Bees need our help. It’s not new news, but it’s worth the reminder considering that recent studies show colony collapse disorder (CCD) affects about 40 percent of bee colonies, according to Travis Wolfe, beekeeper and founder of Bee Leaf USA. In partnership with Wolfe’s company, the Fairmont Grand Del Mar has created a sanctuary for two bee colonies and welcomed their first official honey harvest earlier this month.
Fairmont’s history with bees dates back over ten years—long before “saving the bees” was trending—when they began placing hives on the rooftop gardens of their hotels to support bee conservation. Today, their global sustainable bee program encompasses over 20 honey apiaries and wild pollinator bee hotels.
Tucked back into the corner of the property’s golf course, near the fourth hole, are the two local colonies that were rescued from extermination and safely relocated earlier this year with the help of Bee Leaf USA. Now, they make their home in two hives surrounded by pollen- and nectar-rich plants that keep the bees full throughout the year.
The team at Bee Leaf USA continues to work with the resort to help acclimate the bees and make sure the colonies are happy and healthy. For the most part, Wolfe says, a happy hive is one that is left to do its business uninterrupted, but safe monitoring is essential. This means a variety of tasks—observing the quality of the combs and overall health of the hive, checking for disease, balancing their diet to prep for honey harvesting.
The overall goal, of course, is to promote natural beekeeping and educate people on how integral bees are to the world’s ecosystems, including revitalizing Southern California’s natural landscape. But the perks for the hotel are pretty cool, too.
When it comes time for harvest, the team uses protective gear and an uncapping knife to delicately scrape the honey-laden frames. Then, the frames are placed through a sieve and honey extractor to filter out the honey. This recent harvest will be used in food and cocktail recipes at hotel restaurant Amaya and, eventually, in special products for hotel guests. As the bees become more acclimated to their new humble abode, which comes complete with ocean views, they could produce over 200 pounds of honey annually.
For the Fairmont, it’s a simple recipe: help the bees and the bees will help you. And that’s what we call the beginning of a bee-utiful friendship.
“I am the queen of hats,” Claude Rosinsky says. It’s a fitting title, considering how many she’s worn in her 82 years. The daughter of a royal physician in Morocco, she grew up in the capital city, Rabat. She went on to work for the United Nations and, later, with fashion icons like Christian Dior. She opened a museum in Palm Beach and spent years leading medical missions in Nicaragua. And everywhere she went, she bought hats, amassing a collection numbering in the several dozens.
Then, Rosinsky came to roost in San Diego in 2012, building her nest in a most unusual location: the Fairmont Grand Del Mar.
Following a health scare in San Miguel de Allende, where she’d briefly moved after the death of her husband 15 years ago, Rosinsky was diagnosed with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), a condition that can cause excessive bleeding. Doctors at UC San Diego Health were among the top experts on the disease, so Rosinsky traveled here for treatment, taking a room at the Fairmont. Initially, she says, physicians gave her four months to live—but seven months on a lung medication that kept her virtually immobile dramatically extended that prognosis. The treatment has since saved others. “God gave me work to do in San Diego: to find the cure for HHT,” she adds.
Somewhere along the way, Rosinsky realized she’d need more long-term housing. But when she informed the Fairmont she’d be checking out, she recalls, a receptionist asked, “Why? We love you here.”
“My dear,” she replied, “I can’t afford you.”
The general manager, however, suggested she make a deal—and then accepted her offer. “Welcome,” she recalls him saying. “This is your home now.”
As the hotel’s only permanent guest, she spends her days practicing pilates in her room; writing her memoirs; and dining at the resort’s onsite restaurant, Amaya, where the staff members all know her by name. “I’m the grandmother of everyone here,” she says.
Amelia Rodriguez is a writer and journalist and winner of the San Diego Press Club's 2023 Rising Star Award and 2024 Best of Show Award, she’s also covered music, food, arts and culture, fashion, and design for Rolling Stone, Palm Springs Life, and other national and regional publications. After work, you can find her hunting down San Diego’s best pastries and maintaining her five-year Duolingo streak.
An’s Gelato Is Serving Up More Imaginative Flavors at Their New Del Mar Shop
An’s Hatmakers is the second location from the local gelato team
Kimberly Motos
By Helen I. Hwang
Ans Hatmakers Gelato – 1
Kimberly Motos
Tip your hat to the most fashionable newcomer to open its doors in Del Mar Plaza—An’s Hatmakers. From the team behindAn’s Dry Cleaningin North Park, this new gelato shop is following the same successful recipe: unique, made-from-scratch flavors inspired by an unconventional storefront.
