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Support Family-Owned Restaurants With SDG&E® This year, the California Restaurant Foundation and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E®) announced the winners of their 2023 Restaurants Care grants, a program meant to support locally owned food service establishments. SDG&E invested $200,000 in shareholders’ dollars toward this program, marking the company’s 3rd year of making this economic […]
Support Family-Owned Restaurants With SDG&E®
This year, the California Restaurant Foundation and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E®) announced the winners of their 2023 Restaurants Care grants, a program meant to support locally owned food service establishments. SDG&E invested $200,000 in shareholders’ dollars toward this program, marking the company’s 3rd year of making this economic recovery fund possible. 70% of winning restaurants are run by women, and 78% by people of color. Funds are meant to keep these local establishments successful by focusing on equipment needs and staff retention.
Get to know two of the resilient small business owners who are keeping their dreams cooking with the Q&A they shared with us upon receiving these grants.
Cocina Del Carmen
Carmen Colon, the owner of Cocina Del Carmen in Vista, is a single mother who immigrated to the US from Oaxaca, Mexico. Carmen has loved sharing delicious meals since she was young, cooking for large church events and parties. By opening her restaurant in May of 2020, she was able to realize her dream of being a restaurant owner and teach her children life skills through her experience. Carmen will be using the grant she received for appliance upgrades which will help her business grow and be more energy and water efficient.
Can you tell us about your background?
I have raised four children, learned to speak English and became a U.S. citizen. Many people don’t realize that Oaxacan people are foodies, and the cuisine is extraordinary. The country is located in an area of rich soil and many different herbs and spices.
What is unique about the cuisine that you serve?
We serve authentic Oaxacan Cuisine from recipes handed down from my grandmother. Our customer base is diverse with one thing in common: they all love good food! We take a lot of pride in serving a high-quality meal along with local craft beers. We make all our food fresh, hence our slogan “Always Fresh, Naturally Healthy”.
What was your experience opening Cocina Del Carmen?
We opened right at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. We had spent a lot of time and money designing and building this beautiful restaurant with such charm and ambiance and at this point in the pandemic, we could only offer takeout since there was a restriction for indoor seating. I had no choice but to keep going and with my children at my side, we have been able to be a successful addition the City of Vista.
What is your favorite dish on the menu?
I get asked that question often and my answer is: anything in the Carmen’s Favorites section of our menu. I love it all, we cook food fresh when it’s ordered, so it is always tasty!
Come visit Cocina Del Carmen at 1350 East Vista Way, Vista, CA 92084 and try one of the amazing Oaxacan dishes from Carmen’s Favorites menu!
Banana Dang
Thanh-Thanh Dang and Mario Jimenez brought the coffee shop dream that began in Puerto Rico here to Oceanside, co-creating Banana Dang. The grant was essential in helping them pay for software and online maintenance as operating costs are high. Honoring the cultural connections and history of bananas and coffee throughout the world, Banana Dang brings people together with a fun surf environment. Thanh-Thanh shares how her coffee and banana obsession has a personal history.
Why Banana Dang?
Coffee is our first love. Bananas are the world’s most perfect fruit. Our intention at Banana Dang is to creatively showcase the bean and the banana in almost all our products—from specialty coffee drinks, smoothies, to signature toast offerings and pastries. We also love surfing, so we made it a goal that all Banana Dang! shops are located near a beach, or close enough to it!
What is the story behind Banana Dang?
Banana Dang was born in Rincon, Puerto Rico, in 2007 before relocating to Oceanside, California. At the original Banana Dang location, we had over 20 banana plants in our backyard. One day, we discovered a coffee plant growing next to a banana plant! Turns out, farmers have researched benefits from growing both on the same land.
Dubbed the “World’s First ALL Banana Smoothie and Specialty Coffee Bar,” our café operated on the island from 2007-2014. After selling the property in Rincon, PR—we returned to our Cali roots and opened the second Banana Dang shop in Oceanside in 2015.
Did you source inspiration from your personal life?
I was born in Saigon, Vietnam—the highest production and biggest exporter of Robusta Coffee Beans in the world! My first taste of coffee was in the motherland where it’s prepared with super dark roast, hot water through a Phin, and served with lots of condensed milk. This was my first introduction to coffee, engrained in my brain forever. Also, Vietnam is a BIG banana producing country. So, you can see where my obsession for bananas and coffee comes from!
Who is your biggest supporter?
My husband, Mario Jimenez. We are both equal partners in life—and in business. We joke and say, I’m DANG. He’s the Banana! He is in charge of all coffee quality control and the entire Barista training program at our shop. I take care of training the banana (smoothie) side of it, and merchandising. No decisions have to go through big obstacles. It just has to be approved by the “banana” and the Dang.
