April 29, 2021 18:24 - 59 minutes - 109 MBWelcome back to Happy Half Hour! Today’s special guest is Sabrina Medora, food writer and founder of Un-Plated, a national multimedia platform that celebrates the little-known stories and unsung heroes of the restaurant industry. Her work has appeared in Wine Enthusiast,The Kitchn, and Food & Wine, andshe has produced events with the James Beard Foundation. Sabrina was born in Canada, has lived in Mumbai, Singapore, and New Jersey, and recently moved to San Diego from Washington, DC. She’s th...
Chef Travis Swikard’s Long-Awaited Callie Restaurant Is Finally Opening!
April 22, 2021 18:46 - 1 hour - 121 MBToday’s special guest is chef Travis Swikard, whom we last had on the show in March 2020. Travis is a San Diego native who spent ten years working with acclaimed French chef Daniel Boulud in New York City, and moved back to San Diego to open Callie, his first solo restaurant. The pandemic delayed his original plan to open Callie last summer. We checked in with Travis to see how the long-awaited restaurant is coming along, and there’s great news: They’re planning a June 4 opening date, and are...
We Talk Baseball and Burritos with Padres Outfielder Wil Myers
April 15, 2021 16:17 - 38 minutes - 69.8 MBWelcome back to Happy Half Hour! We have a special treat for our listeners this week: Joining us on the show is Wil Myers! The San Diego Padres are the most exciting team to watch in Major League Baseball right now, and they just made history last week with their first no-hitter. Wil has been a familiar face in the Petco Park outfield since he joined the team in 2013. On April 10, 2017, he hit for the cycle against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field—it was only the second cycle in Padres his...
A Toast to an Award-Winning Wine Made Right in Ocean Beach
April 08, 2021 17:26 - 49 minutes - 90.7 MBToday’s special guest is Keith Rolle, founder and winemaker of Gianni Buonomo Vintners in Ocean Beach. A little over a week ago, Gianni Buonomo won several awards at the 2021 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Keith moved to OB in 1997 and was running another business before switching gears at age 47. He went back to school to study viticulture and enology, starting his journey into the world of winemaking and grape growing. Winning these awards in San Francisco is no small feat: It’s...
Kaci Goff Embraces Her Malaysian Tamil Heritage at Wolf and Woman Pop-Up
April 01, 2021 18:50 - 43 minutes - 79.4 MBToday’s special guest is Kaci Goff, chef and owner of contemporary Malaysian pop-up restaurant Wolf and Woman. While serving Malaysian Tamil cuisine like penang laksa noodles and garam masala lamb shank, Kaci is also planning on launching a commissary kitchen in Vista at the end of April. This weekend, she’s selling dessert boxes that can be preordered, and on April 21, Wolf and Woman is hosting a dinner with Hidden Craft that will benefit the San Diego Rescue Mission. Kaci started her caree...
Emily Green at Sisters Pizza Is Building a Legacy of Pizza and Community
March 25, 2021 19:19 - 41 minutes - 76.4 MBThis week’s special guest is Emily Green, owner of Sisters Pizza in Hillcrest. Since 2019, Sisters Pizza has been serving up New York– and New Jersey–style pizza whole and by the slice, along with other Italian dishes from family recipes. Emily opened the business in loving memory of her older sister, Kate, and she regularly gives back to the community by raising money for a different charity every month. Emily grew up in New Jersey and loves East Coast pizza, and she says that when she move...
Brewer Megan Stone on Receiving a National Award for Promoting Inclusivity within Craft Beer Culture
March 18, 2021 18:31 - 1 hour - 110 MBWelcome back to Happy Half Hour! This week’s special guest is Megan Stone, media coordinator at Societe Brewing Company in Clairemont, who was recently named the first-ever Woman of the Year by the Craft Beer Marketing Awards. Megan, whose pronouns are both she/her and they/them, is a member of the San Diego Brewers Guild Inclusion Committee and social media influencer with over 34,000 followers who seeks to promote diversity, equality, and inclusion within the craft beer industry. Megan di...
