Maybe I am crazy, but it is my strong belief that name tags are so limiting and such a waste of time. The universe will pull you toward who you need to meet at an event by sheer magnetic force. Think about it. It is so awkward walking up to meet someone at an event and leaning in to read a card pinned to their chest. Magnets aren’t as bad as pins and you can do the necklace version but do I really want to ruin my perfectly chosen outfit with this horrendous tag or lanyard hanging from my neck? Puh-lease. And what can you really glean from a person’s name and title? When I walk into a room sans name tag, I have faith that the energy that I put out will attract the right people. That those that are meant to cross my path do and it is for the person I am and not the name and few descriptive words on my badge. In fact, if I based the entire event on strategically reading name tags and passing up those that, according to their title, weren’t important to speak with, there would be so many missed opportunities. Not knowing who they are and what they do gives me a chance for an authentic interaction to begin a conversation. And if we click I can then genuinely ask, “What do you do?”
This past week in Washington, D.C., my theory has proven successful. Maverick that I am, throwing caution to the wind I ended up meeting amazing people like Frank Urtasun, Regional VP of External Relations at SDGE, and Deane Leavenworth, Regional VP of Government Relations-West Region at Time Warner Cable. Two individuals who I am confident, as they lift those around them up for success, will play key roles in upcoming projects like the Global Empowerment Summit and the Mesa Project. Or, get this… remember the blog post the other week about AgileJet with the photo in front of my new ride? Collided with none other than the owners of Premier Jet Richard and Bettie Sax! So go ahead, try it sometime. Dare you to go commando at your next event (without a name tag, sheesh, what kind of girl do you take me for?). Or come to my place where we are all about NTNNA: Name Tags Need Not Apply.
Upcoming Events (I’ll be at the fun table…)
WoW Without Walls Festival The upcoming WoW festival at La Jolla Playhouse… INSANE! Who attended last year’s hit The Car Plays? They are back and with a new twist! Check it… you and a friend get into a car for a 10 minute intimate play. You then move through a series of four more vehicles with four more vignettes but other playwrights. Only this time, they are connected through storyline and theme. There is also a chance to bring the kiddos for a bit of culture. Friday and Saturday night there are free performances of The Spheres: Australia’s Stange Fruit where “four celestial beings emerge out of illuminated globes” to tell a tale of transformation and wonder. Be sure to check out their site that lists all of the 24+ site-specific and immersive experiences running that weekend. October 9-11, La Jolla Playhouse
Come sit by me…
Fernando Aguerre, Co-Founder of REEF
While waiting for more than five hundred students to file into the auditorium at Mission Bay High, I couldn’t help but notice this larger-than-life smile in every selfie of the slide show. The co-founder of REEF, Fernando Aguerre, was cheesing with fellow surf legends, international leaders and shots with our very own Bill Clinton and Obama. Those that were near him were infected by his energy. Clearly this man has charisma.
Aguerre delivered a powerful talk to our future visionaries/thinkers. But when was I hooked? When he mumbled into the microphone that he shouldn’t swear because he was being recorded. “I have been talking for over thirty minutes and haven’t said one bad word, that’s not easy.” Ha! Fernando’s magnetic spirit gets your attention and his genuine sense of caring is what seals the deal. Then throw in his absolute passion to bring people together. This man is a visionary who seems unstoppable. Fernando is an activist and knows how to rally a crowd. At 18, he got the Argentine government to remove the ban on surfing and without permission organized the first surfing championship. 80 attended but by the following year over 1000 were competing.
Fernando shared some clear life lessons for the student body. Some of my favorites were going straight to the top. “If you want to get things done, go to the person who can make decisions. Don’t waste your time.” I am a firm believer in this strategy and any student who was paying attention and filed that little nugget in their over-stimulated teenage brain will be ahead of the curve. He also explained that moving to California to be with his brother and eventually selling his company REEF to spend time with family and pursue philanthropic dreams was a “personal not business decision.” Choosing the best path personally led him to follow his passion and the business model was shaped around what he values most—surfing and family.
