“We’re just two broke-ass cooks with a couple of toaster ovens in the back,” says Elliott Townsend, egregiously understating what he and partner (in business and life), Kelly, are doing at Long Story Short inside of Vino Carta in Solana Beach.
Each week the pair host a pop-up dinner inside the wine shop with ingredients sourced from Chino Farm in Rancho Santa Fe to craft their menu. Occasionally they use ingredients from Specialty Produce, but they make it clear that they don’t have a relationship with anyone else.
As for how they manage to manifest a new menu every few weeks, Kelly and Elliott rely on a memory bank full of flavors and cooking techniques learned over years in restaurant kitchens. “It’s totally cerebral,” Elliott says. No prep lists or notes required, unless they’re doing a large tasting event. Sometimes, a menu won’t even come to them until they’ve arrived at the farm.
As Vino Carta’s resident chefs, it helps that they’re the only two cooks in the Long Story Short kitchen. Menu planning is “so spontaneous it’s probably a fault of ours, but it seems to be working for us,” Elliott says.
During a weeknight in August I pop in for dinner: charred Spanish octopus and chorizo mingle with roasted corn and tarragon salsa. Cured yellowtail is paired with sliced figs and an ephemeral hint of habanero. Cherry tomatoes-so-good-they’ll-make-you-weep and mozzarella with crusty bread sop up tears of joy.
Long Story Short food 1
Credit: Deanna Sandoval
Since they run a bite-sized operation, they can roll with inconsistent product availability, unlike larger restaurants with more fixed menus. Take local spot prawns, for example.
“There are only a handful of vessels that go fishing for them,” Elliott explains. They might have spot prawns on the menu one week, “and then the fishermen tell you they’re not going out this week anymore because of weather or something.” The same applies to produce.
“Sometimes the sun can be very unforgiving and you don’t have the ability to get something common like strawberries, or something that you would think is available at all times,” Elliott says. “There’s a lot of different variables that determine what’s edible today.”
Before Long Story Short served its inaugural Solana Beach menu in fall 2021, Elliott and Kelly spent the majority of the pandemic hosting pop-up dinners in their backyard and around San Diego. They started frequenting Vino Carta’s Little Italy location when they began getting into the natural wine scene, and to source bottles for the pop-ups, Kelly says.
Their penchant for natural wine was a souvenir from the three-month European honeymoon. They stopped in Paris, Copenhagen, Florence, to name a few. “I think we drank wine every day,” Kelly says. The two San Diegans met on the first day of culinary school. Kelly grew up in Point Loma. Elliott is from National City.
The pandemic afforded the pair an opportunity to focus on the food they really wanted to cook: hyperlocal and inspired by their tenure as chefs and partners. “During quarantine we both became out of a job, and didn’t really hate it,” Elliott says. Kelly was at Juniper & Ivy, and Elliott was at Cowboy Star.
Then they learned that Vino Carta’s co-owner, Patrick Ballow, was a neighbor. The wine shop’s Solana Beach location had a small kitchen, and was just about to open. A collaboration was born.
Long Story Short food 3
Credit: Deanna Sandoval
Next year, when their lease at the wine shop expires, they hope to open up an all-tasting menu restaurant somewhere within San Diego’s city limits, where they’ll have a team around them to help shepherd their alchemy.
“Our dynamic is ‘Kelly cooks like an Italian grandma, and I’m a ‘tweezer boy,'” Elliott says. Kelly does really rustic, timeless food rooted in tradition, Elliott says. “Like a proper nonna.” Then, Elliott adds modern and artistic flair. Being their own bosses means they can let their creativity run feral.
“Kelly usually comes up with the ideas, she’s really fast at thinking of flavors and what goes together,” Elliott says. “And Elliott takes it to the finishing point,” Kelly adds.
“My family couldn’t cook a damn thing, so I took it upon myself to cook,” Kelly says. For Elliott, his family culture taught him that food was not only a source of nourishment, but of community. “We’re both from the city. We love it dearly, we’re born and bred here,” Elliott says. “And we hope that translates through our food.”
Ligaya Malones grew up in Kaua’i, Hawai’i and is a San Diego-based writer covering the intersection of food, travel, and culture. Her work has appeared in publications including Food52, Condé Nast Traveler, Lonely Planet, and Salt & Wind Travel.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: person gets laid off during the pandemic. Bored at home, they turn to baking. A passing interest turns into a passion, and before you know it, they’re launching a full-fledged bakery.
