I rarely (if ever) say no to spending money on food—whether it’s because I want to support small businesses or just prefer not to deal with cooking and cleaning. And let’s be real, I just like to eat. So when given the option to eat a meal that also does some good in the world, I’ll be the first in line.
Enter The Fish Shop. With three locations throughout San Diego, it has only been around for 12 years, but are often regarded as longtime community staples. Owned by OMG Hospitality Group, you can find The Fish Shop in Pacific Beach, Point Loma, and Encinitas.
With their fast-casual approach to SoCal cuisine, dog-friendly atmospheres, no corkage fees, celebration of local beers and fishing vendors, it’s not hard to see why locals love it.
Its owners take special pride in their house-made sauces, salsas, and marinades, their craft cocktail program, and their fresh, sizable seafood offerings. But the real difference here is their commitment to their community. “Ever since we started, the three owners have always been big about giving back to the community with different programs,” says Larry Alva, operations director of The Fish Shop. “We always want to be ingrained in our community.”
When The Fish Shop opened their first location in Pacific Beach, they began partnering with local schools to host “Give Back” nights where 10 percent of sales went to parent-teacher associations for various school projects. During the holidays, The Fish Shop would offer free tacos to anyone who brought in a toy worth $5 or more for gift giving.
As the restaurant continued to grow, charitable efforts became a staple on their menu. “We decided to come up with a taco that, when purchased, provides one nutritious meal for a child in San Diego,” shared Alva.”
With this, the Elote Taco was born—all in the name of giving back. Filled with fresh, grilled Mahi Mahi and marinated with Fish Shop seasoning, it’s topped with cilantro white sauce, cabbage, elote pico, and cotija cheese. And since the introduction of the elote taco, the various locations have donated over 35,000 meals to It’s All About the Kids.
Each location has neighborhood-specific offerings as well so that nearby residents can lend a hand in their own backyards. In Point Loma, the restaurant offers specials that provide donations to the Point Loma Foundation which provides opportunities to raise capital and fund projects in the area through art, historical preservation, education, safe byways, and landscape improvement for visitors.
Not in the mood to eat? You can put your love of wine to good use instead. “We collaborated with our [wine] reps and talked about our cause marketing efforts and wanting to get involved with giving back.” The Fish Shops now carry wines that have ties to various national organizations.
If you purchase a bottle of Chloe, proceeds will be donated to Dress for Success, an organization to empower women to achieve economic independence as well as the National Breast Cancer Foundation which provides help to those affected by breast cancer through early education and support services.
Grab a glass of Cupcake Wine and you’ll be donating to three causes: Direct Relief which is determined to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies; No Kid Hungry, a foundation dedicated to end childhood hunger in the United States; and Pets for Patriots, giving the gifts of fidelity, joy, and love to veterans and pets through companion animal adoption.
Really, it’s a no-brainer. Fresh fish, great wines, beachside cities, and good causes—is there anything more San Diegan?
Sabrina Medora is a national food writer living with her husband and golden doodle Albus in San Diego. Her work has appeared in award-winning publications like Food & Wine Bon Appetit Wine Enthusiast and more.
Zenbu closing La Jolla, opening Downtown? And more more more more.
