Pam and Aron Schwartz have quietly been one of the most powerhouse duos in San Diego’s food scene for quite a while.
They met in the ’90s at the Culinary Institute of America, and in the nearly three decades since graduation, they’ve worked their way through fine dining kitchens from New York to California. Aron spent almost 15 years at the San Diego Marriott Marquis—eight years as executive chef, where he pioneered a local-food ethos that is rare in national hotel brands (at one point, no chef in San Diego purchased more local farm food than Aron did). Pam is an everythingist. She’s thrown a dinner at the James Beard House, and worked every role in the restaurant world—GM, sommelier, you name it—at big names like Nobu, Sage Restaurant Group, Sur La Table, and Pamplemousse with Jeffrey Strauss.
In 2019, the couple co-founded Ranch 45 with Brandt Beef co-owner Eric Brandt, giving Solana Beach a top-notch butcher and bottle shop. They left the concept in late 2023/early 2024 and launched their own catering and consulting company—APS Hospitality Group. They’d use a commercial kitchen space, and bring Aron’s signature style of hyper-local, farm-to-table dishes into people’s homes and various venues. Over time, that pack-it-in, pack-it-out process started to make them miss the stability of a stationary kitchen and a one-on-one connection with regular guests and consistent employee interaction.
So the duo are opening Blank Slate in Encinitas, a chef-driven private event space slated for this spring.
“We are going to be providing a space that’s going to feel like a home,” says Pam. “You can come in and take that stress out of hosting an event at your house and bring it to us.”
Whether an intimate dinner for six people or reception for 50, Blank Slate will customize the experience from the menu to the linens to lights and flowers—“really create the space to be what you want it to be,” Pam says. They’re still working out the interior design, but the space will fit around 50 people seated with a 12-seat chef’s counter, plus up to 75 people on the patio, and 300 people if they use an outdoor parking lot for large events.
On days without private events, the Schwartzes are planning “community nights,” where they’ll open as a typical restaurant and offer menu items under $30, so a family of four can have dinner for less than $125.
“Amazing wine and beer at great prices,” promises Pam, noting they’ll post a schedule and menu each month. They also plan to eventually launch a supper club membership, which would give members priority bookings for private events, wine dinners, and special events they come up with. But ultimately, the main goal is to provide a fresh canvas for people to completely design a memorable experience—and what better way to accomplish that than with a trusted, skilled life partner, Pam wonders?
“We’re better…” Pam says. “Together,” Aron finishes.
Blank Slate opens spring 2026 at 101 N. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
San Diego’s First Women’s Sports Bar Opening in North Park
For over a year, Kalani Millsaps and Patricia Sebold have been patiently searching for the perfect spot for their ambitious concept—One of Us, which will be San Diego’s first women’s sports bar. The popularity of women’s sports is booming, thanks to superstars like the WNBA’s Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, USA Rugby’s Ilona Maher, and USWNT soccer forward Trinity Rodman, to name just a few. In San Diego, the tide is rising with San Diego Wave (soccer), Mojo (volleyball), and collegiate domination at UCSD, SDSU, and USD.
“It’s time,” says Sebold. “San Diego needs an awesome women’s sports bar, and we’re ready.” In early 2026, they’ll open the doors at 3085 University Avenue, in the space that’s housed URBN Pizza since 2009.
It’s a bittersweet moment in North Park. Obviously, One of Us brings a concept that hasn’t been seen in San Diego (Portland has The Sports Bra and there’s Watch Me! Sports Bar in Long Beach).
But saying goodbye to URBN, a fixture of the community’s pizza scene for 15 years, is a tough pill after months of other sad goodbyes across the San Diego restaurant world. (Editor’s Note: Requests to URBN owner Jon Mangini for comment were not returned by the time of publication.) URBN is Mangini’s offshoot from the success of Basic Bar + Kitchen, which was the spot in East Village for pizza for almost 20 years before being replaced by Far Corner last year.
Millsaps says they hope to open One of Us in time for March Madness, with a full bar and a menu focused on shareable appetizers—and, of course, some pizzas as a hat tip to the space’s legacy.
Beth’s Bites
- San Diego Restaurant Week is rapidly approaching, and with it comes not just the chance to snag some fantastic deals at some of San Diego’s best restaurants, but the opportunity to do some good while you’re at it. Jan 25 through Feb 1, more than 100 restaurants across the county will offer two-course lunches and three-course dinners starting at $30, with a portion of proceeds going to Restaurants Care, the nonprofit fund that provides grants to workers across a myriad of hospitality sectors, from chefs to dishwashers. After the year they’ve had (really, every year since 2020 seems to have sucked), it seems like they need our support more than ever.
- I don’t need my ramen to show up in the Michelin guide for me to slurp it down like a monster, but it sure doesn’t hurt. HiroNori Craft Ramen already has a few locations across California, but is getting ready to open its second spot in San Diego in Sorrento Valley in the next couple of weeks. And after this rainy week, I’m more than ready to get my tonkotsu on.
- Calling all coffee and tea fiends—on Saturday, January 10 from noon to 4 p.m., the North Park Sustainable Market will host a Coffee & Tea Fair at the North Park Mini Park, featuring over 60 vendors and an adopt-a-dog event. It’s literally all the best things ever, rolled into one?
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