We Try Ballast Point’s Two Newest Beers: Big Gus and Wee Gus
March 11, 2021 21:30 - 59 minutes - 108 MBWelcome back to Happy Half Hour! This episode was sponsored by Ballast Point, and two special guests from the brewing company joined us this week: Aaron Justus, director of R&D and specialty brewing, and Jeff Lozano, specialty brewer and manager. This year, the company is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a pioneer in the craft beer industry, and Aaron and Jeff debuted and tasted Ballast Point’s two newest beers, Wee Gus and Big Gus. Aaron was a meteorologist for 13 years before he ended u...
Indulgent Vegan Food? Avonte Hartsfield of Rollin’ Roots Shows It’s Possible
March 04, 2021 18:09 - 43 minutes - 80.1 MBWelcome back to Happy Half Hour! This week’s special guest is Avonte Hartsfield, owner of Rollin’ Roots food truck in Kearny Mesa. Rollin’ Roots has been serving comfort foods, like loaded fries and sandwiches with deep-fried “shrimp” and Buffalo “chicken” that are entirely vegan, since it opened last fall. Avonte is passionate about breaking the stigma that vegan food has to be expensive, and he started a pay-what-you-can option at the food truck and provides meals for those in need. Avonte...
We Chat with Tommy Gomes about His New TV Show, The Fishmonger
February 25, 2021 22:53 - 1 hour - 125 MBWelcome back to Happy Half Hour! This week, Tommy “The Fishmonger” Gomes, a local expert on all things seafood and spokesperson for San Diego's fishing industry, made his third appearance on the podcast. Since his last visit, Tommy’s become the star of his own national TV show, The Fishmonger, an eight-episode docuseries premiering March 1 at 4 p.m. on the Outdoor Channel. Tommy is from a Portuguese fishing family that has been in San Diego for generations—they settled in Point Loma in the 1...
We Check in with Richard Blais about His Pandemic Projects and New Restaurant
February 18, 2021 23:33 - 57 minutes - 106 MBThis week we chatted with chef Richard Blais, whom you may recognize as both a contestant and a judge on Top Chef, and as a judge on Guy’s Grocery Games and MasterChef. Richard came by to talk about his newest restaurant, Ember & Rye, a steak house opening soon at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad. Richard got his start working at The French Laundry, Chez Panisse, and El Bulli, then opened several of his own restaurants in Atlanta. After moving to San Diego, he opened Juniper and Ivy...
Meet Tony Guan, Executive Chef at Fortunate Son
February 11, 2021 22:20 - 31 minutes - 57.5 MBWelcome back to Happy Half Hour! In celebration of the lunar new year on February 12 and the Year of the Ox, we chatted with Tony Guan, executive chef at Fortunate Son, the newest restaurant from CH Projects in Normal Heights. Fortunate Son replaced Soda & Swine last fall, and serves Tony’s spin on classic American Chinese dishes like General’s Tso’s chicken and sweet and sour pork. Tony was born and raised in Chula Vista and went to culinary school here. He worked the line at the Dana Hote...
We Talk Tacos with Ernie Becerra, Founder of ¡Salud! in Barrio Logan
February 04, 2021 20:29 - 42 minutes - 78.7 MBWelcome back to Happy Half Hour! This week we chat with Ernie Becerra, founder of San Diego Taco Company and ¡Salud! Tacos in Barrio Logan. Ernie is a fifth-generation San Diegan, and he worked as a banker before pursuing his passion and eventually opening a restaurant. ¡Salud! is one of 13 essential taco shops listed in this month’s cover story in San Diego Magazine, called “A Love Letter to Tacos!” Ernie’s family is deeply rooted in San Diego. He says they are “old-school Chicano,” hav...