Fernando’s dream is to bring the gift of surfing to the world. “The governments haven’t figured out how to tax the ocean yet. It is free for all to enjoy and there are waves all over the world.” Since his days of organizing and DJing for crowds of more than one thousand during his youth back in the motherland, it seems that Fernando has what some would call the Midas touch. And with Tokyo’s announcement this past Monday that surfing will be one of five sports considered for the 2020 games, it seems like Fernando is that much closer to achieving his dream.
Last Wednesday I brought my six-year-old wonder boy to witness perhaps his greatest accomplishment to date—the 2015 ISA World Adaptive Surfing Championship. Leo went to Surf Diva camp this summer but was a bit intimidated by the waves last week. Confused, I let Leo just soak up the experience. “Mom, why does that guy have a robotic leg? How are these people going to surf?” What a moving experience talking to team USA surfers and posing for photos. To be in the mind of that little boy as we stood with our feet in the water, watching volunteers help a young boy who’d lost one leg catch a wave. Or another man in a wheelchair use his enormous upper body strength to back into the ocean, flip, dive in and then swim out to catch a ride. It was so powerful to see the surf community come together as an inclusive society and it is the hopes of Fernando and his entourage to set a precedent for others to model worldwide. On the way to first grade I turned to Leo and said, “Don’t ever let things get in the way…. Sky is the limit.” I am so curious and will be impatient to see what Fernando dreams up next. What’s your big idea? I am sure Fernando would agree… When you throw out those visions to the world, don’t let people ask why… Rather, you should be asking yourself, “Why not?”
You know the tuna I’m talking about. It’s easy to mistake for a cube of watermelon. It’s the color of a Lyft logo. Appears to be glowing a vibrant, tantalizing purity. Tuna that bright red or pink means it’s… what, extremely fresh? Bursting with nutrients?
I thought this was widely known, but a chef recently told me very few of his staff members were aware of this, and almost none of his customers. So, especially with the recent proliferation of poke joints, I thought I’d be helpful with this PSA of sorts.
Bright red or pink tuna means it has been gassed. In its natural state, fresh tuna is dark red, almost maroon, sometimes even chocolatey-looking.
But here’s why I personally tend to back away when I see bright red or pink tuna:
1. IT’S MUCH HARDER TO TELL IF IT’S FRESH OR NOT.
It can be left out for days and it will not turn brown. In one study, the University of Florida found that carbon monoxided tuna kept its bright red color for 11 days in the fridge. “The carbon monoxide actually hides the quality of a fish,” says Tommy Gomes, fifth-generation San Diego fisherman, host of The Fishmonger on Outdoor Channel, and owner of seafood shop Tunaville in Point Loma. “It’ll make a poor-quality fish pretty like a rose. I’ve seen them take an old piece of brown tuna [and] put the gas on it, and it comes out looking like cherry lemonade.” The gas also masks the smell of old tuna (which is one way you can tell if tuna’s getting past its eat-by stage). “Since there’s no smell, it falsifies the freshness,” Gomes explains.
2. I TRUST GOVERNMENT HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS, BUT ALSO RECOGNIZE THEY’RE NOT PERFECT.
The 1992 USDA food pyramid suggested carbs should be the bulk of our diet (they corrected that in 2005 and 2011). The government approved the fat substitute Olestra, which gave people all sorts of tummy issues. Margarine and other trans fats were also approved, then banned in May 2019. There are some smart humans in the government, but even geniuses make mistakes. So I tend to go with my gut: tuna in its natural state, or tuna treated with carbon monoxide? Easy choice.
So why gas tuna at all? Because of us. Consumers don’t like brownish fish. Tuna oxidizes quickly. It’s difficult for tuna fishermen and women to get it to market quick enough before it turns that brownish or chocolatey color. Customers erroneously think all brownish-looking fish is old or bad and will pay more for “fresher-looking” fish. So in the 1990s, the FDA allowed companies to gas the tuna and keep it artificially bright red for long stretches at a time.
“There’s nothing wrong with a hot chocolate–looking tuna loin,” says Gomes. “But, here in America, we want [it] seared on the outside, rosy pink on the inside.”
What fresh tuna should look like
Gassed tuna is also often imported and less inexpensive than fresh, un-gassed tuna, says Gomes. “So, to be fair and honest,” Gomes acknowledges, “for families on a budget, gassed tuna is one of the best alternatives out there for frozen seafood.”