By Troy Johnson
The restaurant business ain’t easy. The first notable closing is Chaplos in Downtown—the eatery opened at 10th & B Street last year with former El Vitral chef Norma Martinez. Owner Edwin Seymour says he’ll be keeping the space open for special events, but will be closed for lunch and dinner from this point on. That location was just too tough to overcome. The second is one of the higher profile sushi restaurants in the city. After 14 years, Zenbu La Jolla will serve their final meal tomorrow night. Owners Matt and Jacqueline Rimel have been looking to sell that space for a while, and they still have their Zenbu Cardiff location, as well as multiple outposts of Rimel’s Rotisserie. The closing of La Jolla seems like a well-timed cutting of bait for the rumor we’ve been hearing—that they’ll open a big, spanking new Zenbu at Petco Park sometime soon…. Convoy just cracked open Common Theory Public House (4805 Convoy), focused on Korean fried chicken and 30 craft beers… AJ’s Fish Merchant has opened in East County (7407 Jackson Dr.) with chef Stephen Bennett (ex-Martini’s Above Fourth) is helming a menu of chowder, and fresh market seafood plates (halibut, swordfish, catfish, snapper, etc.), plus a few specialty items (scallops Provencal, Ballast Point fish & chips, etc.)… The Fish Shop—which has had a good run in Pacific Beach—is opening their second location in Encinitas at the former spot of St. Germain’s Café. The signs are currently up and it’s looking like a June open… Terryl Gavre is having a busy year. The restaurateur/chef who co-owns Bankers Hill Bar + Restaurant and solely runs Downtown breakfast joint Café 222 opened Acme Southern Kitchen earlier this year and now she’s hatching Bake Sale. It’ll be a bakery and commissary at 815 F Street, selling morning buns, cinnamon rolls, scones, croissants, pies, biscuits, you name it…. Organic pie concept Na Pizza is hatching a few new locations over the next few months—including one at Commons Center in 4S Ranch and another next to Panera in Hillcrest (1270 Cleveland Ave.).… Golden Hill will be getting a new joint, Sonny’s Southern California BBQ at the corner of 25th and C Streets sometime in the next month orr two with master barbecue chef Joe Lewis Jones’ Mississippi-style cue… Over in Barrio Logan, a family beef jerky enterprise Srozzi SoCal Italian is going to be taking over the former Blueprint Café space (1805 Newton Ave.), opening sometime in June with a meat-centric menu… Also in Downtown, Doner Mediterranean Grill will take over the former home of The Grape at 823 5th Ave….
Zenbu closing La Jolla, opening Downtown? And more more more more.
By Troy Johnson
The restaurant business ain’t easy. The first notable closing is Chaplos in Downtown—the eatery opened at 10th & B Street last year with former El Vitral chef Norma Martinez. Owner Edwin Seymour says he’ll be keeping the space open for special events, but will be closed for lunch and dinner from this point on. That location was just too tough to overcome. The second is one of the higher profile sushi restaurants in the city. After 14 years, Zenbu La Jolla will serve their final meal tomorrow night. Owners Matt and Jacqueline Rimel have been looking to sell that space for a while, and they still have their Zenbu Cardiff location, as well as multiple outposts of Rimel’s Rotisserie. The closing of La Jolla seems like a well-timed cutting of bait for the rumor we’ve been hearing—that they’ll open a big, spanking new Zenbu at Petco Park sometime soon…. Convoy just cracked open Common Theory Public House (4805 Convoy), focused on Korean fried chicken and 30 craft beers… AJ’s Fish Merchant has opened in East County (7407 Jackson Dr.) with chef Stephen Bennett (ex-Martini’s Above Fourth) is helming a menu of chowder, and fresh market seafood plates (halibut, swordfish, catfish, snapper, etc.), plus a few specialty items (scallops Provencal, Ballast Point fish & chips, etc.)… The Fish Shop—which has had a good run in Pacific Beach—is opening their second location in Encinitas at the former spot of St. Germain’s Café. The signs are currently up and it’s looking like a June open… Terryl Gavre is having a busy year. The restaurateur/chef who co-owns Bankers Hill Bar + Restaurant and solely runs Downtown breakfast joint Café 222 opened Acme Southern Kitchen earlier this year and now she’s hatching Bake Sale. It’ll be a bakery and commissary at 815 F Street, selling morning buns, cinnamon rolls, scones, croissants, pies, biscuits, you name it…. Organic pie concept Na Pizza is hatching a few new locations over the next few months—including one at Commons Center in 4S Ranch and another next to Panera in Hillcrest (1270 Cleveland Ave.).… Golden Hill will be getting a new joint, Sonny’s Southern California BBQ at the corner of 25th and C Streets sometime in the next month orr two with master barbecue chef Joe Lewis Jones’ Mississippi-style cue… Over in Barrio Logan, a family beef jerky enterprise Srozzi SoCal Italian is going to be taking over the former Blueprint Café space (1805 Newton Ave.), opening sometime in June with a meat-centric menu… Also in Downtown, Doner Mediterranean Grill will take over the former home of The Grape at 823 5th Ave….