Yes, that’s the story of how Mi Pan Bakery started, and yes, 10,000 other aspirational bakeries began the exact same way. But the difference is that Mi Pan’s baker and owner Alejandro Gomez didn’t stop at making a few loaves of sourdough for his friends and family.
He’s spent the last five years building a beloved local business whose bread and pastries are now sought out at three different farmers markets, was nominated for both Best Bread and Best Farmers Market Food Vendor in San Diego Magazine’s Best of San Diego Reader’s Choice Awards for 2025, and only decided to finally move from baking in his garage to their first brick-and-mortar location in order to keep up with sheer demand.
“I talked to my wife, and I said ‘Listen, if we’re not going to move out of the garage, I don’t think I can keep doing this, because I’m baking pretty much 10 to 12 hours a day,’” Gomez laughs. “I think it’s time.”
After a year of looking for the right location—where Gomez and his wife and business partner Alejandra Ruelas could open Mi Pan with enough space for an expanded commercial kitchen, an area for hosting workshops, and an onsite retail store—they found it. Mi Pan Bakery’s first brick-and-mortar location will open in the first half of 2026 at 6435 Mission Gorge Road in Grantville.
Once open, Mi Pan will still remain at all of the farmers markets: Tuesdays in Pacific Beach, Saturdays in Little Italy, and Sundays in Chula Vista. They hope to add one more to their rotation once they have the ability to increase production. Gomez says he also plans to launch a wholesale side of the bakery, something he says multiple businesses have approached him about, but he hasn’t been able to take on with his small operation. And then, maybe one day, maybe even a second location in North County.
Gomez also didn’t work as a baker previously, unlike other pandemic-launched operations like Companion Bread Company and Relic Bakery. But in the past five years, he’s taught himself the craft and traveled across the world to places like France, Spain, and Mexico City to both take and teach various baking classes, something he also plans to offer at the new space.
Mi Pan’s menu will remain small, offering its signature sourdough and pastries—especially medialunas, an Argentinian pastry that’s a cross between a flaky croissant and soft brioche with a light glaze on top. “If you haven’t tried it, you should,” he promises. “They’re amazing.” They’ll also add sandwiches using its own bread, as well as coffee. (Most of this will be intended to-go, but it’ll have a few tables onsite if people wish to enjoy their goodies right away.) But above all, Gomez says what they’re building is meant to last, modeled after the family-owned neighborhood cafes of his native Mexico and across Europe.
“It’s not about being the kind of trendy bakery that’s hyped for six, seven months, or a year, and then after that, they disappear,” he says. “We want an atmosphere that feels like home, and then when you come back… you’re greeted by name. I think that’s what we want—a warm, reliable, everyday bakery where the community feels welcome and you always find exceptional bread and pastries.”
Mi Pan Bakery will open at 6435 Mission Gorge Road in Grantville in mid-2026.
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
Long as I can remember, Solana Beach has been better known for the mild waves at Fletcher Cove and a few blocks of high-end design shopping on Cedros Ave. But despite the glacial pace of change, the beachside enclave is gearing up to add lots of goodies to the local dining roster.
Over the past few years a few openings have brought attention (Rare Society, Rustic Root), with some more anticipated on the way (like Mia’s coming later this year). And, on June 20, some serious power will unveil Lana—in the marquee spot along Pacific Coast Highway that once housed the California Pizza Kitchen.
The Lana trio is wine guy Mark Wheadon, operator Travis LeGrand, and chef David McIntyre. Wheadon is a level 2 sommelier who’s worked for Robert Redford and Ruth’s Chris; LeGrand has been a manager at Marine Room, Herringbone, and Urban Kitchen Group (Cucina Urbana, et al); and McIntyre, who’s back stateside after 20 years working abroad for Wolfgang Puck, spent the last 14 overseeing Cut Steakhouse in London. He’s opened restaurants all over the world (Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, New York, Los Angeles, Bahrain).
He and Wheadon worked together previously to open Crescent Heights Kitchen & Lounge in downtown San Diego in 2008, so Lana feels like a bit of a homecoming. “It’s nice to come back to help old friends and be a part of the team and help launch a restaurant,” says McIntyre.
Lana’s concept is simple: seasonal, West Coast bounty with ridiculously high-quality service—occupying that very San Diego space between laid back and big night out.