Meet Starr Edwards, the Founder of Bitchin’ Sauce
January 28, 2021 20:40 - 52 minutes - 96.5 MBWelcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week, we chat with Starr Edwards, founder of Bitchin’ Sauce, a popular almond dip that is vegan-friendly. You may have it seen at local farmers’ markets (and mistaken it for hummus) or at the grocery store. The company started in Carlsbad and is still headquartered there, but has increased distribution to nearly 7,000 stores nationwide, including Costco, Target, and Whole Foods. In episode 210, William Bradley, executive chef at Michelin-starred resta...
How Maya Madsen’s Vegan Cookies Went From Farmers’ Markets to the National Spotlight Overnight
January 21, 2021 23:07 - 53 minutes - 98.2 MBWe’re excited to have Maya Madsen, the founder of Maya's Cookies, on the show this week. Maya’s Cookies is a line of soft-baked cookies that are completely vegan but also popular with non-vegans. Maya founded the company in 2015 when she couldn't find any vegan cookies that she liked, so she started baking her own. Today, her company is the No. 1 Black-owned gourmet vegan cookie company in the country. The cookies are available online and ship nationally, and she opened her first retail store...
We Chat With Michelin-Starred Chef William Bradley of Addison to Talk the Future of Fine Dining
January 14, 2021 21:12 - 1 hour - 111 MBHappy New Year! We took a break from taping during the holidays, and now we’re back and looking forward to 2021. We kicked off our first episode of the year with chef William Bradley of Addison, San Diego’s first restaurant to receive a Michelin star, which it was awarded in 2019. William is a San Diego native, and he's been leading the kitchen at Addison since 2006. He’s been nominated four times for a James Beard Award, won Robb Report’s Culinary Masters, and has served on the council for B...
We Reminisce on 2020: Our Most Memorable Guests, Favorite Foods, and Hopes for the Future
December 17, 2020 22:09 - 51 minutes - 94.9 MBHappy Holidays to all our listeners, and welcome to the last episode of 2020! We are wrapping up this unprecedented year with our most memorable guests, our favorite foods, and some predictions and hopes for the new year. Note: This was recorded on December 12.08.20. Troy, Marie, and David all reminisce about the first podcast we recorded after the pandemic and how it felt to be back on the air after three months. They looked back at some of their favorite episodes: Marie enjoyed our first e...
We Chat with Arturo Kassel of Whisknladle Hospitality about the Second Shutdown
December 10, 2020 20:40 - 54 minutes - 101 MBOur special guest this week is Arturo Kassel, CEO of Whisknladle Hospitality, which brought us restaurants like Prep Kitchen, Catania, and Whisknladle in La Jolla. He also owns Gravity Heights Brewery, which opened last summer in Sorrento Valley, and the Park Commons food hall. Arturo and his business partner, chef Ryan Johnston, opened Whisknladle in La Jolla in 2008. After 12 years in the neighborhood, they had to close the restaurant this spring because of the pandemic. We featured Whisknl...
We Reveal to Chef Accursio Lota of Cori Pastificio That He’s a Best Restaurants Winner!
December 03, 2020 20:25 - 45 minutes - 82.8 MBWelcome back to another Happy Half Hour episode! Today's special guest is Accursio Lota, chef and owner of Cori Pastificio in North Park. Before opening Cori Pastificio, he was the head chef at Liberty Station’s Solare Ristorante for seven years. During his time there, he was presented with the prestigious Tre Gamberi by Gambero Rosso, an Italian award similar to the Michelin star system. Just one year prior, he won the Barilla World Pasta Championships. He’s originally from Menfi, Sicily, an...
It’s Almost Time for Pumpkin Pie! We Chat with Steven Torres of Pop Pie and Stella Jean’s
November 19, 2020 20:40 - 52 minutes - 96.1 MBWelcome back to Happy Half Hour! Today’s special guest is Steven Torres, founder and CEO of Pop Pie Co. and Stella Jean’s ice cream. Steven and his husband, Gan Suebsarakham, own the two shops in University Heights, which feature modern takes on American dessert staples: pie and ice cream. Leaning on his background in business and accounting, Steven handles the day-to-day operations and oversees all Pop Pie Co. and Stella Jean’s locations, including expansion, menu development, and management...