Tickets to the Del Mar Wine & Food Festival get you in the door. The real fun is figuring out who you’ll run into once you’re there. This year’s weeklong schedule of exclusive events, running September 30–October 4, includes dinners, tastings, and loosely-supervised chaos where celebrity chefs and local icons finally let their hair down.
The festival has a track record of the unexpected: Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul once toasted their mezcal brand Dos Hombres with an intimate dinner at the Lodge at Torrey Pines (and then, evidently unsatisfied, kept drinking it on the cliffs above Blacks Beach with a rotating cast of San Diego and Food Network chefs. Alex Morgan showed up for a dinner under the lights honoring the country’s most badass women chefs). Drew Brees ran a celebrity pickleball tournament where the guy from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia got absolutely humbled by locals.
If you scored a ticket to last year’s Grand Tasting, you might’ve caught Guy Fieri doing exactly what Guy Fieri does: strolling the grass, signing t-shirts and foreheads, and hanging off the DJ surf van like it was built for him. Meanwhile, local chef Ethan Yang of Glass Box walked off with the Chef Competition surfboard.
So whether your plan for 2026 is to corner legendary San Diego chefs like Victor Jimenez of Cowboy Star and Jon Sloan of Juniper & Ivy in person, or just aim for a spontaneous golf cart ride with a Food Network star—here’s your cheat sheet for where to run into a celebrity chef, TV personality, award-winning winemaker, or pro athlete at this year’s Del Mar Wine & Food Festival.
Courtesy of Del Mar Wine & Food Festival
Troy Johnson, Karen Krasne
Signature San Diego Opening Night Party
September 30 | 6 – 9 p.m. | Monarch Ocean Pub
Consider this your soft landing into festival week—the walk-around tasting that eases you in before things get chaotic later on. Monarch Ocean Pub hands its patio over to the flavors that define San Diego eating: Baja seafood done right, coastal bites, Mexican flavors with some heat behind them, all the staples locals will fight you over.
The celebrity sightings here lean more “bump into” than “spot from across the room.” Troy Johnson—Food Network judge, San Diego Magazine chief content officer and co-owner, Emmy-winning host, a man who has eaten his way across the entire country professionally—is the type to materialize at whichever station has the longest line, because he already knows it’s worth the wait. Ask him what he’s had so far. He’ll have opinions.
Then there’s celebrity pastry chef Karen Krasne, owner and executive pastry chef of Extraordinary Desserts, James Beard House alum, and a woman Forbes once ranked among the top 10 pastry chefs in the country—which tracks, because you might find her holding court next to a tray of her roasted pecan shortbread dipped in white chocolate, explaining exactly why this is the flavor combination. You will listen to every word, too, because you’ll want to try that cookie.
This is an opening night party where the person next to you in line might just be the one who baked the thing you’re about to eat.
Courtesy of Del Mar Wine & Food Festival
Bryn McArthur, Mawa McQueen
Chateau Montelena’s 50th Anniversary Celebration
October 1 | 6 – 9 p.m. | Fairmont Grand Del Mar
Fifty years ago, a Napa Chardonnay beat France at its own game and rewrote what the world thought it knew about wine. This dinner is that legacy, poured by the family who built it, course by course.
Under the arches at Fairmont Grand Del Mar, Ernie Hahn and the Hahn family, who partnered with the Barretts to revive Chateau Montelena into the Napa powerhouse it is today, host an evening built entirely around the winery’s most iconic pours. Every course gets its own pairing straight from the Montelena portfolio, so you’re not just hearing about the Judgment of Paris, you’re tasting the wine that started it.
Chef Mawa McQueen, a former James Beard Best of the West winner out of Aspen, brings globally inspired cuisine and serious technique to the table. Alongside her, Fairmont Grand Del Mar’s executive chef Bryn McArthur leans into farm-to-table sensibility shaped by a career of global kitchens. Together they’re building a menu meant to hold its own against wine that already changed history once.
This is the rare dinner where the wine isn’t just accompanying the meal, it’s the reason the meal exists. Fifty years after Paris, the rematch is happening right here in Del Mar.