“The design impetus came from vintage California, being casual and comfortable but elegant,” explains Wheadon. But don’t expect the typical teal and turquoise tropes. They brought on designer Megan Power at Workind Studio (formerly of Basile Studio, she designed Le Coq and 31ThirtyOne). It’s a 2,500-square-foot, indoor-outdoor space that fits 187, including 20 at the keyhole-shaped bar, and 45 or so outside.
The menu from McIntyre and chef de cuisine Matt Martinez (Cowboy Star, Avant) strongly emphasizes seasonal produce, local ingredients, and top-notch seafood.
“My concept of cooking is to put five or six ingredients on the plate and let them shine,” McIntyre says. Depending on the season, the chefs will serve locally caught spot prawns, or simple classics like roasted chicken, a few different cuts of steak (he does have the chops for it, after all), and rotating flatbreads. The beverage program, helmed by The Lion’s Share alum Brandon Curry, leans heavily on California wines from small producers from Napa, Sonoma, and the Central Coast, as well as a few from around the world.
Curry’s cocktails will be a direct line from the kitchen to the bar to both minimize waste and spark creativity. Like a gimlet, but with cucumber and pink peppercorns; or an Old Fashioned made with vanilla bitters and toasted sesame oil.
Wheadon hopes to bring a little bit of nighttime energy to that stretch of the 101, which boasts a number of early morning coffee shops, but not a ton of dinner options (yet). During the construction process, he says people constantly poked their heads in with excitement.
“Once a day, [people] would be like, ‘Oh my gosh, Solana Beach needs this so badly,’” he laughs. “This whole area is just starting to blossom.”
Lana opens June 20 at 437 South Highway 101. Operating hours are Wednesdays through Sundays for dinner, plus brunch Saturdays and Sundays.
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
When Alce 101 permanently closed earlier this year, Solana Beach lost a pretty great tequila and mezcal selection. But the partners behind Bluewater Grill, Jim Ulcickas and Rich Staunton, plan to bring a new Baja-Mediterranean concept to the space called Mia’s Solana Beach.
Ulcickas says Mia’s menu will feel similar to Alce, renovated and reimagined. “Peruvian ceviche to vegetarian enchiladas, whole roasted fish, and some classic Mexican shrimp dishes,” he says of the menu, adding that they plan to source as much sustainable, organic, and local ingredients as possible, which has been a core philosophy of their restaurant since the get go. “Mexican-Baja style with a good tequila and mezcal program.”
Plus tacos, salads, oysters, tostadas, and prime cuts of steak, plus a kid’s menu, with no seed oils used in any dishes. The vibe will be fun, warm, and youthful, with soft pinks and dark greens inspired by the Southwest and Baja California. The partners plan to open in April, pending permits and renovations spearheaded by architecture and design firm PGAL (who designed Palihotel and Gravity Heights Mission Valley).
Ulcickas and Staunton have built restaurants together for nearly 30 years, opening the first Bluewater Grill in Newport Beach’s Cannery Village in 1996, then expanding to seven more locations across Southern California and Phoenix, as well as El Galleon, an American comfort grub spot on Catalina Island. “Our real estate philosophy is waterfront Southern California,” Ulcickas explains. When the space at 243 N. Highway 101 became available, the pair asked themselves “What concept do we feel would work in this community?”
Ulcickas believes Alce’s approach of upscale Mexican food was sound—it was just bad timing post-pandemic. The crowds were there, from summertime visitors to locals to people going to the races at Del Mar. “It’s a great location,” he says. If Mia’s proves successful here, it may be the first of several locations. “We have to prove the concept first,” he laughs. “[But] we’re confident… we’re excited to come to Solana Beach.”
Mia’s Solana Beach is planned to open in April 2025 at 243 N. Highway 101, Suite 7. Stay tuned for the chef announcement coming in January.
Courtesy of Encinitas 101
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Little Victory Lands Chefs Elliott and Kelly Townsend
Carlsbad’s first natural wine bar and shop Little Victory Wine Market has new chefs in the kitchen—Elliott and Kelly Townsend, the pair behind Long Story Short. Elliott, who previously worked at Cowboy Star and The Fishery, and Kelly, who previously worked at Juniper & Ivy, will create the menu of small, seasonal, and shareable plates designed to pair with Little Victory’s collection of minimal intervention wines. Between their experience and Little Victory owners Jeremy Simpson and Kirsten Potenza, who also have star-studded resumes themselves (Jeune et Jolie, Bestia), Carlsbad is showing no signs of slowing down.