Come visit Banana Dang at 115 South Coast Highway, Oceanside, CA 92054 and try one of their specialty drinks and pastries.
SDG&E Empowers Small Businesses
At San Diego Gas & Electric, our employees feel a strong sense of purpose beyond delivering clean, safe and reliable energy services to the 3.7 million residents in our region. As part of our commitment to the communities we serve, we support a variety of initiatives through shareholder contributions, employee giving programs and volunteerism. We understand that in order for our region to thrive and become more sustainable, it’s important for all of us to do our part to ensure no one is left behind. Through our commitment to advancing regional economic prosperity, we have partnered with the California Restaurant Foundation for over 10 years now.
“With the generosity of San Diego Gas & Electric, the Resilience Fund helped California’s independent restaurant community for a third consecutive year,” said Alycia Harshfield, Executive Director of CRF. “It’s apparent that there is still a significant need for restaurant assistance, as we received 25% more applications this year than last. While these grants will allow local restaurant owners to build more resilient businesses, we also hope to inspire Californians to support their vibrant local restaurant community in any way they can, whether that’s through dining, sharing on social media or spreading the word to friends and family.”
The Restaurants Care® Resilience Fund
The nonprofit California Restaurant Foundation (CRF), which invests in and empowers California restaurants and their workforce, has proudly awarded 184 independent restaurants with $5,000 grants in 2023. This is the third year, CFR has provided these grants as part of its Restaurants Care® Resilience Fund. The $2.1 million fund, supported by multiple utility companies, is the largest to date in terms of overall funding, individual grant sizes and grant utilization. Seventy percent of this year’s grant winners identify as female, and 78% identify as people of color.
Recipients can use the $5,000 assistance for equipment and technology upgrades, unforeseen hardship, employee retention bonuses and employee training, all of which allow California’s independent restaurant owners to invest in the longevity of their business and employees.
Eighteen restaurants received grants in the San Diego and Southern Orange County communities served by SDG&E® .. Since 2021, the Restaurants Care Resilience Fund has awarded grants to 972 independent restaurants throughout California. That’s 972 burger joints, taquerias, bakeries, and more at the heart of our communities.
The Resilience Fund is committed to providing California’s vibrant restaurant community with the financial support needed to build stronger, more resilient businesses that will continue to feed and contribute to their local communities for many years to come. All winners can be found at www.restaurantscare.org/resilience.
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ArtsConnect brings those experiences into view, helping residents discover what they can see, hear and create at UC San Diego while experiencing the campus in a new way.
Ask most people what UC San Diego is known for, and the arts may not be the first answer. Yet this fall, San Diegans can watch Ghostbusters with a live orchestra, try their hand at glassmaking and wander among more than 20 works of public art woven throughout the university’s La Jolla campus.
ArtsConnect brings those experiences into view, helping residents discover what they can see, hear and create at UC San Diego while experiencing the campus in a new way.
“The arts are at the heart of UC San Diego’s student-centered mission and vision,” says Alysson Satterlund, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life. “Whether creating, participating in, or experiencing performances, the arts are essential to a healthy and truly fun Triton student experience.”
That invitation often begins where the arts intersect with other fields.
“Some of the most innovative work and discovery happen where disciplines don’t usually share a stage,” says Cristina Della Coletta, Dean of the UC San Diego School of Arts and Humanities. “So through our unique intersection of the arts with science, technology, and medicine, we are improving lives, physically and emotionally.
Take The Inaudible Ocean, a collaboration between Department of Music Professor Lei Liang and Scripps Institution of Oceanography Assistant Project Scientist Josh Jones. Over eight years, the pair recorded earthquakes, ship noise, whale songs and other sounds in remote underwater locations. They transformed those recordings into a live music experience that allowed audiences to hear the ocean in an entirely new way. The work premiered on campus in May and continues to evolve.
The arts also connect the campus to the global art world and diverse perspectives. Chief Campus Curator Jessica Berlanga Taylor recently curated the Mexico Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale, featuring RojoNegro, the collective formed by Noé Martínez and María Sosa. The collective will unveil a compelling new permanent installation for UC San Diego’s celebrated Stuart Collection later this fall.
ArtPower offers another easy entry point, bringing touring performers to venues including the outdoor Epstein Family Amphitheater and the intimate Loft. The nearly three dozen performances featured through its 2026-2027 season span music, dance, film, theater and conversation.