Isabella Dallas is a freelance writer for San Diego Magazine and the Arts and Culture Editor at The Daily Aztec in her final year at San Diego State University. She previously worked as an editorial intern for SDM, but when she’s not writing, you can find her trying the best coffee spots in SD, devouring the latest rom-coms, and indulging in anything and everything pop culture.
Today’s seniors are more connected than ever, with a renewed focus on retirement as a time of discovery and enriching experiences. The ultimate reward for a retirement well-earned is the wisdom to appreciate it all, and what better place to enjoy that unique perspective than Vi at La Jolla Village, in the heart of San Diego.
All-access pass to good living.
As a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), Vi provides access to a connected and fulfilling community while making it easy to plan for future care, should the need ever arise. With a care plan in place, residents enjoy greater financial predictability and long-term value, freeing them to focus on making the most out of retirement.
Resort-style amenities at the epicenter of a cultural hub like San Diego offer a retirement experience unlike any other. Paired with exceptional dining, spacious accommodations and dedicated staff, the best of maintenance-free living is all around. And with the introduction of Vista 360 Well-Being, Vi’s panoramic approach to wellness, there are more ways than ever for residents to access it all.
The harmony of mind, body and community.
Courtesy of Vi at La Jolla Village
The key to longevity is striking the right balance in maintaining an active lifestyle with an active mind in a fulfilling community. With newly renovated community spaces and restaurants, Vista brings a variety of opportunities for residents to elevate their well-being through Vi-exclusive “Signature Experiences.”
Vista Enrich takes an evidence-based approach to brain vitality, keeping residents at the forefront of cognitive health through exergaming (exercising + gaming), nutritional plans and informative workshops. It is also home to The Brain Vitality Studio, an innovative facility dedicated to cognitive fitness that has garnered national recognition.
Vista Discover invites residents into stimulating educational experiences, from chef-led cooking demos and guided wine tastings to lectures at local universities and intimate lectures following cultural outings.
While Vista Enrich focuses on brain health and Vista Discover engages residents intellectually, Vista Explore cultivates a sense of adventure through curated travel and local excursions. But broadening one’s horizons doesn’t always require a plane ticket. One recent event brought a taste of the world right to the community: an onsite “jazz cruise” featuring live music and global cuisine served at a series of themed “ports” all within the community’s own ballroom.
“Location, location, location”
Courtesy of Vi at La Jolla Village
One of the biggest perks of life at Vi at La Jolla Village is its proximity to just about everything. With easy access to transportation and local attractions just steps away, residents can explore and engage with their community at their own pace.
“There are trolley and bus stops within a 5-minute walk that will get you to the beach, UCSD Campus, medical appointments, downtown La Jolla or San Diego, et cetera. We rarely use our car,” said resident Tom Yager.
With the best of San Diego just steps away, residents don’t just live in the city, they live within reach of everything that makes it special.
The best of all worlds.
Courtesy of Vi at La Jolla Village
At Vi at La Jolla Village, retirement isn’t a chapter to slow down; it’s an invitation to discover more. Tailored community experiences created by Vista, paired with the vibrant pulse of San Diego just outside the door, mean that residents don’t have to choose between security and adventure, connection and independence. They get all of it.
This is what an all-access pass to good living looks like: the comforts of an elevated lifestyle, a community built for growth and a city made for discovery – all in one place.
To learn more about Vi at La Jolla Village or for details on available floor plans, visit ViatLaJollaVillage.com/SDM.
After 15 years married, my husband and I tend to agree on most things. But there’s one argument we both refuse to bend on—I prefer okonomiyaki Osaka-style, and he’s a die-hard Hiroshima-style devotee. (To be fair, we both adore both styles, but at this point, it’s just fun to have a low-stakes disagreement.)
Okonomiyaki is one of Japan’s greatest comfort foods, a savory pancake that’s about the size of a DVD, if you aren’t too young to know what that is. It’s not terribly hard to make—it’s flour, eggs, dashi stock or water, and a whole heap of shredded cabbage, plus optional fillings like green onions, pork belly, or bonito flakes, all cooked fresh on a flat top griddle. Drizzle some kewpie mayo and okonomiyaki sauce on top, and you’re hot to go.