Courtesy of Ambrogio15 Restaurant Group
Beth’s Bites
San Diego’s only 2024 addition to the Michelin-recognized list is going away—sort of. Ambrogio by Acquerello is closing their La Jolla location on Fay Avenue to focus on reinventing themselves at Ambrogio15 in Pacific Beach. The project was an ambitious romp into modern Italian, a collaboration with Milan chefs Silvio Salmoiraghi and Choi Cheolhyeok, of Michelin-star Milan restaurant, Acquarello. They promise the pizza isn’t going anywhere (thank goddess); they’re also opening another location in the San Diego airport next year.
Hotel La Jolla’s penthouse restaurant Sea & Sky is throwing a 50th birthday party for Napa Valley’s Caymus Vineyards (oh, those cabs). The five-course wine pairing dinner starts at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 30 with chef Ernest Lopez’s menu of “land and sea” offerings like scallop crudo, herb-crusted lamb. Good chance to see the newly renovated La Jolla classic with views of the Shores. Reservations are a must.
Did someone say chilaquiles? Pop-up concept Chilaquilers is slated to open two spots in 2025, one in Vista and one in Chula Vista. I’ve found myself crossing the border to Tijuana to get my crunchy breakfast fix, but I guess I can stash my passport for now.
Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
Entrepreneurs typically launch businesses because they’re passionate about a product or service, not because they want to manage its finances. While working to carve out a niche in their respective industries and drive their companies forward, many business owners find themselves bogged down by day-to-day accounting. Their existing accounting tools don’t provide the necessary visibility or insight, and they don’t have the time or resources to hire additional staff or a chief financial officer. That’s where NOW CFO comes in.
For more than 20 years, NOW CFO has been pairing businesses across the country with experienced accounting and finance professionals. Its outsourced model allows clients to customize solutions that match their individual needs, size, and financial challenges, whether that’s fractional or interim support, project-based services, or full-time placement.
NOW CFO’s clients range from startups preparing for rapid growth to established companies that need additional financial leadership without the commitment or expense of building an in-house team. However, many of these companies don’t fully understand their needs until they experience a “trigger” event: preparing for an acquisition or capital raise, navigating a first-time audit, or another period of transition. With a team of over 300 consultants nationwide, NOW CFO can start quickly and match the right expert to the right business.
“It’s important for companies to have financial visibility, and we can help them avoid a lot of the potholes that companies often run into,” says Mariah Block, a partner at NOW CFO’s San Diego branch. “Roughly half of our clients have an in-house finance person or department, and we’re resourced for more bandwidth when they need an extra set of hands at the staff or senior accountant level, or the controller or CFO level. Some clients use this a few hours a month and others use multiple people close to full-time. Our model is solution-based and customizable. We’re like a faucet you can turn on and off.”
With NOW CFO, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Solutions are based on the client’s individual goals, challenges, needs, and budget, meaning a client never pays for more than they need. Whether it’s a few hours of executive-level guidance or a full accounting team to support daily operations, NOW CFO meets businesses where they are and grows alongside them.
“We pride ourselves on providing our clients with the right resources at the right rate and being able to evolve as their needs evolve,” says Block.
And clients appreciate on-demand access to cost-effective support designed to improve performance and profitability.
Luxury car storage service Auto Concierge has partnered with NOW CFO to support growth over the past year. The arrangement began with a staff accountant who covered a leave of absence, but as the client’s needs changed, they also added a controller role. This allowed Auto Concierge to put effective processes in place and navigate operational challenges. Lori Church, Auto Concierge’s chief operating officer, says NOW CFO has been an “outstanding resource” and a “true strategic partner.”
“From the controller to the bookkeeper, every professional they’ve placed has brought a high level of expertise, responsiveness, and professionalism to our organization. Their team took the time to understand our business of high-profile clients and needs, adapted quickly to our fast-paced environment, and became a trusted extension of our team,” she says. “As Auto Concierge continues to grow, having a reliable financial partner like NOW CFO has allowed us to strengthen our financial and business operations while remaining focused on delivering exceptional service to our clients.”
When we first reported that beloved Leucadia date spot Valentina was getting a sibling, the Solana Beach wine bar was planned for a March 2024 opening. Though what restaurant partner Todd Henderson calls “some barriers and unexpected delays” extended that timeline, North County dwellers awaiting a new place to woo Hinge matches will soon find succor: Vále Bodega should finally open its doors at 346 South Cedros Avenue by the end of the year.
