In the high-tech, yet homey kitchen classroom at Cups Culinary in La Jolla, some of San Diego’s most gifted gastronomes, including Spring Hill Cheese whiz Rachel Peter (left to right in photo are Suzie’s Farm intern Elle Ucker, Rachel Peter, Cups owner Michelle Ciccarelli Lerach and Cups Director Chef Jesus Gonzalez) teach everything from serving charcuterie to decorating baked goods. “Cheese is milk’s leap to immortality,” says Peter, whose whey-cool lessons in crafting artisanal cheese and crème fraîche show students how to make culture pop. “I love sharing its taste and essence because, for me, it represents tradition, health and community.”

cupslj.com

Now You’re Cooking

Una Noche en España:
Tapas (Jan. 6) and Mas Noches
en España: Paella (Jan. 19)
Hipcooks, North Park
619.269.8844
sandiego.hipcooks.com

Hands-On Basic Sushi
(Jan. 7)
Great News! Cooking School, Pacific Beach
858.270.1582
great-news.com

Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen
Basics Three-Part Series
(Jan. 10, 17 and 24)
Sur La Table, Carlsbad
760.635.1319
surlatable.com

Even if Santa never shows, you might as well set out a plate of fresh-baked cookies—someone is gonna have to eat them. So push the gift wrap and tape aside, pour a big glass of milk and settle in with a jolly bellyful of San Diego’s best.

TOTALLY JAW-SOME

Jennifer Grantham, the pastry chef at Del Mar’s Urban Plates, loves baking gourmet cookies big. “They’re deliberately craggy for extra texture, too, with a nice, dark caramel color,” she says of her outsized creations.

Grantham’s five-inch-diameter Chocolate Chunk cookie is filled with bittersweet Belgian chocolate that’s hand-chopped to vary the bite experience. Her Cowgirl packs a wholesome mother lode of rolled oats, coconut, dried cranberries and sunflower seeds, while her super-chewy Ginger Molasses cookie blends sweet and savory flavors.

Health-conscious customers may appreciate that Grantham swaps butter for Earth Balance—a trans fat-free, vegan blend of palm fruit, canola, soybean, flax and olive oils.

Urban Plates
12857 El Camino Real, Del Mar
858.509.1800, urbanplates.com

SMART COOKIES

There’s nothing half-baked about the business approach of The Cravory, launched two-and-half years ago by childhood pals from Arizona (and now-twentysomething San Diego residents) Adam Koven, Nate Ransom and Derek Jaeger. As Koven describes it, the trio set out to make their online company “the Ben and Jerry’s of the cookie world,” offering nearly 1,000 gourmet taste combinations (many of which are derived from suggestions by fans posting on The Cravory’s Facebook page).

With premium ingredients like hand-crafted salty caramel and Callebaut Belgian chocolate, The Cravory’s sumptuous, soft-center cookies run the flavor gamut—from the exotic (Pumpkin Chai Tea Dough) to the kitschy (Pancakes and Bacon).

Koven says cookie chef Derek Jaeger “never met a cookie he didn’t like,” adding that Jaeger’s olive oil-based Savory Rosemary Balsamic cookie “goes great with an evening glass of wine.”

Sold online and at the Hillcrest and La Jolla farmers markets, The Cravory’s cookies have also landed at concession stands in New York’s La Guardia and JFK airports—giving sweet, new life to the concept of carry-ons.

The Cravory
800.591.2571, thecravory.com

BITE GALLERY

This is high season for François Goedhuys, a native of Belgium who for the past quarter century has been making fanciful cookies (as many as 4,000 a week during the year-end holidays) at his Girard Gourmet deli, bakery and restaurant in La Jolla.

Using an almond butter cookie “canvas” and a palette of multicolored icings, Goedhuys renders mini-masterworks in the form of reindeer, dreidels and just about anything his customers request. They’re almost too good to eat.

Girard Gourmet
7387 Girard Avenue, La Jolla
858.454.7387, girardgourmet.com

CHEW ON THIS

Named after its owner, Liz Chou, a former CPA-turned-culinary whiz, The Cookie Chew is a San Diego-based online company delivering decadent twists on traditional cookie favorites.

Some of Chou’s wildest creations derive from her concept of marrying a chocolate truffle and a cookie, which she calls a “Truffie.” Hot off her holiday baking sheet: White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Truffie, Gimmee S’mores (marshmallow-stuffed graham cracker chocolate cookie) and Sweet Fiesta (cinnamon-spiced sugar cookie stuffed with Mexican dark chocolate truffle).

All my products are handmade locally in Mission Hills using only butter and no trans fats or preservatives,” Chou says. They’re also available at local farmers markets.

The Cookie Chew
619.550.3397, thecookiechew.com

HOME, SWEET HOME

Take a mouthwatering tour of some unreal estates at the 18th Annual Gingerbread City Gala, December 1 at The Grand Del Mar resort.

Using only edible materials (gingerbread and otherwise), “homebuilders” will compete for a top prize of $2,500.

San Diego Padres CEO Jeff Moorad is the honorary chair of this year’s event—a fundraiser for the Epilepsy Foundation of San Diego County (EFSDC) and “the biggest competition of its kind on the West Coast,” says Healy Vigderson, assistant director of EFSDC.

The elaborate structures will be auctioned off during an awards gala, with proceeds benefiting EFSDC.

More info: 619.296.0161

Chef Ricardo Heredia’s braised pork belly in taro root taco shells with spicy cucumbers, bacon salt and micro cilantro, available at Alchemy in South Park.

By Frank Sabatini, Jr.
Photos by Brevin Blach

When it comes to education versus experience in the kitchen, there are different schools of thought.

