More from the 2014 Best Restaurants
The State of Restaurant Criticism / The Art of Presentation: The Marine Room’s Chef Bernard Guillas / Handle With Care: Juniper & Ivy / Where the Chefs Eat / Reader-voted Best Chef Accursio Lota / Food Blogger Favorites / Find the Winner Nearest You!

San Diegans love food. We pledge allegiance to the fish taco, go nuts for farm-fresh salads, and are big on burgers. In fact, the bigger, the better. Stir-fry, Korean barbeque, sashimi, pho—the list goes on and on. Thousands of readers voted for their favorites, which we collected, compiled, taste-tested, and tallied. The result: an insanely delicious guide, with expert picks from food critic Troy Johnson. Here, the best of the best—and then some.

A NOTE TO OUR READERS: Accuracy is paramount. But we are a service publication, and the lists we print should inform people and help them decide where to spend their time and money. We don’t want this poll to show readers who has the biggest mailing list or marketing staff. We want it to show which restaurants the people like best. If a restaurant wins an obscene amount of awards, and it’s apparent that “ballot stuffing” has occurred, San Diego Magazine reserves the right to give one or all of their awards to other top vote-getting restaurants that make a little more sense in real life.

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San Diego’s City Park was founded in 1868. But as late as 1909, only about 100 of the 1,400 acres had been landscaped. That year, the president of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, G. Aubrey Davidson, had the idea of using the park to host a celebration for the opening of the Panama Canal, which was slated for January 1, 1915. San Diego would be the first U.S. port north of the canal, and city leaders wanted to take advantage of their geographic position to boost the economy and help develop the park.

New York architect Bertram Goodhue chose a Spanish Colonial Revival style for the 1915 Panama–California Exposition. Officials liked that it would distinguish SD’s event from the San Francisco Panama–Pacific Exposition, which would have a “Beaux Arts” look.

Park commissioners gave it the name “Balboa Park” after Vasco Núñez de Balboa, a European explorer who first saw the Pacific in 1513. As the Panama Canal would connect the Atlantic to the Pacific, the moniker was a good association for the park and the planned fair.

The 2015 Centennial, which kicks off this month, refers not to the 100th anniversary of the park, but rather the recognition of an entire century since the Exposition, and of enjoying the park’s architecture as we know it today.

Back in the Sixties, Charger cheerleaders were just local high school groups, rotating around the field at Balboa Stadium during home games. But by the time this photograph was taken, the Chargettes were a full-fledged squad performing at San Diego Stadium. The photo above shows the 4 p.m. game on November 13, 1977. The team, which included quarterback James Harris, running back Bo Matthews, and kicker—and La Jolla High School alum—Rolf Benirschke, played its best against the Denver Broncos (even though the Broncos won, 17–14).

The Chargettes’ pleated skirts were short, but compared to today’s midriff-baring uniforms, they were relatively modest. (We love the neckerchiefs!)

The year after this photo was taken, the squad would be disbanded, in part because a few of the women had posed for Playboy. But those Chargers’ girls would be back—with visions of the Super Bowl.

Share your vintage photo of San Diego! Send your pic and story to [email protected].

WHEN/WHERE: San Diego Magazine’s Latinos Making a Difference Awards took place last Thursday, October 22, 2014 at the University Club atop Symphony Towers in downtown San Diego. The evening was hosted in partnership with Univision KBNT San Diego. It is the second annual Latinos Making a Difference event.

WHAT: Three hundred of San Diego’s top Latino business leaders gathered to honor the recipients of this years Latinos Making a Difference Awards. Guests enjoyed a cooking demonstration and tasting by Chef Miguel Angel Guerrero, owner of La Querencia Baja Med. The emcee for the evening was Dr. Diane Perez, host of Despierta San Diego on Univision.

WHO: Six outstanding leaders were honored during the event’s program.

The Cross-Border Leader Award was presented to Sylvia Casas, President of Casas International Brokerage, Inc. For the past 30 years, Casas has worked tirelessly to become the Hispanic woman at the forefront of international trade on the U.S. – Mexico border.

Entrepreneur of the Year was awarded to Fanny Miller, President, CEO & Editor of El Latino Newspaper, the number-one Hispanic newspaper in San Diego and the largest Hispanic-owned Spanish language newspaper in California with more than 186,000 weekly readers.

Inspirational Leader of the Year was awarded to two individuals.

The first recipient was Jose Galicot Behar, President of Tijuana Innovadora. He is the visionary, creator and driving force behind Tijuana Innovadora, a two-week event and movement with the goal of enriching the San Diego-Tijuana relationship for the prosperity of citizens on both sides of the border.

The second recipient was Pilar Montoya, President, CEO and Founder of the Caminos Foundation. Through the Caminos Foundation, Latinos can receive the tools and knowledge necessary to live healthier, more productive lives and fulfill their potential.

Volunteer of the Year was awarded to Anna Jauregui-Law, an attorney with Appellate Defenders, Inc. Determined to find a way to support the advancement of Latinas in the legal profession, Jauregui-Law cofounded Latinas in the Law in 2005, an organization dedicated to providing educational forums and culturally sensitive mentoring to young Latina lawyers, law students, and legal professionals.