Henderson says guests should expect Vále to feel like a little sister to Valentina, the Spanish-Mediterranean bistro that Mario and Morgan Guerra founded in 2019 and named after their daughter. The Guerras’ restaurant group The Leucadia Co. also operates Hamburger Hut, Corner Pizza, and Jaguar Paw, and the couple had been looking to replicate Valentina’s success in North County.
Courtesy of Valentina Restaurant
Many of Valentina’s dishes ( including the croquetas de iberico, gambas al ajillo, and jamón ibérico sliced from behind the bar) will appear on Vále’s menu, and it’ll share its big sib’s emphasis on small plates and local, sustainably caught fresh seafood. The wine program will be similar, as well, with lots of traditional Spanish wines, as well as a few Henderson calls explorative but not too adventurous.
“This is a space where we love to be able to have our creature comforts—things that are comfortable and familiar to a lot of our guests,” he says.
The space is quite small, with seating for a little over 20 guests and no outdoor space. A large bar will dominate much of the interior, along with a wooden banquette along the window custom built by local surfboard shaper Jon Wegener. Valentina’s executive chef Benjamin Lara (formerly of Campfire) will work with Mario Guerra on a few new menu items inspired by Guerra’s childhood visits to Spain to visit family. The food, Henderson says, is unfussy and “delicious, but it’s not bending the concept of what’s palatable. It’s tasty and simple and beautiful.”
Photo Credit: Kimberly Motos Interior of Valentina in Encinitas
Above all, Vále hopes to be a community gathering space helping friends and neighbors connect. After 17 years in the restaurant business, Henderson says that as much as he loves wine, he loves bringing people together even more. “Providing a service to others and creating a little landmark in a community—that is something I’m incredibly passionate about and very much looking forward to,” he says. “Being able to establish just a small, little space over in Solana—where I think Cedros will be very happy to have us—it’s just a beautiful endeavor.”
Courtesy of Olivewood Gardens
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
October Is Farm to School Month
If you aren’t already familiar with Olivewood Gardens, I strongly recommend you give the National City–based nonprofit a gander. The nearly eight-acre property offers opportunities for adults and children to learn about farming, sustainability, cooking, gardening, and nutrition and hosts a number of classes and other events. This month, Olivewood is partnering with the National City school district to teach students about gardening. To learn more about upcoming events or get involved, check out the org’s website and Instagram.
My family and I are huge fans of the food court at H-Mart on Balboa, and were disappointed to see the Korean snack bar It’s Boonsik had left the building. However, it appears they may be popping up once more in… the Northrop Grumman campus at 9326 Spectrum Center Boulevard? Weird, but better than nothing, I suppose.
Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
Will Remsbottom is the type of guy who, when he sees a void in the market, just opens his own business. So far, it’s worked out well for him—he launched Scrimshaw Coffee in 2017, Field Trip Coffee Roasters in 2020, and Majorette in 2023. Next up, Somewhere Pizza is coming this December, right next door to Scrimshaw in El Cerrito.
Somewhere Pizza aims to be a true-blue neighborhood pizza joint, with a few other bread and bread-adjacent things on the menu. “Slices and Italian sandwiches for lunch, small seasonal plates, and a menu that is borderline classic ‘red sauce’ spots, but without the kitsch,” Remsbottom says. Sienna Walters of Companion Bread is consulting on how to launch an in-house bakery element, working alongside Scrimshaw chef Jeannette Silva (Pujol in Mexico City, Verlaine in Los Angeles, Communal Coffee in San Diego, and her pop-up La Selva).
Somewhere Pizza founder Will Remsbottom and his family outside Scrimshaw Coffee. Courtesy Somewhere Pizza
Remsbottom wants Somewhere to meet a need the neighborhood didn’t even realize they had. “Think checkered floors, comfy booths, and an aesthetic that is either brand new nor has been there for decades,” he says.
It won’t be pretentious or clubby, he promises. “I think the SD ‘scene,’ where every new spot is trying to be Disneyland, is forgetting about the neighborhood restaurant at a rapid clip,” he says. “So that’s what we’re going to aim to be.”
Somewhere Pizza, located at 5540 El Cajon Boulevard, should start serving Brooklyn-style pizzas, natural wines, housemade sodas, and more sometime in December. A crowdfunding campaign is live; you can follow their progress on Instagram at @somewherepizza_sd.