Famous chefs like Thomas Keller of The French Laundry (born at Camp Pendleton in 1955, named the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef in America in 1997) and TV host Rachel Ray went on to make millions without formal schooling, while the late Julia Child professed that she would have never mastered the fine art of bouillabaisse (and the copious nips of brandy required to make it) without her rigorous training at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

Locally, we’ve zeroed in on two toques making livable wages: one who never set foot in a cooking class and was repeatedly banished from the kitchen when attempting to learn as a kid, and the other wielding an expensive degree from the country’s most prestigious culinary school.

School of Hard Chops
Chef honed his craft covertly slicing ‘n’ dicing out a living

Ricardo Heredia
Position: Executive chef at Alchemy (South Park)
Age: 35
Training: Self-taught
Honors: Won ‘best dish’ at this year’s Beer and Sake Festival in Del Mar for his braised pork belly in taro root taco shells.

Chef Ricardo Heredia of Alchemy in South Park.

Ricardo Heredia roasted his first chicken at the age of nine, although he recalls having to cook on the sly while growing up under the watchful eye of his oven-hogging grandmother.

“She thought boys shouldn’t be in the kitchen and she’d yell at me for burning her pans, so I would practice on my own,” he says.

At 24, the aspiring chef landed a job at a gourmet deli in his native Ohio and began winging it.

“I was around ingredients that were unfamiliar to me—cheeses, produce and seafood,” Heredia says. “I worked there for two years, and that was my schooling.”

After moving to San Diego, Heredia worked briefly as a sous chef at The Prado in Balboa Park before taking over the kitchen at Alchemy in South Park, where he recently introduced a menu of “street foods from around the world.” Along the way, he spent countless hours reading cookbooks and food blogs and even conquered the tricky maneuvers of pastry-making.

“Cooking is a continuous learning process. It’s all about understanding the transfer of heat and chemical reactions. Do I have to spend $50,000 to learn how to make a roux (a mixture of butter and flour used to thicken sauces)?”

His advice to the culinary interns he trains: “Get your feet wet first and read, read, read. You can make money while you learn all the basic concepts.”
alchemysandiego.com

Degrees of Education
The makings of a well-schooled flavor maven

Barry Coalson
Position: Executive chef at La Bastide Bistro (Scripps Ranch)
Age: 33
Training: Graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y.
Honors: Nabbed the grand prize of $1,000 for his pepper-crusted flat iron steak with foie gras butter in a 2008 meat-cooking competition at Barona Casino.

There was no clowning around for Culinary Institute of America graduate, Barry Coalson, during his demanding externship in NYC. “I was yelled at and had stuff thrown at me. It was pretty intense, but in the cooking world, you can’t just slowly do your work all day,” he says.

Chef Barry Coalson’s dues-paying, dough-slinging days at Pizza Hut are long gone. After a stint in Santa Barbara City College’s culinary program, followed by a $50,000 associate’s degree from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Coalson is living—and cooking—large.

While fulfilling his required five-month externship for the CIA at Park Avenue Café in New York City, Coalson encountered his first taste of the relentless pace and exactitudes of a serious commercial kitchen.

“The chef told me that he was going to make this the hardest experience of my life,” Coalson says. “I was yelled at and had stuff thrown at me. It was pretty intense, but in the cooking world, you can’t just slowly do your work all day.”

Coalson made $75 a day during his externship, working 12-hour shifts, six days a week. But the CIA classes, he says, are what ultimately exposed him to a full menu of global cuisine, from Asian and South American to Mediterranean, American and French. He also came away with a wife, a fellow student whom he met while attending the institute.

Coalson’s top-selling dish at La Bastide Bistro is roasted acorn squash with truffle risotto and seared scallops, although he admits a preference for making mashed potatoes.

“You can add in any number of ingredients to make them better, such as leeks, nicoise olives or garlic,” he says.

Coalson urges aspiring chefs to first get a taste of working 50 to 60 hours a week in a restaurant before embarking on a cooking curriculum.

“You don’t have to really go to school to become a chef, but if you do, you’ll likely end up getting the job over the person who didn’t go,” he says.
labastidebistro.com

Making Dough
Where to get cooking on a culinary career

The Art Institute of California, San Diego

Art Institute features a public restaurant called The Palette that’s staffed by students pursuing three-year Bachelor of Science degrees in culinary management, culinary arts or baking and pastry. A program in hospitality food and beverage management was recently added to the school’s roster. The price for a bachelor’s degree is just under $97,000.

For students who don’t have that kind of dough, the institute offers shorter and cheaper associate-degree programs, as well as two diploma programs, the latter averaging about $33,000.

Among the alumni is Craig Jimenez, who went on to become executive chef at the former Guild Restaurant in Barrio Logan and presently works in the same capacity at Craft & Commerce in Little Italy.
artinstitutes.edu/sandiego

San Diego Culinary Institute

This private, family-run school just marked its 10th anniversary by adding more hours to both its culinary and baking-pastry programs. In addition, extra days were added to the entrepreneurship section of the programs, which is designed to help students open their own restaurants.

Those seeking a Diplome de Commis de Cuisine (872 hours in culinary arts) or a Diplome Professionnel du Boulangerie et de la (1,190 hours in patisserie), should expect to pay $23,500 or $20,420 respectively.

Torn between attending or not? Consider that former Top Chef contestant, Rich Sweeny of Hillcrest’s R Gang Eatery, completed the school’s culinary program, and Chef Chris O’Donnell, who earned both diplomas, carved a name for himself as executive chef of Dolce Pane E Vino restaurant and wine bar in Rancho Santa Fe.