Similar to the way An’s Dry Cleaningwas named after the previous tenant of its building, their second concept is a nod to the craftsmanship of a traditional millinery—and more specifically, the fabulous and fanciful headpieces worn by spectators at the Del Mar Fairgrounds for over 80 years.
“We wanted to honor the neighborhood by paying homage to the nearby racetrack, where everyone wears fancy hats to watch the horseraces,” explains co-owner David Aguilera, a gelato consultant based in Copenhagen who helps formulate signature flavors and recipes.
Aguilera and his three friends and co-owners—Travis Bailey, Jimmy Blalock, and Kris Warren—dreamed of making fresh, flavorful gelato in San Diego after they bonded over their shared love of the dessert about 16 years ago. Once they found a storefront they fell in love with (a former dry cleaning service), they embraced the building’s history and incorporated it into their business model when they reincarnated An’s Dry Cleaning in 2018.
“You always have a good time when you’re eating gelato,” says Warren. “It’s fun to say to your friends, ‘Wanna go to the dry cleaners or the hatmakers?’ and get a reaction.”
Ans Hatmakers Gelato – 2
Kimberly Motos
The new space—a 1,000-square-foot shop designed by Sormeh Rienne, who worked on the Guild Hotel—is decorated with hats, sewing machines, millinery supplies, and rows of vintage-inspired hatboxes that double as the menu.
Much like how the rotating flavors at An’s Dry Cleaning are cleverly named after different fabrics (Twill, Taffeta, Plaid), different hat styles inspire the names, colors, and flavors at An’s Hatmakers. Fez, for example, is made with cream cheese, white chocolate, and red beets (a natural food colorant) to reflect the Moroccan red felt hat it’s named after. Panama is made with cinnamon, cream cheese frosting, and challah; Straw Hat is a refreshing mango and passionfruit sorbet—one batch is made with 18 pounds of fresh mangoes.
Popular staples from the North Park location, like Canvas (olive oil and rosemary), make an appearance on the menu here, and everything’s made fresh in the kitchen behind the counter. Stop in to get a peek at the process: The windows behind the counter offer a glimpse into how the sweets are made, or start your visit with a “flavor tour,” small samples of each offering from the menu’s rotating lineup. Hats off to that!
This coastal city has a small-town feel with big-name chefs, shopping, and views
This Month in Del Mar
Racing season runs Wednesdays through Sundays, with events like the chili cook-off on August 3 and Pacific Classic on August 25. Pacifica Del Mar and Prepkitchen Del Mar will throw Del Mar Plaza’s first dinner under the stars, August 29.
NEW: Sublime Tavern
Open since July, the menu by exec chef Josh Richard—fresh from Roppongi—specializes in gourmet comfort food and offers 55 craft beers on tap, plus 27 wines by the glass. 3790 Via de la Valle
NEW: El Agave
This #1 king-of-the-hill spot formerly occupied by Epazote, then Flavor Del Mar, will be El Agave in September, with 1,000-plus tequilas available for tasting. 1555 Camino Del Mar
NEW: Secret Pantry
The Peruvian market from Café Secret specializes in gourmet fare like vegan tamales and Peruvian tamales, plus foods from all over South America. 1416 Camino Del Mar
Whole Foods at Flower Hill Promenade
Whole Foods at Flower Hill Promenade
NEW: Flower Hill Promenade
This strip mall is getting a major foodie upgrade with Cucina Urbana spinoff Cucina Enoteca, Matt Gordon’s Sea & Smoke, the new Whole Foods in-store bar Trifecta Tavern serving 24 craft beers on tap, and cheese paradise Venissimo now offering wine. 2720 Via De La Valle
Armstrong Garden Centers
For tonight’s dinner party, pick up a $15 color bowl that includes various flowers like the pink and white vincas, at their peak right now. 2840 Via de la Valle
Rusty Del Mar Surf Shop
This native SD brand has its own surf classic. Pick up a hat or tee on your way to the beach. 20115th Street
Powerhouse Park
Powerhouse Park
Powerhouse and Seagrove Parks
These adjacent greens are popular for birthday parties and also host a twilight concerts series (August 13, September 8). Pre-order a ready-made picnic dinner from Pacifica. Coast Boulevard
Spa L’Auberge
Spa L’Auberge
Sbicca cocktail
Sbicca
Spa L’Auberge
This month’s special is the 80-minute Moor Mud Wrap for aching muscles ($165; regularly $185); next month’s is a couple’s treatment that involves Chardonnay and an al fresco bubble bath ($360 per person). 1540 Camino Del Mar
Sbicca
Everyone from Wine Spectator to Trip Advisor has bestowed awards on this humble classic specializing in California cuisine. 215 15th Street
Gerhard
In the Plaza, this is one of the only boutiques in SD that carries high-end designer names like Nina Ricci, Lanvin, L’wren Scott, and Sonia Rykiel. 1555 Camino Del Mar
Board & Brew
Board & Brew
Board & Brew
Local favorites at this beloved neighborhood sandwich place include the Turkado and Tom’s Choice. 1212 Camino Del Mar
Crêpes and Corks
The Swiss-Italian owner presents sweet, savory, and gluten-free crêpes for low-key Euro-style sidewalk dining. 1328 Camino Del Mar
A perfectly designed home rarely happens by accident. Those kitchens that feel effortless and rooms that seem to tell a story the second you walk in? They’re usually the work of someone who knows exactly what they’re doing.