Courtesy of German-American Societies of San Diego
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
It’s Oktoberfest Season, Y’all
My favorite season is upon us—the time of marzens, dirndls, pretzels, and oom-pah bands. It’s Oktoberfest time across San Diego, and there are more than ever to choose from. I recommend checking out whatever local party is closest to you, but let’s not ignore the German granddaddies of San Diego Oktoberfests: I’m always partial to the German-American Societies of San Diego’s two-weekend bash in El Cajon (September 27–29 and October 4–6), but the county’s largest party comes back to La Mesa on October 4–6 and the beachy Bavarian bacchanal returns to Ocean Beach on October 11–12. Really, you can’t go wrong with any of them, so find your favorite Oktoberfest destination and remember to prost responsibly.
Courtesy of San Diego Cooks
Beth’s Bites
New restaurant alert: A Mexican eatery is headed to 4566 30th Street in North Park. Smoky Habanero Mexican Cuisine is poised to take over the former Living Tea space along the same delicious block as Chris’ Ono Grinds, The Friendly, and Fall Brewing.
Coronado Brewing is getting into the fall spirit with its new cider release, a small-batch cranberry cinnamon apple cider with a refreshing 5.8 percent ABV. If this heat wave ever breaks, I’ll be ready to pair this with a slice of apple pie and my cable-knit sweater.
San Diego Cooks, from San Diego writer Ligaya Malones and photographer Deanna Sandoval, releases this month. The hardcover cookbook features 70 recipes from local chefs and restaurants, including 24 Suns, TJ Oyster Bar, Ambrogio by Acquerello, Valle, and many more. Head to Ponto Lago at Park Hyatt Aviara on Tuesday, September 24, for a cooking demonstration and book signing with executive chef Pierre Albaladejo.
Have breaking-news, exciting scoops, or great stories about San Diego’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
If you’re anything like us, it can be easy to get so caught up in taking care of everyone else, that your own needs get lost in the ether. But while this may be a cliché, that doesn’t make it any less true: You can’t give your best self to other people unless you’re taking care of yourself.
Sometimes, that looks like stopping in for your regular acupuncture or chiropractic appointment. Other days, it means giving your body the fresh, organic fuel it needs to truly feel and function at its best. And some other times still, it involves leaving your responsibilities behind for a weekend to pamper yourself at an incredible resort and spa.
Only you can decide what your truly need. We’re just here to help you find the best ways to get it.
Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa
Island living meets desert luxury at the Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa in Indian Wells. When you step onto the 11-acre property, you’ll be surrounded by sweeping view of the Santa Rosa Mountains with olive trees and fragrant citrus groves decorating the grounds. In other words, everything about this relaxed but refined resort is primed to help you let go of the stress from home and enjoy easy sun-soaked days and gorgeous starry nights.
The rooms blend calming, woven textures with Tommy Bahama’s signature tropical prints and feature private lanais, making it easy unwind the moment you walk in the door. If you book one of the four Villa Suites, you’ll be treated to exclusive Tommy Bahama furniture and unique personal touches to further that feeling of instant ease.
At the award-winning Spa Rosa, the expert team will help reset and recharge your body and mind using methods and rituals inspired by the desert. The 12,000-square-foot retreat includes outdoor soaking pools, eucalyptus steam rooms, and outdoor cabanas, as well as massages, facials, and body masks—all aimed at creating a day dedicated to you. We’re particularly partial to the Day Long Escape, an indulgent all-day affair of CDBs soaks, renewing scrubs, life changing massages, and transformative facials.
Following your treatment, continue the experience with a meal on the patio at Grapefruit Basil. We love the Hamachi Crudo, a light, citrus-forward dish featuring premium yellowtail, house-made ponzu, creamy avocado, and fresh seasonal garnishes.
Whether you’re strolling the gardens, relaxing beside its saltwater pools, or indulging in a restorative treatment, you’ll be able to escape in style and relax in luxury at the Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa.
Healcove Chiropractic
There’s no shortage of ways to stay active in San Diego—but if you really want to enjoy everything the city has to offer, you’ve got to make sure you’re giving your body its tune-ups. Enter: Healcove Chiropractic. The board-certified chiropractors and wellness professionals at Healcove are experts at addressing that stage where you’re not injured, exactly, but you’re not at 100%, either. Maybe you’re feeling a bit tense or stressed out. Or it could be that you’re not quite moving the way you want to. Sometimes, it’s just that the accumulation of days, weeks, or even years of daily strain is starting to take a toll. No matter what stage you find yourself at, the Healcove Chiropractic team can provide integrated, preventative care centered on long-term, science-backed approaches that ensure you can always stay active and live the life you want to live pain-free.