The school is accredited internationally through the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training.
sdci-inc.com

Touch of Class
Get a taste of culinary training via these local cooking classes

Cooking with Beer
WHEN: Oct. 8, 11 a.m.
WHERE: Great News! Cooking School, Pacific Beach
COST: $54
INFO: great-news.com

Katherine Emmenegger, executive chef of Great News! Cooking School, will teach students how to use the bold flavor of craft beer to enhance the taste and nutrition of an array of recipes. Students will make everything from spicy beef chili with stout to lager-scented oysters Rockefeller.
Other Great News! offerings during October include cheese-making, sausage-making chocolate decadence, Mediterranean cuisine and cooking with pumpkin.

Meat Lovers Yacht Dinner
WHEN: Oct. 26, 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Floating Chef School (demonstration-style class taught aboard a private yacht docked near Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina)
COST: $75
INFO: thefloatingchefschool.com

Chef Carole Jensen will prepare a triple entrée of Hoisin braised short ribs, honey-dijon pork loin and London broil, served with a lemon-toasted ciabatta crouton salad and couscous with apricots, cherries and pistachios.

APPLE DAYS
WHEN: October 1-2
WHERE: Downtown Julian
INFO: julianca.com

By David Nelson
Photos by Rob Hammer and John Audley

Apples mirror the climates they prefer. Cool and crisp, they’re the fruit of northern latitudes and mountain orchards. You won’t find apple trees growing side-byside with orange trees, which is one reason this odd couple is too odd to mix, even in fruit salad.

Julian and its tiny neighbor, Wynola, are the famed Southern California center of apple-growing. And it’s safe to say that on Main Street and elsewhere in and around Julian, you can’t stroll more than a few feet without encountering a temptation that’s likely to become the apple of your eye.

From Gold to Golden Delicious
Julian got its start in the 1870s as a gold mining town (experience the history with a tour of Eagle and High Peak Mine, 2320 C Street, Julian, 760.765.0036), but when the shafts dug into its mountain slopes played out, the town continued to mine treasure from the apple orchards that gradually spread a cool, fragrant canopy over its landscape.

The fruit is a big enough deal to merit an annual festival called Julian Apple Days (celebrated this year October 1 and 2), which features a wide variety of activities but nonetheless is apple pie-centric.

Get a taste of Julian apples in every sip of Julian Hard Cider. (John Audley)

In 1907, Julian apples captured the Wilder Medal granted by the American Pomological Society, taking best-in-the-nation status for that year. In that era, if you handed an American housewife a couple pounds of the fruit, you could expect an apple pie cooling on the kitchen windowsill an hour later.

Hard Core
Pies and other apple-based treats are so in demand that Julian cannot produce sufficient fruit and must import a fair percentage of its annual needs. Many purveyors take a strictly local approach anyway, such as Julian Hard Cider, which uses a Colonial American method from 1670 to craft hard cider (the kind with alcohol) from precisely one ingredient: fresh, hand-picked apples.

The distillery’s motto, “American to the Core,” is as tartly on target as a perfect Granny Smith. The cider can be purchased to take home at the company’s “general store.” Or, for some live Bluegrass with your glass of icy, draft hard cider tapped from barrels, head next door to Miner’s Saloon, constructed of wood salvaged from local structures and decorated with historic photos of Julian mining scenes.
Julian Hard Cider
4468 Highway 78, Julian
760.765.2500, julianhardcider.biz

Apple-boysenberry crumb-top pie from Julian Pie Company. (Rob Hammer)

American Pie
Founded in 1986 by Liz Smothers, the Julian Pie Company is by far the town’s behemoth baker, located adjacent to an array of craft shops on Julian’s quaint Main Street. The business was so successful early on that, in 1989, Smothers and her husband, Keith, bought an apple farm and planted 17,000 trees to supply pie fruit.

Julian Pie Company pies are also available at Albertsons supermarkets around San Diego, as well as many neighborhood markets and Navy commissaries.
Julian Pie Company
2225 Main St., Julian
760.765.2449, julianpie.com

The famous bacon, lettuce and apple sandwiches served at Jack's Grocery in downtown Julian. (John Audley)

Variety: The Slice of Life
In Julian, all things apple are possible. Its rough-and ready Main Street recalls mining days in a way that can only be described as “cute-as-a-button,” while its candy makers, pastry shops and restaurants all prove that there’s more than one way to skin an apple. The enticements range from simple treats like the famous bacon, lettuce and apple sandwiches served at Jack’s
Grocery to the remarkably elaborate, eye-arresting candied and caramel apples confected by the Candied Apple Pastry Company. There are many flavors, but the “Cherry RED” candied apples are so vivid that they’d tempt Snow White to take a second bite.
Jack’s Grocery
2117 Main St., Julian
760.765.3200
Candied Apple Pastry Company
2128 Fourth St., Julian
760.765.2655, candiedapplepastry.com

Ham Made
If you can’t visualize an apple burger, pay a visit to Cari Thompson’s Cowbella Ranch Cafe. Thompson gives partial credit for this unusual creation to the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas, where she enjoyed a  similar dish, but nonetheless says, “I kind of invented” the Apple Burger. It’s big and bold, and piles slices of Granny Smiths atop a beefy patty also garnished with Provolone cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, lettuce and a sweet maple-mustard sauce.
Cowbella Ranch Cafe
2116 Main St., Julian
760.765.2167

The apple burger from Cowbella Ranch Cafe. (John Audley)

Jeremy’s Spoken
A traditional apple cobbler is one of the offerings at Jeremy’s on the Hill California Bistro, an ambitious, upscale restaurant at which chef Jeremy Manley, age 23, aspires to culinary greatness. During apple season, Manley sometimes features savory dishes that pair pork, veal and the like with tart apples. Such creations are in the style of Normandy, the historic district in Northwest France, which is something of Apple Central to the universe.
Jeremy’s on the Hill California Bistro
4354 Highway 78, Julian
760.765.1587, jeremysonthehill.com