However, it’s not easy to make well, and as you now know, people have capital-O Opinions about Osaka-versus-Hiroshima. Hiroshima-style layers the ingredients one by one rather than mixing them together, adding a layer of soba or udon noodles and topping it all off with a fried egg. For Osaka-style, all the ingredients are mixed together and then cooked on the griddle, so every bite includes every ingredient in a hodgepodge of deliciousness. (One Osaka variation called modan-yaki does include soba noodles mixed in the batter, but they’re not traditionally used in that regional version.)
Despite a childhood spent in Osaka, Japan, Kumi Alexander specializes in making Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. “Okonomiyaki has been part of my life for as long as I can remember,” she explains. “My parents ran their own business when I was growing up, so Saturdays were often busy, and okonomiyaki was one of my mother’s go-to lunches because it was simple and easy to make.”
Alexander came to San Diego seven years ago with a desire to bring a part of her culture with her—not just a product, but a feeling. “When I thought about what could do that, the answer was almost obvious: okonomiyaki,” she says.
She originally launched Surf’n Slaw as a mobile pop-up food stand in August 2025, offering what Alexander calls Japanese-meets-California okonomiyaki. “Our full Surf’n Slaw includes cabbage, noodles, umami dough, beef, shrimp, and vegetables,” she explains. The menu also has a “Green Wave Slaw,” an Osaka-style version that can be made vegan and gluten-free, as well as matcha drinks.
Currently, Surf’n Slaw pops up at farmers markets in North Park, Scripps Ranch, Hillcrest, La Jolla, and La Mesa, as well as other local markets and community events. Eventually, she may expand to a permanent location, but that’s a future goal. And while Alexander hopes that one day okonomiyaki will be as well-known to American audiences as ramen or sushi, for now, she’s just happy to share a bit of home with San Diego.
Izola Bakery announced big plans for a second location and bakery HQ (checks notes) over three years ago and it’s kind of been crickets since then. But there may be movement in the expansion plan—the East Village bakery recently put out a hiring call for “the people we need to help us build what’s next.” Here’s hoping things get cooking (or baking, as the case may be) soon.
As a California-born, East Coast-raised foodie, I can confidently say the East Coast has the deli game on lock. So whenever anyone announces they’re bringing an East Coast-style sandwich to the West Coast, I remain cautiously optimistic until proven otherwise. (Big Jim’s in Pacific Beach is a phenomenal example of a transplant done exceptionally well.) Los Angeles-based Ggiata Delicatessen recently announced plans to open a location in Encinitas, promising authentic Italian staples like meatball parmesan subs, cheesesteaks, and Italian cold cuts. Don’t let me down, guys!
Unfortunately, it’s not all openings and expansions. Nola on 5th in Hillcrest permanently ceased operations without warning or explanation. We can probably pick from one (or more) squares on Restaurant Closure Bingo for the reason (increased costs for ingredients, labor, equipment, etc.), but for the jambalaya enthusiast, it doesn’t really matter why. It’s simply adieu to a slice of The Big Easy in San Diego.
Listen Now: The Latest in San Diego’s Food and Drink Scene
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.
Tokyo unquestionably holds the title as one of the best, if not the best, food cities of the world. But despite the plethora of Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurants and hole-in-the-wall ramen joints, you’d be remiss in walking past glowing signs beckoning you to enter one of the 56,000-plus konbini across the country.
Konbini cafes like Lawson’s, FamilyMart, and 7-Eleven may look like run-of-the-mill convenience stores, but convenience store culture is a completely different animal there. Absent are the sad, floppy hot dogs sizzling sweatily on a rotating wheel of misery. Instead, konbini are stocked with a bevy of hot and cold drinks in every imaginable flavor, meals like tamago sandos (Japanese egg salad sandwiches) and prepacked bento boxes, snacks like onigiri (handheld triangles of rice and seaweed, often filled with fish or pickled plum), and even limited-edition merchandise (not unlike Wawa’s line of merch).
Soon, Hillcrest will get a taste of konbibi culture. Hako Hako opens in front of Uptown Inn by Vantaggio, next to Ramen Ryoma, in early 2027.
