Meet Mariana Cardenas. She owns The Balboa South in Chula Vista. And the story of why she owns it is all the proof you need that humans are good. The Balboa was a must-stop on our Stone Delicious IPA Tour with Stone Brewing, highlighting the restaurants, people, and dishes that shape San Diego.
Mariana was a janitor for the Navy in Chula Vista. Worked her way into the kitchen. Thrived there for 16 years. Even became executive chef of the region. Mid-pandemic, she left and took a job at The Balboa South. After four months, the owner called her into his office. He asked her if she wanted The Balboa. “Of course I like working here,” she replied. Did she want to OWN it, he said. “Sure,” she laughed. “But I can’t afford that, I’m on government assistance.”
He gave her The Balboa. Flat out gave it to her. She treated the place as she would her own. She was someone to believe in. Mariana went home and told her five kids the news. Then she called the government assistance programs and informed them the Cardenas family no longer needed help.
Mariana has done right by The Balboa. Its burgers are as leviathan as ever. Doesn’t matter if you’re not the type to take photos of your food. You’re gonna take a photo.
Burgers this massive deserve companions that can measure up. And Stone Delicious IPA fits the bill. This is a big beer that doesn’t drink like one. Delicious IPA’s lemony, refreshing notes provide contrast with the intense savoriness of a pastrami-topped burger, so it cleanses your palate just a tad in between bites.
Stone Brewing created the ultimate food pairing beer (man, Stone Delicious IPA is really, really good) and asked us to use it to highlight some of our favorite local restaurants. The mighty moms and pops. Yes, we’d love to do that, we said.
Today, Troy Johnson celebrates the art of grandma’s lasagna at Mediterraneo in Alpine. Grandma Anna, specifically. Brought with her from Sicily, and now three generations of her family have honored that recipe. It’s got that pillowy, herby ricotta. The tangy sauce. Al dente noodle sheets. Cheese that’s a good inch thick, Dalmatian-spotted from the oven. Crispy-crackly edges. Curled shards of basil on top.
Mediterraneo is up near the treeline of San Diego. Great for a stop after a hike. At the front of the house you’ll see Gian Paolo Croce, grandson. A master of hospitality. In the kitchen: Enzo, his dad. Smile on. Glasses askew.
And here’s why Stone Brewing’s Delicious IPA works with Grandma Anna’s lasagna: it has subtle citrus notes, which are perfect for grainy foods like pasta. The herbal hops are like another great herb in the tomato sauce.
This super-sippable IPA is on tap at Mediterraneo and in restaurants across San Diego.
We’ll visit another one in our next stop on the Delicious Tour: an unfairly photogenic burger at Balboa South.
Meet Scott Yeng. One of our favorite San Diego success stories. He and his brothers own The Holding Company in Ocean Beach, a beloved restaurant and bar with a view that’s straight off a postcard. It’s an always-packed watering hole after dark, where the vibes are good and the drinks are strong. A mecca for brunch and for live music. And one of the stops on our Stone Delicious IPA tour, celebrating San Diego restaurants and the people behind them.
Scott invited us behind the curtain, into THC’s kitchen. Here he cooks intuitively, from the heart, stirring together flavors from his past. As a child, his family escaped war-torn Cambodia; after a series of refugee camps, they landed in California and put down roots in Ocean Beach. Scott’s culinary style–an effortless improvisation, a patchwork of cuisines–comes from watching his mom in the kitchen. She’d scrape together any ingredients she could find and somehow create a masterpiece.
Scott carries this ethos with him: he’s known to show up with comically obscure ingredients for his team of culinary talents to experiment with. Sometimes their creations end up on the menu, which Scott describes as a true fusion. Not strictly Cambodian food, not just Chinese—there’s a sprinkling of Thai in there, too, and a pinch of Vietnamese. His mom’s recipes inspired many of the dishes. Like this Sizzling Beef. It’s marinated in secrets. Seared in a fiery wok. Plated with pride on a skillet, alongside caramelized onions, rice, and a lime-garlic-pepper sauce.
Stone Brewing created their Stone Delicious IPA to pair perfectly with dishes like these. Sweet specialty malts and citrus-forward hops, designed to sing alongside spicy foods. A sippable, smooth beer, best enjoyed with good company, great food, and an ocean breeze.
Welp, they did it. The brewers at Stone Brewing have spent a couple decades trying to create the ultimate food-pairing beer, and Stone Delicious IPA is it. They used citrusy hops (like a squeeze of lime or lemon in pho), and sweet specialty malts that play well with spicy foods. To celebrate, We’re taking Delicious on the road to shine a light on some of the dishes and people we love. This month’s spotlight: the primavera pizza at Amalfi Cucina Italiana from six-time World Pizza Champion, chef Marcello Avitabile, in San Marcos. Flour imported from Naples, San Marzano tomato sauce, marinated zucchini and eggplant, decadent buffalo mozzarella, EVOO, fresh basil—baked, blistered, melted, and burbled in his angry-hot Stefano Ferrara oven (that’s one famous oven). A total veggie dreamboat that pairs beautifully with Delicious IPA.
The brewers at Stone have spent a few decades trying to brew beer that pairs perfectly with food. And, unless our mouths broke at some point, we think they did it. Stone Delicious IPA has citrusy hops (like a squeeze of lime or lemon on your tacos), and sweet specialty malts that sing with spicy foods. It’s the ideal dance partner for whatever you’re eating. Like, say, this birria flatbread Stone’s chefs came up with—chewy-fluffy browned bread, béchamel sauce, slow-cooked beef birria, melted mozzarella, pickled red onion, sliced jalapeños, chile de árbol salsa, sprinkled with Cotija cheese. Try them together at either of the national beer parks they call Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens (Escondido and Liberty Station).
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Studio S
SEPTEMBER 9, 2026
Meet ArtsConnect, UC San Diego’s Invitation to SoCal Arts Lovers
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.
Courtesy of UC San Diego | Photo Cred: Erik Jensen
“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.”
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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