Kristi’s Julian Apple Salad from Julian Cafe & Bakery. (Rob Hammer)

Slice of Heaven
One of the town’s mainstays, the Julian Cafe & Bakery is known for several kinds of exceptional apple pies, as well as specialties like Kristi’s Julian Apple Salad, a refreshing meal that embeds the town’s claim to fame in every bite. During the height of apple season, this extremely popular salad includes Granny Smiths as crisp bedrocks for a tumble of avocado, blue cheese, candied walnuts and, if you like, chicken, with poppy seed dressing on the side.
Julian Cafe & Bakery
2112 Main St. Julian
760.765.2712

Pick A Winner

(John Audley)

One of the prime destinations for pick your- own-apple aficionados is Raven Hill Orchard, where seven varieties grow on a total of 8,000 trees. Other attractions include the artworks of sculptor and co-owner Patrick Brady.
Raven Hill Orchard
1284 Julian Orchards Dr., Julian
760.765.2431
Reservations are required at Apples and Art Orchards, which predicts that this will be a very good year for apples. Tours can be booked for groups of 10 to 50 and include apple cider making and tasting, as well as picking for $10 a half-peck (a dry measurement equivalent to eight quarts).

Patrick Brady, owner of Raven Hill Orchard. (John Audley)

Apples and Art Orchards
1052 Julian Orchards Dr., Julian
760.310.6368, applesandartorchards.com
At 107, a Gravenstein apple tree is the oldest at Peacefield Orchard, which promises “free rein to experience hand-picking your own fruit right off the tree” and features a Meditation Garden and labyrinth.

Peacefield Orchard
3803 Wynola Rd., Julian
760.765.0530, peacefieldorchard.com
Pears, which like the same climate as apples, are the attraction at O’Dell’s Organic Orchard, yet another destination for those
hankering to pluck some serious fruit straight from the tree.

O’Dell’s Organic Orchard
1095 Julian Orchards Dr., Julian
760.765.1174, odellsorganicorchard.com

Caramel apples from the Julian Pie Company. (John Audley)

A perfect pour at Julian Hard Cider. (John Audley)

(John Audley)

Mining for visitors at Eagle and High Peak Mine. (Rob Hammer)

Downtown Julian (John Audley)

Artwork by Patrick Brady of Raven Hill Orchard in Julian. (John Audley)

Patrick Brady's sculpture at Raven Hill Orchard. (John Audley)

Patrick Brady relaxes after a morning's work tending to his orchard. (John Audley)

Relive the California Gold Rush at Julian’s Eagle and High Peak Mine. (Rob Hammer)

For the fashionista who wants to wear her meat instead of smelling like it, Prestininzi prepares “gaga raw” meat slices.

By Pat Sherman
Photos by Brevin Blach

When a TV or film crew is shooting Take 22 of their romantic leads’ dinner date, nothing quashes the mood faster than food that has begun to melt or wilt on camera.

That’s where Fax Foods comes in. For more than two decades, the Vista-based company has provided the film, TV and food service industries with custom plastic replicas of everything from sub sandwiches to ice cream sundaes.

Items from the company’s fake-out menu have appeared in TV shows including Pushing Daisies and movies such as Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Knight and Day.

“We did the sushi for Up in the Air, because George Clooney didn’t want to smell (real) sushi in front of him through the scene,” says Fax Foods proprietor Judy Prestininzi, a former bakery owner and house painter who purchased the business two years ago.

Fax Foods owner Judy Prestininzi

The company also makes the sweet con-fections, faux-ssants and plastic kale used in restaurant and grocery store display cases around the world.

Pricing runs the gamut from individual pieces of fruit (about $15) to a sixfoot sub sandwich and a roast suckling pig (about $850 each).

“It can be very frustrating, because when people hear fake food they think toys or the 50-cent stuff that you can get at Wal-Mart or Michaels,” Prestininzi says. “These are not toys. These are serious advertising and serious money-saving products.”

Though some clients initially balk at the price of her forgeries, Prestininzi says her wares quickly pay for themselves.

“We work with a company over in Hawaii that bought the pig,” Prestininzi says. “They got sick and tired of baking (a real pig), setting it out and throwing it away every other day.  They figured that it paid for itself within the first month.”

Fax Foods don’t wilt, discolor or curdle. All that’s required to maintain the ruse is the occasional swipe of a wet cloth to dispel dust.

“Fresh fruit only stays good looking for a few hours—the same thing with dessert trays,” Prestininzi says. “There are a lot of sales that are lost at the point of purchase because they don’t look appetizing.”

Prestininzi prides herself on nailing the illusion of authenticity. When a company places an order, the actual food to be replicated is frozen and shipped overnight to Fax Foods, where its shape, size, color and texture can be examined and recreated. Roughly 12 employees use liquid plastic, resins and pigments to complete the job.

Recently, Prestininzi has fielded requests from fashionistas clamoring to emulate Lady Gaga’s infamous red meat dress.

“We have roast beef in slices called the Gaga Raw,” Prestininzi says. “We’ve had fashion designers from Canada and New York get stuff like that. We sent about 40 slices of bologna to one woman who made a bologna dress for Halloween.”

Faxfoods.com

By Catharine L. Kaufman
Photos by Stacy Keck
(Published in the January 2011 issue)

When it was analyzed during autopsy, Albert Einstein’s brain was shown to have 73% more glial cells than average. These cells form during the embryo’s development, so Mama Pauline must have been eating right while her budding genius was still in utero.