We Chat with Timothy Parker, Navy Veteran and Owner of Chula Vista Brewery
November 12, 2020 22:10 - 41 minutes - 76.7 MBWelcome back to Happy Half Hour! We honor Veterans Day this week with our special guest, Timothy Parker, co-founder of Chula Vista Brewery! Timothy is from Chicago, and he moved to San Diego to pursue a career in the Navy, where he met his wife, Dali, and was introduced to Chula Vista. He opened up Chula Vista Brewery on Third Avenue as a way to bring quality craft beers to South Bay. He retired from the Navy at the end of 2019 following two decades of service, and he is now a full-time pres...
We’re Back at The Del’s Sun Deck and Talking Cocktails
November 05, 2020 19:35 - 33 minutes - 60.9 MBWelcome back to the Happy Half Hour! Just like last week’s episode, we are out here once again at our sponsor the Hotel del Coronado’s new Sun Deck enjoying the sun, beach views, and this time, refreshing cocktails courtesy of our special guest Amanda McNeil, the hotel’s director of beverages. Amanda has been at Hotel Del since 2018, overseeing 10 of their outlets. She is a Level 1 Sommelier, and this summer she helped launch five new bars and restaurants at the resort simultaneously, includ...
Join Us on the Hotel Del’s New Sun Deck!
October 30, 2020 19:28 - 43 minutes - 79.1 MBWelcome back to Happy Half Hour! This is our first live recording of the podcast since this spring. We taped this episode, at our sponsor, the Hotel Del Coronado’s brand new Sun Deck, a bar and restaurant that overlooks Coronado Beach. It was the first time in seven months we’ve been outside and together for a podcast (socially distanced, of course!), and the fresh air and ocean view made for a welcome return. Today’s special guest is Stefan Peroutka, the executive chef right here at Hotel d...
How Is Limited Indoor Dining Going? We Asked Sandy Vuong of Dumpling Inn
October 22, 2020 19:52 - 44 minutes - 81 MBWelcome back to the Happy Half Hour! Our special guest today is Sandy Vuong from Dumpling Inn and Shanghai Saloon. Dumpling Inn was one of the first restaurants in San Diego to offer xiao long bao, Chinese soup dumplings. Sandy’s family also owns Minh Ky, a beloved Chinese restaurant in City Heights. Sandy moved to Orange County to study at UC Irvine, and after graduating she moved back to San Diego to become co-owner of Dumpling Inn. The restaurant moved right next door from its original spo...
How Hanna’s Gourmet Went from a Catering Business to a Beloved Bistro
October 15, 2020 18:21 - 43 minutes - 79.4 MBWelcome back to the Happy Half Hour! Today's guest is Hanna Tesfamichael, chef and owner of Hanna's Gourmet in Normal Heights. Born in Eritrea, Hanna came to San Diego to study food and nutrition at San Diego State University. She worked for a while at Jenny Craig, and then in 2008 she opened her own catering kitchen before opening Hanna’s as a full-service restaurant in 2011. Hanna chatted with us about her unexpected journey from nutrition coach to caterer to restaurant owner. Throughout co...
It’s Our 200th Episode! We Celebrate With Chef Brian Malarkey
October 08, 2020 18:41 - 47 minutes - 87.5 MBFour years and 200 episodes later, and we’re here sharing our landmark episode with a very special guest, Brian Malarkey. Over the past ten years, Brian has built a successful restaurant empire throughout the country, starting in San Diego. He was the founding chef and partner of Searsucker and Herringbone restaurants, which sold majority stake to Hakkasan Group in 2014. Since then, he's opened Herb & Wood, Herb & Eatery, Herb & Sea, Animae, NIMA Cafe, and Herb & Ranch. Brian was a finalist...
