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Communion: A Rooftop Revelation in SD’s Dining Evolution

Industry veteran Jacquee Renna Downing turns a dream into a sky-high reality with Communion and Paradis

By Jackie Bryant February 13, 2025

Communion: A Rooftop Revelation in SD’s Dining Evolution — Courtesy of Communion

NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDES Know the Neighborhood Where to eat, where to drink, and what it's like to live there. EXPLORE THE GUIDES

On this episode of Happy Half Hour, co-hosts Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant pull-up a chair with Jacquee Renna Downing, the industry veteran behind the just-opened Communion, a rooftop oasis in Mission Hills, and its charming downstairs café, Paradis. Downing’s got serious culinary cred—from running the legendary Pacifica Del Mar to making bold moves in the desert restaurant scene before bringing her vision back to San Diego.

She spills on building a powerhouse kitchen crew, infusing the menu with global flavors, and the joys (and occasional hauntings) of creating a space that’s already buzzing. Communion is sun-drenched, pastel-hued, and primed for sunset cocktails—but at its core, it’s Downing’s love letter to San Diego’s ever-evolving dining landscape.

About Jackie Bryant

Jackie is a long-time freelance journalist covering cannabis, food/restaurants, travel, labor, wine, spirits, arts & culture, design, and other topics. Her work has been selected twice for Best American Travel Writing, and she has won a variety of national and local awards for her writing and reporting.

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