Kenji Blouin-Ito, a half-Japanese, half-French San Diego native grew up eating Japanese food at home and during trips across the Pacific. “I remember looking forward to eating bentos on the train,” he says, grabbing quick items to munch on without sacrificing quality or succumbing to cost. When in France, he saw a rise of appreciation for casual Japanese cuisine, “long before it happened here.”
Courtesy of Hako Hako | Photo Credit: @josh_walker.26_genteel
So he decided to bring it here. After AB 626 passed in 2018 to allow different jurisdictions to permit Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKOs), Blouin-Ito launched Foodnome, the first legal marketplace for homemade food in the US. Eventually, the national nonprofit The Cook Alliance took over the project, leaving him open to the next new idea but with the experience of running a food-based business.
“That experience changed how I think about food, not just what makes it good but what makes it work,” he explains. Bento boxes felt affordable in a time of inflation, convenient in a bustling world, and versatile to a variety of palates. When he got the chance to open a konbini himself, he went for it.
His family runs Uptown Inn, a mix of apartments and hotel rooms that’s seen increased food traffic over the past few years. “We had a small space in front of the building that wasn’t being used, and it just made sense,” he says. Hako means “box” in Japanese, a reference to both bentos and small space from where he’ll sling freshly made bentos, coffee, drinks, pastries, snacks, and a small retail selection.
Hako Hako will initially open for morning and afternoon hours, but you don’t have to wait until next year to get a taste of Japanese culture. Blouin-Ito’s concept is popping up at various coffee shops around San Diego, with a few coming up: Easy Does It on September 19 and Cafe Moto on October 17. Until then, practice the art of gaman: patience with grace.
Hako Hakoopens at 819 University Avenue in Hillcrest in early 2027.
Sushi Tadokoro held on to its Michelin star for three years—no mean feat for anyone. But now, the Old Town restaurant is changing things up, eliminating lunch and à la carte service at the end of September before transforming into an omakase-only experience in October. The dining room will close from October 1 through October 22 to make the change, but promises it will be “more intimate. More personal. More focused on each guest and every piece we serve.” Sounds worth the wait.
Bock brought new life to South Park when the German-inspired beer bar opened after a long construction process by owner Brian Jensen (Vino Carta, Bottlecraft). Now, Bock is getting its own shot in the arm with a new in-house kitchen from the people behind Majorette, Love Letters Pizza, and Scrimshaw Coffee. Kurz, or “quick” in German, is already open, serving European-inspired bites like the requisite currywurst, Bavarian pretzel, and schnitzel, along with some newcomers like a pierogi and famous “Majorette burger.” (I can confirm it’s a damn good burger.) Reminder: Bock and Kurz are 21+, so leave the kinders at home.
The popular Japanese dessert chain Warabimochi Kamakura already has 70-plus locations in Japan, Australia, China, Thailand, and the U.K. (to name a few), but is finally opening a location in Convoy District at 8322 Clairemont Blvd. After a successful pop-up test run at Asa Bakery, Warabimochi Kamakura will bring its signature warabimochi (a traditional simple, jelly-like dessert), plus tea like matcha and hojicha, as well as soft serve as soon as October, but possibly November. (Although warabimochi is sometimes considered a summer treat, I’m pretty sure I can make an exception for autumn.)
Listen Now: The Latest in San Diego’s Food and Drink Scene
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.
NewBridge School is San Diego’s only school dedicated to the education of students with dyslexia and related learning profiles. For 30 years we have successfully served students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, receptive/expressive language disorders, ADHD, executive functioning and memory deficits. Students transition successfully into academically rigorous high schools and colleges across the country. Why NewBridge? Training, training, training (plus intensive individualization, and comprehensive program design). All teachers are trained and retrained biennially in Orton-Gillingham, the only approach proven to remediate dyslexia based on Science of Reading research, and complete a year-long training program. Every aspect of our program is designed around our students’ learning styles and needs. Every class is taught by a highly-trained expert, and our Speech/Language and Occupational Therapy teams embed throughout the day. Our multisensory, multi-tiered math program has been developed in conjunction with sister schools and experts across the country. Don’t wait—early intervention is magic!
