Epic Gardening Kevin Espiritu Tastemaker

Courtesy of Epic Gardening

Kevin Espiritu has never been one for convention. To pay for college, he didn’t rely on scholarships or his parents to foot the bill: instead, he played online poker and used the winnings to finance his education. Post-college, when Espiritu had graduated from playing online poker to playing video games with his brother, he felt the need to challenge himself to come up with a hobby that would take him and his brother outside and away from their screens. That challenge turned out to be gardening.“I grew up in San Diego in the Rancho Penasquitos area. I really did not grow up gardening, so it took until I was in my early twenties to start growing my first plant,” he says.

Tomato Garden Epic Gardening Kevin Espiritu Products

Courtesy of Epic Gardening

What began as a hobby has now blossomed into Epic Gardening, a one-stop-shop for growing guides and products—whether you’re looking for advice on propagating orchids or you want to learn how to plant pecan trees. And when you need to buy gardening supplies, Epic’s online store has just about everything you’d need to become a master gardener. Their bestsellers include the product that started it all: a galvanized raised garden bed. “I had featured [it] in some of my content, and everyone wanted to know where to get it. I decided, instead of telling you, why don’t I just offer it to you since no one seems to know how to get it. That’s how it started,” Espiritu says.Epic Gardening also sells seed trays, grow lights, planters, and 650 different varieties of vegetable, herb, and flower seeds. With nearly 2.5 million YouTube subscribers, 955k Instagram followers, 2.7 million TikTok followers, 673k Facebook followers, and 81k Pinterest followers, Epic Gardening’s social media presence has blossomed into influencer status.We asked Espiritu for his favorite must-have products that he can’t live without, whether in the garden or everyday life. Here are his current faves:

OluKai ‘Ohana Men’s Beach Sandals Epic Gardening Kevin Espiritu Products

Courtesy of OluKai

OluKai ‘Ohana Men’s Beach Sandals 

$75

“I’m a flip flops guy, despite my best efforts to move to more sophisticated shoes,” he says. “[These are] easy to toss on in the garden and I like a more rugged style because I beat mine up like crazy.” 

Gozney Dome Outdoor Pizza Oven Epic Gardening Kevin Espiritu Products

Courtesy of Gozney

Gozney Dome Outdoor Pizza Oven 

$1,999

“Completely changed my cooking game. I make fresh sourdough pizza and roasted garden-fresh potatoes and veggies in this a couple times a week in the summer. Great for parties, too!”

Felco Hawkbill Knife Epic Gardening Kevin Espiritu Products

Courtesy of Felco

Felco Hawkbill Knife 

from $24

“The hawkbill style knife blade makes pruning really easy, with a pulling motion towards the body. [It] makes short work of my tomato and veggie pruning tasks, along with harvesting greens, etc.”

Birdies Garden Products raised Garden Bed Epic Gardening Kevin Espiritu Products

Courtesy of Epic Gardening

Birdies Garden Products Raised Garden Beds

from $99

“The original metal raised bed from Australia, loved by hundreds of thousands of gardeners around the world and proudly carried by us here at Epic Gardening. Aside from the gardening use case, it’s my favorite product of all time because it made Epic Gardening what it is today. Very grateful!”
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The post If You Grow It, They Will Follow appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Blonde Abroad Kiki Rich

Courtesy of The Blonde Abroad

Kiersten “Kiki” Rich, also known by her travel influencer alias, “The Blonde Abroad,” relates with her cadre of Instagram followers (513K to be exact-ish) by sharing her own life story.“You can travel alone,” she says, empowering other women to take flight and follow their wanderlust—even if it means letting go of their current status quo.

5 Must-Have Travel Accessories

Blonde Abroad Kiki Rich Fujifilm X-T4

FujiFilm X-T4  

This camera is Kiki’s preferred extra pair of eyes, but “I have a lot of resources on my blog [to help you] find the perfect camera,” she says. This digital Fujifilm lets you point and shoot like a pro with motion stabilization and face recognition for video and stills. Prices vary

Calapak Packing Cubes Kiki Rich

Calapak Packing Cubes  

“I like that CalPak has usable sizes and shapes,” Kiki says. This five-piece set with 17 different color options offers breathable mesh and organizing labels to make packing (and unpacking) a breeze. $68

Monos CarryOn Pro Plus Kiki Rich

Monos Carry-On Pro Plus  

This chic spinner with a sturdy shell offers a TSA-approved lock and a place to slip a laptop up to 15 inches. Kiki emphasizes that “lightweight, high-quality luggage [is] worth a splurge.” $315

Lo & Sons Clairemont Bag Kiki Rich

Lo & Sons Claremont Bag 

Kiki recommends this “stylish purse that also fits a camera.” Start your own influencing empire with the right gear to stash your DSLR (or your passport) in a flash. $220

TRTL Travel Pillow Kiki Rich

TRTL Travel Pillow  

According to travel brand TRTL, this scarf-style pillow is “scientifically proven” to prevent stiff necks and sore shoulders. Kiki loves it for long flights because it’s comfortable, packs down well, and is easy to wash. $50
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The post Influencer Blonde Abroad’s 5 Must-Have Travel Accessories appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

veronica-hernandez-sdm-0323.jpg

Courtesy of Verónica Hernández

The creative eye behind Object, “an intercultural platform that promotes Mexican design,” Verónica Hernández has a style that draws a connection between spirituality, functionality, and comfort. As the owner of a Tijuana-based, brick-and-mortar-slash-online store carrying styles from Mexican designers, Hernández doesn’t sell anything of which she’s not personally a fan.