Leonardo Da Vinci enjoyed a popular Renaissance dish of grilled eel and orange slices, and studies have shown that pregnant women who eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like carefully chosen seafood, may boost their children’s IQs. Beethoven had a penchant for strong coffee (60 beans to the cup), the Dalai Lama is a chocoholic, and Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel was a fan of green eggs and ham (made green by healthy herbs, no doubt).

Einstein said, “There’s a genius in all of us.” If he’s right, then perhaps all we have to do to realize our mental potential is eat healthy foods.

Top: Assortment of brain foods from Jimbo’s market. Above: Piatti chef Pepe Ccapatinta presents salmon-stuffed avocados

Here’s a list of no-brainers.

Fish and Tips Swap red meat for red snapper or other omega-3 fatty acid powerhouses (especially wild-caught, deep sea, cold-water varieties) including salmon, herring, sardines and mackerel. One of the omega-3s in fish, DHA, is a key building block in components of grey matter. So, a diet rich in omega-3s may keep brain cells well-lubricated and vibrant, improving mood, brain-wiring and cell-to-cell communications. That all adds up to quick thinking.

Wild-caught salmon is also a rich source of niacin, which is believed to ward off age-related cognitive decline from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. As Dr. Seuss says, “One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.”

Pepe Ccapatinta, executive chef at Piatti in La Jolla Shores, puts sardines, wild-caught salmon and anchovies on his A-list of brain foods.

“A lot of people don’t like sardines because of a bad experience as kids, but they need to move beyond that and add them to their diet,” he says.

Ccapatinta decorates pizzas and antipasti platters with anchovies, balancing the salty fish with sweet tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Another of his faves is wild-caught salmon salad stuffed inside avocado halves.

Acai Bowl (Photo Courtesy of Acai Roots)

Brazilian Bombshell
Açaí (meaning “fruit that cries” in Portuguese) is a brainy berry packed with antioxidants, omega fatty acids, amino acids, fiber, vitamins (A, B6, C and E), iron and calcium. A Brazilian import linked to staving off age-related brain ailments, açaí is available as a juice, fruit pulp or freeze-dried powder. Its rich taste is a blend of purple berries and bittersweet chocolate, making it delightful in smoothies and traditional Brazilian frozen açaí bowls.

Feeling Berry Good
Blueberries are packed with a variety of micronutrients including Vitamins B6, C and K, along with manganese, antioxidant pigments and phytochemicals attributed to enhancing long-term memory and boosting cognitive processing. Studies have also shown that wild blueberries may lessen deterioration in Alzheimer’s patients by shielding the brain from free-radical attack. So, toss them in your muffins, cereal and yogurt, and rejoice. (Stoli Bluberi vodka may make you feel smart for an hour or two, but a “brain food” it is not.)

Forgetmenots
(better jot them down to be safe)
Rosemary not only jazzes up boring chicken and tames the gamey flavor of lamb, but also snaps memory back into shape. The aromatic evergreen of Mediterranean roots contains carnosic acid, which has been found to put the skids on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s by warding off free radicals from the brain.

Above: An açaí bowl; Chef Claire Allison spices it up with rosemary

Claire Allison, chef/owner of Claire’s on Cedros in Solana Beach, recommends her hormone-free lamb sandwich, marinated in rosemary and mint (picked fresh from her restaurant’s on-site garden). “When you see rosemary, you just want to grab it in your hands, smell it and crush it,” says Allison. “The fresh, clean, piney fragrance invigorates you and transports you to a warm, sunny Mediterranean clime. We’re so fortunate it grows here, copiously, like a weed.”

Use Your Bean
Arabica rules—more than 100 million people in this country can’t start their day until they’ve had their java jolt. In its most pristine form (sans the double-caramelmocha-crème-brulée-like infusions) coffee is now, after decades of debate, widely considered to be a high-octane brain fuel when consumed in moderate amounts. The caffeine, in particular, has been shown to boost short-term memory, increase focus and enhance problem-solving skills.

In addition to being a brain-friendly upper, the coffee bean is packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, just like its close cousin, the cocoa bean.

Pure, dark chocolate with a cocoa content of over 70 percent is a brain-stimulating food packed with catechins and antioxidant flavonoids—eight times the number found in strawberries. This blissful bean endowed with aphrodisiacal properties elevates mood and cognitive functions, so indulge guiltlessly.

“We’re especially happy to give people a brainy sweet chocolate fix,” says vegan Jim “Jimbo” Someck, owner of Jimbo’s natural markets across San Diego. Jimbo’s not only embraces “brain foods,” but also carries them in organic, hormone- and antibioticfree varieties.

“Anytime you eat simply, you’re more alert, sleep better and wake up with a clearer head,” says Someck.

Go Nuts
How fitting it is that walnuts, loaded with brain-boosting plant-based omega-3s (i.e., alpha-linolenic acid), resemble miniature hemispheres of the brain. The fatty acids in these little gems, which are said to increase cognitive functioning as omega-3s from animal sources do, have also been linked to blocking signals produced by free radicals that could eventually create inflammation in the brain. Walnuts have also been found to hike melatonin levels, one of the body’s sleep-regulating hormones. Crazy? Maybe. Nuts? For sure.

For more photos, click here

By David Perloff
Photos By Jeff “Turbo” Corrigan

“A” is for corn, “P” is for mushrooms, “I” is for chives. Then there’s that “F”-ing chicken.

For this food-focused issue of PacificSD, the concept was to replicate our logo and set a magazine cover-table with locally sourced food. Just one problem—none of the editorial staff had taken on a project of this magnitude since making their names out of macaroni in day camp. We needed help.