At the end of the evening, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to David Valladolid who has been at the helm of the Parent Institute for Quality Education for the past 17 years. He continues to expand the free programming under PIQE. Since the inception of the signature program in 1987, more than 585,000 parents have graduated. Valladolid is also a sixth-generation Californian and a Vietnam combat veteran (1968-69), twice wounded and the recipient of the Purple Heart.

The evening was a true celebration of all of the award finalists and winners and their contributions to our local community. A portion of proceeds from the event was donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County.

FULL LIST OF NOMINEES AND EVENT INFO: http://www.sandiegomagazine.com/latinos

PHOTOS & MEDIA CONTACT: Jennifer Rea, Marketing Director, [email protected] or 619.744.0523

ABOUT SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE:

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Malin Burnham received the James F. Mulvaney Community Leadership Award from United Way of San Diego County at its annual Community Kickoff at UC San Diego on Sept. 25. Burnham was honored for his ongoing commitment to volunteerism and accomplishments as a community leader. Steven Northcote was presented the “Volunteer of the Year” Naish Award. Pastor Archie Robinson and New Birth Praise serenaded the audience with a gospel rendition of Katy Perry’s hit song “Firework.” “United Way works to promote social change, harnessing the collective impact of all San Diegans for long-term sustainable solutions,” said President and CEO Kevin Crawford. “Mr. Burnham and Mr. Northcote are model citizens for their contributions to local communities and dedication to the greater San Diego area.”

The Glenn Napierskie Family and Sharp Grossmont Hospital Medical Staff are the Presenting Sponsors of the 29th Annual Grossmont Hospital Foundation Gala. The event is set for Nov. 8 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina. The Shea Family is the Visionary Sponsor and Champion Sponsors include Barona Band of Mission Indians and San Diego Critical Care Medical Group. Proceeds of the evening are in support of heart and vascular care at Sharp Grossmont Hospital.

HGH – Home of Guiding Hands

The Home of Guiding Hands held its 32nd annual Golf Classic Pro-Am Tournament on Sept. 26 at Sycuan Resort. A total of $50,000 was raised to support the services, training and advocacy for people with developmental disabilities at HGH. Presenting Sponsor was the Bill and Norma Verbeck Foundation. Other sponsors included Kerr Family Foundation, Sycuan Casino, Torrey Pines Bank, Quick Dry Flood Services and San Diego County Credit Union.

The CarMax Foundation has granted $15,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego through The CarMax Foundation’s Regional Giving Program. The Foundation has provided over $50,000 in grants over the past four years.

Casa de Amparo is holding its 16th Annual Crystal Ball on Nov. 1 at the Del Mar Country Club. DEI Holdings, Inc. is being honored for its commitment through DEI’s Forte for Children Foundation which seeks to improve the quality of life for disadvantaged children with an emphasis on music education and therapy. Chairman and CEO Jim Minarik of DEI Holdings is Honorary Chair of the Gala.  Proceeds benefit the programs and services for Casa Kids. The event is underwritten by The Jim and Diane Martin Family in memory of Jim Martin.

Doyles, Vaughns, Chief – San Diego Police Foundation

The San Diego Police Foundation presented the 2014 Gold Shield Gala on Oct. 4 at the Del Mar Country Club. The event chaired by Kathryn & Don Vaughn and Honorary Co-Chairs Lynne & Steve Doyle, raised $133,000 to support the Foundation’s efforts to provide better training and to purchase equipment that is not included in the SDPD budget. Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman addressed the attendees outlining the future goals for the Department. Sponsors included Wells Fargo, Alethea, Bank of America, SDG&E, Anderson Plumbing and Heating and California Bank & Trust.

AT&T Pioneers De Anza Chapter held its annual fashion show on Oct. 11 at Barona Resort and Casino. The event raised $6,000 to benefit Challenged Athletes Foundation’s Operation Rebound, a sports and fitness program for American military personnel, veterans and first responders with permanent physical disabilities. Volunteers from the Operation Rebound program participated as models in the fashion show.

Quantum Design, a San Diego-based technology company is providing in-kind and cash gifts totaling $279,000 to update and modernize lab courses and instructional materials in the department of physics at the University of California, San Diego. “Thanks to the generosity of Quantum Design, a long-term partner of the UC San Diego physics department, we have been able to bring 21st century instruments for materials discovery into a teaching lab designed for our undergraduate students,” said Dimitri Basov, chair of the department of physics.

SD Police – Las Patronas

Las Patronas was honored by the San Diego Police Foundation for providing a grant to purchase two high-grade golf carts for use by the Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol. Sempra/SDG&E was also recognized for its support of the RSVP program. In anticipation of increased number of visitors to Balboa Park during the Centennial, this equipment is important to public safety. The patrol carts for Balboa Park will allow the RSVP Volunteer Patrol to keep watch over the park’s 1,200 acres, ensuring the safety of visitors and security of historic buildings and structures of the Park.

Please send news items to Joyce Glazer at [email protected].