It’s knowing which ideas will actually work, which materials will hold up over time, and how to turn a collection of choices into a space that feels intentional. That’s where a professional interior designer comes in.
For the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) California San Diego Chapter, the goal is to help people see interior design as more than just the finished look. Behind every well-designed space is a process built on technical expertise. Designers are educated in everything from professional software and construction details to building codes, space planning, materials, and functionality.
Courtesy of ASID
“People don’t always realize how much goes on behind the scenes,” Kirsten Recce , current president of the ASID California San Diego Chapter, says. “Our designers are not just doing furniture placement and color selection and picking out new fluffy pillows. That’s not what they’re trained for.”
ASID members bring formal education, continued learning, and industry knowledge to their projects, helping create spaces that are not only beautiful, but designed to work. A paint color that changes completely depending on the lighting. A material that looks beautiful in a showroom but doesn’t make sense for everyday life. A layout that photographs well but doesn’t function for the people living there. These are the details where professional guidance can make all the difference.
Still, one of the biggest misconceptions about hiring an interior designer is that it’s reserved for massive renovations, luxury homes, or people who already know exactly what they want. The process can feel intimidating. Where do you begin? Is a designer worth the investment? What if you only need help with one room?
ASID’s answer: start with one hour.
ASID’s Spruce Up events break down one of the biggest barriers between homeowners and professional design: knowing where to begin. Held twice a year, the community program gives homeowners the chance to work directly with an ASID designer through a one-hour, $125 consultation in their own home. Whether you’re looking for advice on furniture placement, window treatments, kitchen and bath updates, remodeling ideas, vacation rentals, color selections or something else entirely, the upcoming September 2026 event offers an approachable way to get expert guidance before committing to a full project. Signups are open through Sept. 7, with consultations taking place Sept. 21 through Oct. 31. Proceeds benefit ASID San Diego’s educational and community programs. Register here!
Courtesy of ASID
“It’s a great opportunity for people who are in that exploratory phase,” Recce says. “Maybe they’re not sure they want to hire an interior designer yet, or they think it sounds daunting or expensive. This gives them a chance to discover what working with a designer is actually like.”
Design is personal. A good designer isn’t just creating a beautiful room; they’re helping create a space that fits the way someone lives.
“We’re a resource to all of San Diego County,” Recce says. “It doesn’t cost anything to pick up the phone and call and ask. We’ll answer.”
Growing up in Carlsbad, I never quite understood why people vacationed there. What, so you want to check out the field where I have soccer practice? Pay my orthodontist a visit? Carlsbad just felt like a town by the beach, no better or worse than any other in the country. It took going to college out of state for me to actually understand just how rare a place like Carlsbad is.
Thanksgiving break my freshman year, my first time coming home after three months in the Midwest, my shoulders dropped. I rolled down the windows and drove to lifeguard tower 37—the hangout magnet for Carlsbad’s youths (and, in the summer, tourists)—and the smells of the ocean woke me right up like smelling salts do. I finally got it.
Carlsbad isn’t just a stopover town on your way to something better. It is the destination. Travel + Leisure named Carlsbad one of the top 50 places around the world to travel in 2026. From the whole globe, the travel magazine picked my home. Sure, we’ve got the Flower Fields and Legoland—but now it’s the smaller ships and indier dreams that are giving it street-level character.
It’s not just Carlsbad, either. People have talked about the “North County bubble” for decades—a force field that prevents its residents from traveling south of the 56. It’s often used derogatorily, and it’s a fairly accurate burn.