Although his Hillcrest restaurant, Eden, was set to open in six days, chef Scot Wagner agreed to spend a day playing with his food for our benefit. On a rainy day just over a week ago (really, this happened October 19), he used ingredients gathered from local purveyors to lay out his culinary masterpiece: a 48-by-58- inch tableau of epicurean perfection. Yummy.

What, exactly, goes into setting such a table? This does:

Chef: Scotty Wagner    Sous Chef: Enrique Carino
Executive Producer: Rob Corea  Photographer: Jeff “Turbo” Corrigan

P: Maitaki and oyster mushrooms, Sage Mountain Farms,Temecula,
sagemountainfarm.com

A: Sweet corn, Sage Mountain Farms

C: Red snapper, Catalina Offshore Products Inc., Bay Park.
catalinaop.com

I: Chives, Suzie’s Organic
Farm, Imperial Beach,
suziesfarm.com

F: Organic chicken, Womach Ranch Farms, Julian,
womachranch.com

I: Stone Pale Ale, Stone Brewing Co.,  Escondido, stonebrew.com

C: Baby beets, Suzie’s Organic Farm

Baguettes, Bread & Cie, Hillcrest, breadandcie.com

Top Row:
-Cypress Grove Midnight Moon cheese from Venissimo Cheese, Mission Hills, venissimo.com. Baguettes from Bread & Cie Bakery, Hillcrest, breadandcie.com
-Bartlett pear and Japanese persimmons from Sage Mountain Farms, Temecula, sagemountainfarm.com
-Baby fingerling potatoes from Suzie’s Organic Farm, Imperial Beach, suziesfarm.com. Sourdough seeded batard from Bread & Cie, Hillcrest, breadandcie.com

Bottom Row:
- Fresh sea urchin caught off Point Loma, San Diego spiny lobster, spot prawns from Santa Barbara, wild Abalone from Baja California, all available at Catalina Offshore Products Inc., catalinaop.com
-Organic, hand-raised beef from Brandt Beef, Brawley, California
-Heirloom baby carrots and Hass avocado from Suzie’s O rganic Farm, Imperial Beach, suziesfarm.com. Turban squash from Sage Mountain Farms, Temecula, sagemountainfarm.com

By Frank Sabatini Jr.
Photos by Brevin Blach
(Published in the September 2010 issue)

We’ve all seen them, those culinary iconoclasts who incite jealously and curiosity among regular tailgaters by preparing eye-popping fare that seems better suited for VIP bashes than stadium parking lots.

For some illustrious fans, hamburgers and hotdogs are for the birds, and pre-game team spirit is instead elevated with snazzier proteins and imaginative side dishes that heat up the pavement between rounds of beer pong. So, while the Chargers are beefing up for their first regular-season home-game on September 19, let’s peek into the ice coolers of a few of San Diego’s tailgating chefs to see what they’ll be cooking up before kickoff.

Where’s the Beef?
The executive chef at Proper Gastro Pub (a new, British-style bar and restaurant adjacent to Petco Park), Sean Magee is a sports enthusiast. His passion for cooking sometimes trumps the action on the diamond, however, so he’s been known to skip the game to keep grilling and hang out with friends. He sees nothing unusual about wowing fellow tailgaters with pan-seared foie gras and prime-grade steaks donning blue cheese crusts. To him, it’s all part of the fun.

“If you already have the heat source set up, then why not,” he asks.

Magee has prepared throw-chair fare like homemade, gourmet sausages (which he’ll often trade for beer) served with grilled asparagus and baked potatoes with all the trimmings. This season, he’s planning a Qualcomm tailgate debut of Proper’s new ancho chili veal skewers, perhaps using sugar cane sticks instead of bamboo to inject sweeter pith into the meat.

“Everything I cook at tailgates causes the cougar set to cringe because of all the fat,” Magee brags. “It’s liposuction waiting to happen.”

Chili-marinated veal skewers
(6 to 8 servings)
3 lbs. veal skirt steak
40 cherry tomatoes
40 crimini mushrooms
1 lbs. ancho chilies
3 shallots
6 garlic cloves
1 cup olive oil
1 tbsp. salt
16 10-inch bamboo skewers,
pre-soaked in water for 12 hours

Chop the chilies, shallots and garlic, then run them through a blender with the olive oil and salt until a rough paste is achieved. Cut the veal into one ounce pieces and mix with the marinade. Wash the tomatoes and mushrooms, then construct the skewers by alternating pieces of meat with the vegetables.

Place skewers in a sealable container and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. On game-day, cook on a pre-heated grill to desired doneness.

The Green Queen
Known in local culinary circles as “the Salad Queen,” chef Maryjo Testa of Gossip Grill in Hillcrest lives up to her regal title in Qualcomm’s parking lot about three times a year. The former brains behind fave Downtown lunch spot, Salad Style, she always has a medley of fresh organics in tow.

“I never see other tailgaters eating salad,” she says. “They just don’t think of it.”

Testa transports her creations in large, disposable plastic bowls with snap lids that she buys at Smart & Final. Sprightly dressings, such as her famous sesame-ginger recipe, are made in advance. The gingery concoction, she notes, is a perfect come on to shredded red cabbage tossed with vermicelli noodles, shaved carrots, cucumbers, peanuts and grilled shrimp or chicken.

Her Highness has also stunned neighboring tailgaters by making grilled pizzas on-site, using thin flatbread from Trader Joe’s, which she crowns with feta, ‘shrooms and pre-cooked sausage.

Maryjo’s sesame-ginger dressing
(Yields one gallon)
1/8 cup of fresh ginger, peeled
1 lbs. cream cheese
1/2 cup of chili-garlic sauce
1 1/4 cup of low-sodium soy sauce
2 cups of water
2 cups of rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups of white wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups of sesame oil5 cups of canola-olive oil blend
Salt to taste

Blend the ginger in a food processor. Add the cream cheese, chili-garlic sauce, soy sauce and water until well blended. Strain the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the rice and wine vinegars, then slowly whisk in the oils until smooth. Salt to taste.