Our First Cross-Border Episode! With the Founder of La Lomita Winery
October 01, 2020 19:45 - 56 minutes - 103 MBWelcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week’s episode is our first international one, and our special guest is Fernando Perez Castro, the founder of La Lomita Winery and Finca la Carrodilla in Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California’s wine country. Fernando founded the winery in 2009, and it’s the first certified organic winery in the region. La Lomita’s Pagano grenache is on the wine list at the acclaimed The French Laundry. Fernando chatted with us virtually from his home in Ensenada. Every...
How a Small Farm and Café in North Park Helps Refugees Build a New Life
September 24, 2020 18:47 - 52 minutes - 96.3 MBWelcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week’s special guest is Anchi Mei, senior program manager of the International Rescue Committee in San Diego. The IRC is a nonprofit devoted to helping refugees and asylees set down roots and build a new life. Anchi runs its MAKE Projects (Merging Agriculture, Kitchens, and Employment), which include a small working farm, a café, and a culinary program right in the heart of North Park, by St. Luke's Church. Through the farm and the café, high school s...
We Chat with Acclaimed Chef Eric Bost about His Move to Jeune et Jolie
September 16, 2020 18:46 - 41 minutes - 76.7 MBWelcome back to the Happy Half Hour! We didn’t release an episode last week, as we took Labor Day weekend off, but we’re back and excited about this week’s guest: Eric Bost, who was recently named the new executive chef at Jeune et Jolie. Eric and his family just relocated from LA and he’s still getting settled in North County, but he took the time to chat with us about his new venture. Eric has an impressive résumé: He worked under Alain Ducasse at Plaza Athénée in Paris, and at Guy Savoy i...
We Learn about San Diego’s Growing Wine Industry with Denise Clarke, Owner of Altipiano Vineyard
September 03, 2020 21:26 - 1 hour - 122 MBWelcome back to the Happy Half Hour! While San Diego may be the craft beer capital of the US, we also have a less-talked-about but flourishing wine scene. We’re learning all about it from Denise Clarke, owner of Altipiano Vineyard in Escondido. Altipiano is also the only Black- and female-owned winery in San Diego, and we ran a profile on Denise in the current issue. Denise shares her journey in becoming a boutique winemaker. She worked in human resources for many years, and her family owned...
How One Nonprofit Is Helping Restaurants Stay Afloat While It Feeds Hospital Workers
August 27, 2020 20:53 - 54 minutes - 100 MBWelcome back to the Happy Half Hour! We have two special guests for this week’s episode: Brett Roggenkamp, lead organizer for the San Diego Chapter of Frontline Foods; and Rodnia Attiq, owner of El Borrego, a popular barbacoa restaurant in City Heights. El Borrego is one of roughly 40 local restaurants that Frontline Foods has teamed up with to provide meals to health care professionals and other essential workers who are treating COVID-19 patients. Frontline Foods was started in the Bay Are...
What is San Diego’s Restaurant Scene Going to Be Like Once Summer Ends? We Asked Jeff Rossman
August 20, 2020 21:02 - 1 hour - 112 MBWelcome back to the Happy Half Hour! We had so many questions about the state of San Diego’s restaurants that we went into overtime with today’s guest, Jeff Rossman. Jeff is the owner of Terra American Bistro in La Mesa, a longtime advocate for local farmers, and president of the San Diego Chapter of the California Restaurant Association, one of the largest advocacy and lobbying groups for the industry in the state. Where things stand, many small businesses are projected to run out of money ...
What’s Brewing in Barrio Logan: A Women-Led Craft Beer Space
August 13, 2020 19:00 - 48 minutes - 89.6 MBWelcome back to the Happy Half Hour! Today we’re sipping beer virtually with Esthela Davila and learning about the educational nonprofit she cofounded, Mujeres Brew Club. Mujeres means “women” in Spanish, and Esthela created the monthly club along with Carmen Favela of Border X Brewing to provide a safe space for women, especially Latinas, to network, learn about craft beer, and break barriers in the industry. Mujeres Brew Club is inclusive and open to anyone who wants to learn about beer, ...