In theNew York Times article cited above, a sushi restaurant owner reported his sales of tuna tripled when he started using gassed tuna. So that’s obviously good for the small business owner, as well as grocery stores. Food waste is a massive epidemic—the US throws out about half of edible seafood. If gassed tuna gets Americans to eat perfectly edible tuna they otherwise might throw out, that’s a step in a good direction.
But it’d be better if we as consumers knew that fresh, non-gassed tuna is supposed to be dark red or maroon—not bright red or watermelon pink, like a majority of the tuna I’ve seen at local poke shops. Ideally, we would look at a piece of bright red/pink tuna and think “Oh, hey there, carbon monoxide.”
The most important things about buying tuna is to trust the source (whether grocery store, fishmonger, or sushi joint). It also should be shiny and somewhat translucent, and not have slime or an off-smell.
Troy Johnson is the magazine’s award-winning food writer and humorist, and a long-standing expert on Food Network. His work has been featured on NatGeo, Travel Channel, NPR, and in Food Matters, a textbook of the best American food writing.
Stake Chophouse & Bar isn’t your average steakhouse. Blue Bridge Hospitality’s Coronado outpost is a modern interpretation of a big-city steakhouse nestled in the heart of the small coastal community. The team at Stake has reimagined the whole steakhouse experience. By prioritizing a seasonal farm-to-table sourcing philosophy, a personalized guest experience, and unique service touches, like a formal steak presentation and a bespoke knife selection process, Stake distinguishes itself in a sea of steakhouses.
Exceptional steaks, including Wagyu from Japan, Australia, and the U.S., and fresh seafood flown in daily form the core of Stake’s culinary identity. The menu features a five-course omakase-style steak experience highlighting house favorites, plus an array of cuts, and classic steakhouse staples—think a wedge salad, baked potato, or pasta carbonara—refined for a contemporary palate without losing their traditional appeal. Stake focuses on seasonal sourcing from the region’s best family farms and specialty purveyors, and incorporates intentionally unexpected touches to create something truly unique.
“I challenge our chefs and myself to take it a step further in sourcing,” says Chef Ronnie Schwandt. “It’s important to us to highlight different farms, unique one-off farms—whether it’s cattle, strawberries, a local fisherman or from anywhere in the United States, we’re always trying to find that niche.”
Beyond the menu, Stake emphasizes outstanding service, says Vinny Spatafore, Director of Hospitality Operations. Staff maintains detailed notes, allowing them to remember guests by name, recall previous orders such as a favorite martini (also memorable for the customer since it’s served in an extra tall, distinctly-shaped glass), and celebrate special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries.
“When you have those points of topic that you remember about a guest, they appreciate that,” he says. “Our servers are really good with that—we have a couple servers who have been here since the beginning and they’ll remember somebody from years ago, their name, their kids’ names, where they live. I’m really thankful to have a great front of house staff.”
Award-winning wines, rare whiskeys, special events, and a complementary black car service that provides transportation for guests throughout Coronado add to Stake’s appeal.
Schwandt stresses that Stake offers more than a meal; they aim to give patrons something unforgettable.
“It starts when you walk up the stairs and are greeted by the hostess—that sets the tone for the night. Then you’re greeted by a server, who may know you by name, and can guide you through the menu and curate as they get to know you,” says Schwandt. “Most people leave kind of blown away; they leave feeling like they just had an experience. That’s the goal, right? Whether you’re serving smash burgers or high-end steak, you want somebody to leave thinking, Wow, that was awesome.”
While glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agents have been used to treat Type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years, their recent emergence as weight-loss wonder drugs marked a new frontier in medicine. But their effectiveness has left some patients wondering what to do once they’ve reached their goal. Stopping the medication could mean regaining some, if not all, of the weight. A Scripps Clinic internal medicine physician recently conducted a small study of whether GLP-1 patients who had reached their goal weight could maintain that weight by taking their regularly prescribed injection every other week instead of weekly. Spoiler alert: 30 of 34 patients did. Read more about the study here and what that may mean as pharmaceutical companies roll out oral GLP-1s.
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