Among the fall highlights is Ghostbusters in Concert on Sept. 25, pairing the beloved 1984 film with a live performance of Elmer Bernstein’s score. Tickets start at $35, and the amphitheater is located next to the UC San Diego Blue Line trolley station.
“Every member of our community should have access to world-class art, so we work hard to remove the barriers that stand in the way,” says Colleen Kollar Smith, executive artistic director of the Campus Performances and Events Office. “That means affordable ticket prices, and performances, voices and experiences where people see themselves reflected on stage and know they belong.”
The arts at UC San Diego are not only something to watch. The Craft Center offers public classes and workshops in ceramics, jewelry, woodworking, culinary arts and even surfboard shaping. At the new Glass Center, beginners and experienced makers can explore glassmaking through classes, demonstrations and studio experiences.
Whether you want to attend a performance, make something yourself or spend an afternoon exploring public art, there is an easy way in. And the invitation extends well beyond students and alumni.
Kollar Smith says it best: “Visit, participate, spectate or create. You’re invited, and we hope you’ll connect with us soon.”
Explore upcoming experiences at ucsd.edu/artsconnect.
Laika Nur, MD, takes her love of volleyball from the court to the clinic as team physician for the San Diego Mojo
Growing up, Laika Nur, MD, Scripps Clinic sports medicine specialist, loved watching beach volleyball when the Association of Volleyball Professionals tour came to her hometown of Chicago. A talented volleyball player herself, she remembers sitting in the stands all day, and once, even got a couple autographs. Years later, Dr. Nur was attending a professional event focused on women’s sports, and the discussion turned to a new professional women’s volleyball league. The general manager and coaching staff for San Diego’s team, the Mojo, happened to be in attendance, and Dr. Nur took the opportunity to ask them if they needed a team doctor. Flash forward to the Mojo’s inaugural 2024 season, when Dr. Nur officially became the team physician. Click here to read more about Dr. Nur and how she incorporates lessons she learned on the court into her practice.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
How local orthopedic specialists are pioneering the future of foot and ankle care
Your feet and ankles probably aren’t something you give much thought to—until something goes wrong. Orthopedic surgeons at Scripps Clinic are on the leading edge of foot and ankle reconstruction, treating patients with sports injuries, deformities, traumatic injuries and other conditions. That includes repairing torn Achilles tendons with a minimally invasive procedure that shrinks the incision site to less than a centimeter, and performing advanced ankle replacement on some patients with ankle arthritis. Read more about Scripps’ innovations in foot and ankle care here.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
A new program guides new moms through high-risk pregnancy and into the “fourth trimester”
Mai Vue was just 34 weeks pregnant when she delivered her baby. Her pregnancy had been complicated, and she’d had a recent second trimester pregnancy loss, which led to her receiving specialized care from Sean Daneshmand, MD, a Scripps Clinic perinatologist who oversees high-risk pregnancies. Dr. Daneshmand and his team took care of Mai during her pregnancy, through the birth of her healthy baby girl and beyond. Mai was part of a program Scripps launched to provide support to new moms in the weeks and months after delivery. The postpartum program, known as Scripps Health’s Fourth Trimester Continuum of Care, provides care for women with high-risk pregnancies to optimize their health after childbirth and reduce the risk of complications in future pregnancies. Click here to learn more.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
Scripps Clinic’s Mohs surgery center is one of the most sophisticated in the country.
It’s estimated that one in five people in the U.S. will develop skin cancer at some point in their lives. When you factor in living in a sun-soaked city like San Diego and the outdoorsy lifestyle that comes with it, that figure can jump to as high as one in three, which makes early detection and intervention all the more important. Dermatologists at Bighorn Mohs and Dermatology Center are using innovative imaging methods and advanced surgical techniques to diagnose and treat skin cancer. For certain cancers in sensitive spots, like the face, dermatologists perform Mohs surgery, removing skin tissue layer by layer until reaching healthy, cancer-free tissue. They also use a process called immunohistochemistry to view tissue samples taken during Mohs surgery in far greater detail than previous methods. Read more about how Scripps is advancing skin cancer care here.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
Scripps Cancer Center helps an endurance athlete overcome his greatest challenge yet and get back in the race
When endurance athlete Isaac Sanchez learned he had cancer, he felt blindsided. He was healthy, surfed often and was training for an Ironman triathlon. But he had to put that on hold to undergo treatment. His physicians at Scripps Cancer Center developed a plan to treat the cancer in his tonsil and lymph nodes that included six-and-a-half weeks of near-daily radiation and weekly chemotherapy. He also worked with a Scripps Cancer Center dietitian to enhance his nutrition to promote strength and healing. Today, Isaac’s back to doing what he loves. Read more of his story here.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