Kris Buchanan of Goodonya Organic Eatery Says It’s Not Realistic for Businesses to be the Enforcer
August 06, 2020 20:19 - 1 hour - 116 MBWelcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week’s guest is Kris Buchanan, owner of Goodonya Organics and Goodonya Organic Eatery in Encinitas. Kris has been in the restaurant business for a long time, having founded the organic deli back in 2001 and expanded it to five locations before opening the full-service restaurant in 2015. She tells us how she got into the business, and we learned that she is an Olympian! She was on the USA National Field Hockey Team and went to the 1996 Olympics, and s...
We Get Behind the Lens with Pro Food Photographer and Stylist Brittany Wright
July 30, 2020 17:11 - 50 minutes - 92.4 MBWelcome back to the Happy Half Hour! Today we’re admiring the striking food photography of Brittany Wright, and getting a behind-the-scenes look at the art of food styling. Brittany is from San Diego and resides in Golden Hill; her work has been featured everywhere from the pages of Food & Wine to packaging for Fresh Cosmetics, and she published a book of her photography, Feast Your Eyes. How does one become a pro food photographer? Brittany says working at a job where she was unhappy and fe...
Beyond Booze: Michael Skubic of Old Harbor Distilling Talks Making Hand Sanitizer
July 23, 2020 17:27 - 50 minutes - 92.7 MBWelcome back to the Happy Half Hour! San Diego has long been a craft beer destination, but the city is also home to a burgeoning small-batch distillery scene. How has the pandemic affected these companies, since tasting rooms have to remain closed? We invited Michael Skubic, founder of Old Harbor Distilling Co., to talk about this. Michael got his start as a homebrewer when he was just 21, and after college he helped co-found Mike Hess Brewing. He later ventured on his own and founded Old Ha...
We dig in to Korean fried chicken with Tommy Nguyen, owner of Cross Street Chicken and Beer
July 16, 2020 19:26 - 56 minutes - 103 MBWelcome back to the Happy Half Hour! When we taped this episode, the state of California had just announced the re-suspension of indoor dining at restaurants. Over the past few weeks, local restaurants have had to weather reopening, closing, and converting their dining spaces outdoors. We checked in with Tommy Nguyen, who owns Cross Street Chicken and Beer, the Korean fried chicken emporium with locations on Convoy Street and at Windmill Food Hall in Carlsbad. Tommy shared with us how he’s a...
What’s the future of live music in San Diego? We ask Tim Mays, owner of The Casbah and Starlite
July 09, 2020 19:29 - 55 minutes - 102 MBWelcome back to the Happy Half Hour! At the time of this taping, indoor dining at restaurants in San Diego has been shut down for at least the next three weeks, and bars remain closed. We’ve been wondering what this means for the industry, and also how this will affect the live music scene and the venues that host them. So we brought in Tim Mays, who owns The Casbah on Kettner Boulevard—a landmark that’s been in town for over 30 years—along with Starlite restaurant, Krakatoa Cafe and Vinyl Ju...
How Chef Phillip Esteban Adapted and Expanded His Businesses, One Rice Bowl at a Time
July 02, 2020 18:01 - 1 hour - 112 MBWelcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week, we checked in with Chef Phillip Esteban, a National City native who has worked at David Chang’s Momofuku Ssäm Bar in New York City and most recently as the research and development chef for Consortium Holdings. We’d initially planned to have Phillip on the show back in March to talk about his upcoming culinary projects in National City, which we featured in the April issue’s Neighborhood Guide. With the show up and running again, we talked to hi...
Brad Keiller of Nomad Donuts shares his experiences on being a Black business owner in America
June 24, 2020 21:50 - 47 minutes - 87.4 MBHappy Half Hour has returned! After a nearly three-month hiatus, we’re excited to have the show back up and running. A note on today’s episode: Happy Half Hour is a podcast about San Diego’s restaurant industry. We know that listeners download it to hear Troy’s recommendations, and to find out what local chefs and restaurant owners are working on. For many people, the show is a form of escapism and entertainment. But today’s episode is different. We felt it would be irresponsible to not disc...