Go Fish
Colin MacLaggan is a tailgate party veteran. His grandfather, Fidel Rubalcaba, was manager of Qualcomm back when it was Jack Murphy Stadium. When he was a kid, MacLaggan was in charge of rotating hotdogs. These days, he is the chef-owner of Avenue 5 in Bankers Hill; and when he’s tailgating, he grills lobsters, serving them with butter heated in small aluminum bowls. When burgers come into play, so does his makeshift condiment bar stocked with brie, jalapenos and pickled onions.

These days, MacLaggan’s favorite meat to grill at The Q is salmon. He sometimes carts along four-pound slabs of the fish marinated in lemon, dill and garlic. His rule of thumb is to slap the meat onto a hot grill, flesh-side down, wait until it turns slightly pink, and then flip it onto its skin for a few minutes. The reward: no stick, no fuss and “everyone gets to pick at it, caveman style.”

Side of salmon
(5 to 8 servings)
Rub an entire three- to four-pound side of salmon with chopped garlic and several tablespoons of olive oil. Coat both sides of the fish with chopped fresh dill, and then line the flesh side with thinly sliced lemons. Seal tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight before grilling.

By Brandon Hernandez
Photos by Gabriella Lingenfelder

Over the past half-decade, Downtown’s Stingaree has garnered nationwide attention for being a top-tier night club that serves up nights to remember to luxury-minded night owls. And while other clubs have come and gone, the key to Stingaree’s success has been reinvention—just when things were getting a little static, they unveiled a redesigned rooftop lounge earlier this summer. That same philosophy of reinvigoration has just been applied to the venue’s fine-dining restaurant, which, later this month, will unveil a brand new menu created by its executive chef, Antonio Friscia.

“I’ve always stuck to my Italian training, but now I want to do a little bit more,” says Friscia. “When I was younger, I worked and traveled in Bali for a year and a half. Since then, I’ve gotten used to using those [Indonesian] ingredients when cooking at home for my wife and kids. The new menu isa combo of what I learned during my travels to Asia and my training in Italy.”

Friscia is using this first-person fusion approach on his new dishes. There’s his sweet caramelized sea scallops served with a salad of Japanese sekai-ichi apples dressed in sherry vinaigrette, his roasted lamb chops with a spicy red lentil dahl (Indian-style soup) and barbecued pork served donburi (“bowl,” in Japanese) style in a bowl filled with flavorful fried brown rice. For those with a little culinary bravery, be on the lookout for uni (the edible eggs of the sea urchin), a delicacy Friscia used to enjoy at the beach as a kid after abalone diving sessions with his dad.

“I have this dish that’s eventually going to be added to the menu, where I take fresh pasta, sautéed garlic, white wine and some fresh roasted chilies and toss them with uni at the last minute so it emulsifies into a sauce,” says Friscia. “It’s really simple, but delicious.”

Another of the chef’s favorite ingredients is pork from the Happy Tummy pig farm in nearby Alpine, where Friscia has worked out a symbiotic pact with the farmers: Stingaree provides the farmers with green waste for their pigs and receives top quality, responsibly raised Duroc pork in return. Friscia has big plans for every succulent section of the animal, from tail to snout, and the first Happy Tummy item to hit the bill is spareribs brushed with a sweet Hoisin-honey sauce. If that dish sounds like was made to be paired with a nice Merlot, diners are in luck. Friscia’s uncle, Nunzio Alioto, is one of America’s foremost Master Sommeliers. He showed his nephew the ropes of reds, whites and rosés at an early age, igniting Friscia’s passion for vino that gave way to a life of study and appreciation.

“Today, I’m an Advanced Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Wine and Spirit Education Trust out of England,” says Friscia. “It cost me thousands of dollars, but it was worth it.”

All of this could sound intimidating to some diners, but Friscia maintains that Stingaree’s new menu will always be based on a communal format meant to spark conversation, interaction and memorable experiences.

“Life’s too short to eat bad food or fast food,” says Friscia. “Sit down at the table and take time to talk to your friends and family and enjoy your food.”

Stingaree
454 Sixth Avenue, Downtown
619.544.9500 | stingsandiego.com

By Franks Sabatini Jr.
Photos by Brevin Blach
(Published in the May 2010 issue) 

Just throwing another shrimp on the barbie might work during other seasons, but in May, National Barbecue Month (whoever makes these decisions also made it hamburger month), it’s time to get things fired up.

For your outdoor cooking pleasure, here are smokin’ tips and saucy recipes from San Diego’s expert barbecue chefs, details on some of the city’s top delis and a look at a barbecue with Porsche parts (which costs slightly less than one of their cars). And if you’d rather lift a fork than a spatula, there are some great places for dining and takeout, too. Q it up!

A Bunch of Bull
Flames or smoke? Sweet or sour? When it comes to barbecuing, Frank Terzoli, owner of The Big Easy restaurant in Hillcrest, swings four ways. He had previously opened Bull’s Smokin’ BBQ on West Morena Boulevard prior to gaining celebrity as “Frankie the Bull” on Bravo’s Top Chef (season 2), and his cooking secrets combine the best of all these worlds.

Now We’re Smokin’!
To create authentic smoked barbecue flavor on flame grills, Terzoli says to dry-rub red meat or chicken with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, cayenne, onion powder and brown sugar. Then place a coffee can or tin foil “cup” filled with smoking chips opposite the heat source. Shut the lid and allow the meat to sit inside the grill for 10 to 12 hours at 180 to 200 degrees.