For decades, living up in North County meant giving up on culture, or at least culture within close proximity. But now, the main expansion of San Diego culture is happening up north. Central San Diego restaurants have started taking notice and are expanding into the area—spurred no doubt by Oceanside’s food boom and the Jeune et Jolie–Campfire–Wildland–Lilo constellation in Carlsbad. City Heights burger joint Key & Cleaver opened a new spot in Oceanside; the owners of Parc Bistro-Brasserie in Bankers Hill opened Parc Lounge in Rancho Santa Fe. Possibly the strongest market indicator is that Sam Fox—one of the most successful restaurateurs west of the Rockies—has started focusing on North County for his concepts. In 2025, he opened both The Henry in Carlsbad and Culinary Dropout in Del Mar.
For the ultimate insider guide, we found a handful of inspiring people who live and create and truly know six North County neighborhoods—San Marcos, Escondido, Oceanside, Leucadia, Rancho Santa Fe, and Vista—and asked them how they’d spend a dream day out and about in their town.
Courtesy of North City Farmers Market
San Marcos
San Marcos is in full renaissance mode. The biggest story is that the grand North City vision is starting to peek through the scaffolding. It’s essentially the North County Downtown that’s been written in the tea leaves and discussed whenever someone gets stuck in traffic at the 5/805 merge: a 200-acre, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use face-changer that’s slated for 2,600 homes, 350,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, 250 hotel rooms, and about a million square feet of offices and labs. Its most recent manifestation is 222 North City—a 12-story residential tower with over 450 residences, rooftop garden, pool cabanas, art installations, and almost 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail (Necessity Coffee, Buona Forchetta, Draft Republic, Milonga Empanadas, and a grocery store anchor on its way).
Which means Restaurant Row is no longer burdened with being the primary caregiver for the hungry or the socially inclined. Patricia Prado-Olmos has watched the city morph during her nearly three-decade tenure at CSUSM, having spent the past six years as the school’s chief community engagement officer. She also just announced her forthcoming retirement at the end of the 2026–2027 school year, so she’ll have even more time to haunt local haunts.
Meet the Local: Patricia Prado-Olmos
Those in the know call the university “Cal State StairMaster” from the Sisyphean amount of stairs on the hillside campus. So, any day at or around CSUSM should start with a homestyle carbo-load (biscuits and gravy) from Mama Kat’s.
“There’s something about this breakfast spot that immediately puts me in a good mood,” she says. Mama Kat’s is also known for its pie (strawberry-rhubarb), which is breakfast if you change your perspective.
After a few hours on campus—with a break to pet the university’s official therapy goldendoodle, Frank, who helps ease finals tremors or apprehension of on-campus stairs—Prado-Olmos will wander into North City, just steps away. She says the almond croissant and coffee at Christophe Rull Patisserie rival Parisian cafés: “It feels like the kind of place you’d stumble across in a much bigger city.”
Rull, a Michelin-trained pastry chef who’s done stints on Netflix (Bake Squad) and Food Network (Super Mega Cakes, Halloween Wars), opened his patisserie last fall. The hype hasn’t cooled off yet: Get there early because the crowds do.
Emma Veidt is an editor at San Diego Magazine. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from the Missouri School of Journalism. She loves running, hiking, and rock climbing, but really, she mostly loves encounters with the street cats around North Park.
Just south of Lake Hodges near 4S Ranch and Poway, Rancho Bernardo is a suburban community that blends residential neighborhoods with industrial pockets, elevated by a decidedly diverse food scene.
Over 60 years ago, this North County neighborhood was once part of a family ranch. Since that time, big tech companies have taken up residence here, including Amazon, Sony Electronics, Oura Ring, HP, Teradata, and ASML. Rancho Bernardo Inn serves as a community hub, with locals frequently meeting at the hotel’s restaurants, golf course, and spa.
Whether it’s work or a round of golf that brings you to Rancho Bernardo, we’ve taken care of the agenda planning with our guide to the area’s best restaurants, activities, and shops.
Courtesy of Avant Restaurant
Rancho Bernardo Restaurants, Bars, and Coffee Shops
Avant
Sample ingredients plucked straight from Rancho Bernardo Inn’s onsite garden and served at their signature restaurant Avant. One of the neighborhood’s most upscale dining options, they serve a French-inspired menu with nods to California, including many seafood options. Don’t miss their more casual sister restaurant Veranda for al fresco dining.