Chef Travis Swikard Returns to His Hometown to Open Callie Restaurant in East Village
March 11, 2020 18:35 - 57 minutes - 106 MBWe’re here at Ballast Point Brewing in Little Italy, and today, we have Colby Chandler, Ballast Point’s vice president and specialty brewer. Colby is the second-longest employee of Ballast Point—he’s been with the company for 23 years. He was involved in the creation of their award-winning flagship beer, Sculpin, where he took two gold-medal-winning IPAs and melded the recipes into one. His version of their two beers is the Sculpin you know today. Today’s special guest is Chef Travis Swikard...
Would You Try a Mashed Potato Pizza? Jon Mangini of Basic Pizza Talks About Why You Should
March 04, 2020 19:02 - 47 minutes - 87.4 MBWe’re here at Provisional Kitchen, one of the restaurants in the Pendry Hotel in downtown San Diego. Today, we have David Duran, the director of food and beverage at the Pendry, talking to us about their new superfood brunch cocktails. David got into the hospitality business at age 17 in Las Vegas and moved to San Diego in early 2017, where he took the job at the Pendry. Today’s guest is Jon Mangini, owner and founder of Basic Pizza and URBN Coal-Fired Pizza. Jon is a Connecticut native who...
Our Conversation with Gaston Martinez Gets Smoky As We Discuss Mezcal, Mexico, and Marketing
February 25, 2020 20:51 - 37 minutes - 68.4 MBToday we’re here at our sponsor, Provisional Kitchen, Café & Mercantile, one of the restaurants in the Pendry Hotel in downtown San Diego, and today, we have Chef Brandon Sloan with us. Brandon is the Chef de Cuisine of Provisional, where he serves up a sunny side up ostrich egg—an egg so large that it equals 16 chicken eggs and feeds four people. Today’s guest is Gaston Martinez, the founder and CEO of IZO Mezcal, a line of agave spirits produced in Durango, Mexico. With the special Mexico...
Amplified Ale Works’ founder Alex Pierson shares how he went from cooking kebabs to brewing up beers
February 12, 2020 20:56 - 41 minutes - 76.3 MBToday’s guest is Alex Pierson, the founder of Amplified Ale Works. Alex got his start in the restaurant business when he opened a Middle Eastern restaurant in 2009, California Kebab. While running the restaurant he started brewing his own beer at home, which led him to start a brewery in Pacific Beach in 2012 and adopt the name, Amplified Ale Works. In 2016, he moved production to Miramar and opened a tasting room there where they expanded annual production from 300 barrels to 2,000 barrels. ...
We Talk Pizza and Ridiculously Hot Chicken Wings with Regents Pizzeria owner, Bill Vivian
February 05, 2020 23:23 - 41 minutes - 75.3 MBToday’s guest is Bill Vivian, the owner of Regents Pizzeria in La Jolla, a pizzeria that specializes in both Chicago and New York-style pizzas. They’re also famous for their chicken wings, which range in spice levels from mild to explosively hot. We highlighted the “Scorpion Wings” from Regents in The Adventurous Eaters' Checklist feature in San Diego Magazine’s Food Lover’s Guide. If you want to order the Scorpion Wings, you have to sign an actual waiver—they’re so hot they pack 2 million Sc...
We Talk Healthy Eating with Lan Thai, Chef at Enclave, Inside of JuneShine Ranch’s Kombucha Brewery
January 29, 2020 23:59 - 36 minutes - 66.1 MBToday’s guest is Lan Thai, chef at Enclave, the restaurant inside JuneShine Ranch's kombucha brewery. Enclave's menu is based around the concept of food-as-medicine and its partnership with Juneshine is a “match made in organic heaven,” according to Lan. We highlighted the roasted beet salad from Enclave in the January issue of San Diego Magazine, which is devoted to tips on healthy eating. Lan’s parents were refugees from Vietnam, and she was born in a refugee camp in Thailand. She came to t...