Clean Air Act
When barbecuing with charcoal, Terzoli says to look for the natural mesquite variety available in major grocery stores. Those black, chemically-bound briquettes are a no-no because, he says, “they give meat the taste that you’ve cooked it on your tail pipe—and it’s bad for the environment.” The same applies to lighter fluids. An electronic starter costs about $6 at Target and Home Depot.

Where’s the Beef?
According to the National Barbecue Association, pork and beef ribs rank as the leading protein served at backyard barbecues. Veteran meat supervisor Stan Glenn of Iowa Meat Farms and Siesel’s Old Fashion Meats attests: “Customers ask most about ribs at this time of year, and we sell about 800 pounds of them in May alone.”

But a new trend is emerging as consumers turn adventurously toward exotic meats. “You haven’t lived until you’ve eaten alligator ribs,” says Glenn. “They look like spare ribs, but have a flavor all their own.”

The reptilian delicacy, imported from Louisiana, sell for $9.99 a pound, sharing deli space with antelope, elk, ostrich and wild boar. Both stores offer an in-house publication containing cooking methods for every grill-worthy flesh known to man. If you haven’t been before, this is the perfect time to stop in—both stores are offering free samples of numerous meats from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., every Saturday in May.

Iowa Meat Farms, 6041 Mission Gorge Rd., Mission Gorge, 619.281.5766

Siesel’s Old Fashion Meats, 4131 Ashton St., Bay Park, 619.275.1234, iowameatfarms.com

Hot, Hot, Hot
Heat your food without accelerating global warming

Mother Earth loves a picnic involving “green grilling,” which involves grill units rigged with infrared burners. Available at Barbeques Galore, as well as Sears and Home Depot under different brand names, they use 50 percent less gas than standard brands and emit 80 percent less smoke.

“Infrared grills also heat a lot quicker and can exceed 700 degrees. You get minimal flare-ups, yet the food still has a good, charry flavor,” says Brian Huff, a store director for Barbeques Galore, which carries the grills in about six different models, ranging from $799 to $8,000. The latter is manufactured by Grand Hall and designed with futuristic elements by Porsche.

For diehard charcoal fans, Barbeques Galore also sells a proprietary ceramic grill called The Globe Café for $1,000. Huff says, “It’s kind of like a tandori oven, which holds heat and moisture much better.” Say goodbye to shriveled burgers and chewy chicken.

Hot for Teacher
Richard B. Schmitt, who has cooked in commercial kitchens for more than a decade, says that “the grill is the most difficult station to work in a restaurant.” Currently the executive chef for “The Cooking Experience” school at Barbeques Galore in Rancho Bernardo, he teaches class participants (Tuesdays through Saturdays at 6 p.m.) how to avoid the common missteps in grilling, while also demonstrating how to properly cook veggies and fruits outdoors.

Schmitt’s Tips:
Flip your meat more than once and move it in circles so that it browns and caramelizes evenly. Those diamond-shaped grill markings everyone tries to achieve can actually leave a pricey rib-eye tasting pungent and bitter.

Before grilling fish of any variety, pat it dry and then let it sit on a paper towel at room temperature for about an hour. Then oil both sides and cook over medium heat. This method prevents the fish from sticking to the grill and tearing into pieces.

Use meat thermometers in lieu of timers when grilling steaks. And do like the French: designate 110 degrees for rare, moving up in 10-degree increments respectively for medium-rare, medium, medium-well and (god forbid) well-done.

To harness the natural flavors of potatoes, asparagus, cauliflower and other vegetables, roast them raw over a low to medium heat until soft, then toss them into a bowl with seasonings and olive oil while still hot. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let them steam for 10 or 15 minutes. Schmitt calls it “reverse blanching.”

Firm, slightly under-ripe fruits including mangos make for unique side dishes when they are “quickled.” Grill the sliced fruit over high heat for a few minutes and then transfer the pieces into a pickling liquid comprising the juice of two limes, a tablespoon of soy sauce, a splash of rice vinegar and a pinch of sea salt. Keep veggies submerged for about 15 minutes before serving.

Feed Me
Great barbecue joints for dine-in and take-out

 The “BBQueue” cam posted outside the entranceway at Phil’s BBQ by the Sports Arena enables customers to preview the cattle lines on their computers before heading in. Since opening his original location in Mission Hills 10 years ago, owner Phil Pace claims to have sold more than one million pounds of his top-secret barbecue sauce that washes over delectably tender ribs and chicken. Full pork rib dinners (12 bones) with three sides cost $18.95; beef rib dinners (five bones) are $19.95. Chicken is sold in halves and quarters. Deliveries require a $200 minimum.

3750 Sports Arena Blvd., Sports Arena, 619.226.6333, philsbbq.net

Huffman’s Barbeque and Catering in Lincoln Park captures the soul of Mississippi charcoal grilling, affording customers a baker’s dozen of marinated, charry pork spare ribs plus a 22-ounce side dish for $27.95. The mom-and-pop operation has been around for 43 years and is also wildly famous for its sweet potato pies, which hail from a family recipe dating back more than 100 years. Deliveries are available for a minimum of 25 people.

5039 Imperial Ave., Lincoln Park, 619.264.3115

No flames and all smoke define the ribs, salmon, chicken and beef brisket at Bull’s Smokin’ BBQ, which remains in operation even now that Frank Terzoli has opted out. The meats cook all night in heavy smokers that are more indigenous to Texan jamborees than to San Diego kitchens. Side dishes include coleslaw with almonds, smoky baked beans and corn bread. There are no minimum requirements for catering orders.

1127 W. Morena Blvd., near Bay Park, 619.276.2855, bullssmokinbbq.com