Wood-fired pizzas and handmade pastas are standouts at The Kitchen, Bernardo Winery’s counter-service restaurant specializing in Sicilian flavors. Charcuterie boards and bruschetta make for great starters or snacks while wine tasting.
13330 Paseo Del Verano Norte
Bushfire Kitchen
Fast-casual and family-owned eatery Bushfire Kitchen recently opened a location in Rancho Bernardo, serving sandwiches, bowls, salads, burgers, protein plates, and housemade empanadas. Bushfire prepares comfort food with healthy ingredients, and offers plenty of vegetarian and vegan options.
11962 Bernardo Plaza Drive, Suite 110
The Cork & Craft
Some might call The Cork & Craft an overachiever. This gastropub has an in-house craft brewery and winery: Abnormal Beer and Wine. The more, the merrier. Their sushi menu is definitely worth exploring, but don’t miss other specialties like garlic noodles, chicken wings, and pork belly.
16990 Via Tazon
Courtesy of Carvers Steaks & Chops
Carvers Steaks & Chops
You don’t have to leave Rancho Bernardo to get a white tablecloth steakhouse experience. Carvers Steaks & Chops has prime rib (their best seller), filet, ribeye, porterhouse, New York strip, and other cuts, served alongside crab-stuffed mushrooms, wedge salad, French onion soup, potato skins, and other steakhouse specialties.
1940 Bernardo Plaza Drive
Burma Place
This no-frills Burmese restaurant is known for its traditional tea leaf salad that’s topped with sesame and sunflower seeds, garlic chips, peanuts, tomatoes, jalapeños, fried yellow beans, and fermented green tea leaf dressing. Tucked into a nondescript strip mall, Burma Place is a great takeout option when you want to eat garlic noodles, fried rice, chicken curry, and samosas from the comfort of your couch.
16719 Bernardo Center Drive, Suite A
Phở Ca Dao
Find authentic Vietnamese cuisine at Phở Ca Dao, including favorites like phở noodle soup, vermicelli noodles, broken rice dishes, and spring rolls. One of eight locations throughout San Diego, this family-owned chain uses robot servers for food delivery.
11808 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 100
The Kebab Shop
It’s all about the sauce at fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant The Kebab Shop. Smothering your chicken shawarma, gyro, or falafels in garlic yogurt, cilantro jalapeno, fire chili, and dill yogurt sauce is practically a rite of passage. The hardest part is deciding whether to order a wrap, bowl, or salad.
11980 Bernardo Plaza Drive
Casa Lahori
Get a taste of South Asian flavors at Casa Lahori, a Pakistani restaurant noted for its grilled meat kabobs. Other best-selling dishes include beef nihari, chicken biryani, and shahi paneer— best enjoyed with naan bread.
11975 Bernardo Plaza Drive
Kangnam Korean BBQ
Grill your own meat on the tabletop at Kangnam Korean BBQ, an interactive, all-you-can-eat experience that’s well-suited for large groups. Marinated beef bulgogi, grilled galbi short ribs, and spicy pork are served alongside traditional banchan dishes like kimchi, japchae glass noodles, and flavorful stews. Weekday lunch specials provide a nice discount on these filling meals.
11828 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 117–119
Courtesy of Curry & More Indian Bistro
Curry & More Indian Bistro
Dig in to your favorite curries and kebabs at Curry & More Indian Bistro. Most entrees are served with a choice of two side dishes, including basmati rice, potatoes with cumin, daal, naan, or mixed greens. Help offset the spice with one of their sweet mango or strawberry lassi drinks.
Kai Oliver-Kurtin is a San Diego-based writer who covers travel, dining, events, and culture. Her writing has been published in USA Today, Condé Nast Traveler, Fodor's Travel, Marie Claire, and HuffPost, among others.
Growing up, Laika Nur, MD, Scripps Clinic sports medicine specialist, loved watching beach volleyball when the Association of Volleyball Professionals tour came to her hometown of Chicago. A talented volleyball player herself, she remembers sitting in the stands all day, and once, even got a couple autographs. Years later, Dr. Nur was attending a professional event focused on women’s sports, and the discussion turned to a new professional women’s volleyball league. The general manager and coaching staff for San Diego’s team, the Mojo, happened to be in attendance, and Dr. Nur took the opportunity to ask them if they needed a team doctor. Flash forward to the Mojo’s inaugural 2024 season, when Dr. Nur officially became the team physician. Click here to read more about Dr. Nur and how she incorporates lessons she learned on the court into her practice.
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