This starts by providing truly individualized care. Every patient can expect a thorough 60-minute consultation session that includes a posture and movement screening. This allows the team to develop a completely personalized plan. That plan might include chiropractic care, acupuncture, or massage therapy, as well as functional fitness training, vibration and sound therapy, and Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization, a clinical rehabilitation method that retrains the body’s stabilization systems. Whatever the team recommends, you can be sure that it’s tailored to meeting your body’s needs today and the future.
There’s a reason that San Diego Magazine named Healcove the “Best Chiropractor in San Diego”—don’t wait until you’re struggling with an injury to find out why. Book an appointment today for holistic, integrated care that helps ground and heal your body before it reaches a crisis point.
Juice Holler
West Coast wellness culture meets the community feel of Southern Appalachia at Juice Holler. Juice Holler’s menu consists of made-to-order smoothies and smoothie bowls, as well as grab-and-go cold-pressed juices, wellness shots, salads, and more. It operates from the blissfully simple premise that fueling up with food and drink that’s guilt-free and good your body should be simple, accessible, and, above all else, delicious. And if you haven’t yet made it out to the Encinitas café, which opened just this year, let us be the first to tell you: Juice Holler delivers on each and every of these fronts.
We love the Supercharger smoothie, a mood-lifting and body-fueling option made with banana, almond butter, blue spirulina, maca, grass-fed whey protein, raw cacao nibs, medjool dates, and coconut milk. We’re also partial to the Thrive Alive smoothie bowl, where avocado, mango, sea moss, spirulina, mint, coconut milk, and agave are mixed and topped with coconut, chia seeds, strawberry, mango, and chocolate drizzle. The wellness shots include the Detoxifier, a cleansing blend of kale, cucumber, lemon and spirulina, plus a shot specially designed to fight inflammation (named, fittingly, Anti-Inflammation). Probiotic overnight oats, lemon turmeric bars, and strawberry shortcake chia pudding are other standouts on the grab-and-go menu.
Much of the vibe feels beachy North County chic—think green tile with orange and pink accents, grounded with greenery and natural wood—but Juice Holler founder Kelly Sergott, a longtime Encinitas local, has also enfused the space with her Kentucky roots. In Appalachia, a holler is small valley between hills and mountains, where nature reigns, community is king, and nourishment comes right from the land. At Juice Holler, Sergott has created a holler for the busy modern times, using local ingredients to create a spot for people to come together and enjoy fresh, fast, feel-good fuel for their day.
Everwell Acupuncture
We’ve all had that experience with a medical professional where we’ve felt rushed, ignored, or misunderstood—and ultimately, like we didn’t get the answers that we needed. But at Everwell, the holistic acupuncture practice located in Solana Beach, the care team wants to transform your understanding of what healthcare can look like.
Patients at Everwell experience care rooted in intentional listening and radical empathy—and trust us, those aren’t just corporate buzzwords. This place actually puts those ideas into practice. You will always be given the time you need to tell your story— initial in-take appointments are two hours long—and you can rest assured that your story will be believed. Every single question and concern will be addressed by a dedicated practitioner who wants to find the specific solutions that work best for you, and you’ll receive care that’s aimed at healing the body, mind, and spirit.
Everwell’s highly trained, doctorate-level practitioners blend evidence-based acupuncture with the practice of classical Chinese medicine. (If you’ve never tried acupuncture before or aren’t sure if the team will be a fit, we’d highly recommended Everwell’s complimentary 20-minute consultations.) Research shows that by stimulating specific points on the body, acupuncture activates a natural healing response in the body, helping to restore balance, regulate the nervous system, and improve overall wellbeing. This allows the practice to address an incredibly wide range of conditions from chronic pain and autoimmune disorders to digestive issues, from stress and burnout to headaches migraines, fertility and postpartum struggles, hormonal imbalances, sleep concerns and more.
At Everwell, you can expect to feel heard, trusted, respected, and cared for. This is a space that doesn’t want to be just another healthcare provider you visit; it wants to provide patients with dedicated partner who will be there for their entire health journey.