“I’m anti-classic brands,” Hernández says, opening up about her aesthetics, adding, “I look for smaller brands that the entire world doesn’t know about.” She also hosts Mexico Curated, a series of guided cultural tours in Baja California, meaning that whatever she puts on her own back should also be comfortable and elevated enough for bigger crowds and varied energies.

This philosophy lives on at Object—a space shared with Hernández’s second business, a boutique real estate firm called 9 Lamat—and in her wardrobe, as well. When she finds a good item, like, say, her favorite perfume made in Mexico, she sticks to it for the long run since she’s tried it and is “100 percent convinced” by it.

“If I find something I like, chances are I won’t change it. These are things I use every day that make me feel good,” Hernández says.

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Journeying Inward

Inward, by Yung Pueblo, is a book Hernández carries around, especially when traveling from Ensenada to Tijuana. The book, which has “existential themes,” was given to Hernández by a friend. She likes to pick a random page and see what message the book has for her that day. From $15.80.

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Unisex Scents

For All Folks—a Mexican brand carried at Hernández’s shop—makes a unisex perfume stick with 100 percent essential oils that can be shared by couples. She frequently re-stocks in-store and at home because its essences, aside from being aromatic, have healing properties that give good energy. “It smells good and it makes you feel good,” she says. From $43.

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Slot Anywhere

A piece of furniture she calls “thin, versatile, and special,” the 3-Level Platform by La Metropolitana is adjustable and can be used to store everything from dishware to books, advises Hernández. She thinks it’s a good investment piece that can easily be moved from room to room if you’re feeling creative. From $928.

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The Ultimate Staple

During a sourcing trip to San Francisco in search of items to add to her store, Hernández discovered UZI NYC, a clothing brand selling mainly oversized tunic dresses. The “star product” of the brand, as she calls it, is the versatile black Box Dress—she has three. $143.

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Keeping it Local

A Tijuana-based artist and friend of Hernández’s, Jaime Ruiz Otis painted “Atrás del Cerro Azul,” an abstract piece in which he explores his personal life. Hernández made Otis’s work the first painting she ever bought. “I fell in love with the painting when I saw it. I even took it to Italy when I lived there,” she says. Contact for pricing.

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A Hat for All Seasons

“I’m always wearing the same hat,” Hernández shares about her Jipi-Japa Ko Hat by Lordag Song. Another item she carries in store, this made-to-order, hand-woven hat has withstood the test of time thanks to its flexible, artisanal fibers that can be molded to fit anyone, even years later. From $115.

The post Local Boutique Owner Shares Her Current Must-Haves appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Andrew Ütt, ICA Director

Andrew Ütt, executive director of the Institute of Contemporary Art of San Diego (ICA), formerly the LUX Art Institute, is a rare breed in the visual art world.

Though intensely passionate and loquacious regarding the finer points of curation, Ütt eschews pretense. He’s approachable, affable, and, most importantly, he gets it: Art can be hard—especially in a city where tan lines can act as social currency and sandy feet are kudos to a day well spent.

Can the likes of Baldessari really compete with the beach? Ütt is optimistic but aware of the cultural challenges.

His calling card as a curator is his proclivity for studio visits with artists, which have clocked him hundreds—if not thousands—of hours interviewing makers and getting to the core of their visions.

“I think something we’re missing in San Diego that has a huge potential is to just surround ourselves with art,” he says. “We’re getting there.” Through his guidance, ICA’s dual locations in Balboa Park and Encinitas offer that chance to be surrounded: Both locations feature art classes and exhibitions from artists-in-residence.

“I think if San Diego wants to be an arts destination, and wants to be known as such, we need to be thinking as a global city and not as a local city,” he says.

A prodigal San Diego son himself, Ütt returned to the city after a post-art school stint in San Francisco and years abroad in Europe and South America. These travels, combined with his 20-years of experience in curation and arts organization, make Ütt seem like the most likely candidate to take our city to that lauded echelon. Tinged with altruistic ambition, he admits, “It’s my responsibility to bring in artists that are doing interesting things.”

Ütt hopes that with ICA’s broad reach throughout the county he can make art accessible, informative, and, yes, challenging. “I’m a true believer that if someone doesn’t like art, then it’s working,” he says, “and that’s a good thing because then they start to be more aware and cognizant of the things around them and the ideas that are being presented.”

He’s not asking you to give up the beach, just to give art a chance, too.

Lose yourself in the layered pattern paintings of artist Taylor Chapin, taylorchapin.com.

Woodland creatures laze in the center of these ceramic bowls overlayed with blown-up florals, jongeriuslab.com.

Liven up your living space with ceramic tube-and-glass tables finished with swirling post-modern pastels, hyunuko.com $7,200.

Lounge in artist Chris Wolston’s conceptual, anatomical nod to non- Western art-making, chriswolston.com.

Tikal green marble half-spheres conjoin to make this striking living room centerpiece, thefutureperfect.com $32,000.

Reflect on yourself in these languid mirror shapes, bower-studios.com $4,500.

Keep track with this surrealism-meets-animation timepiece, woodyothello.com.

Artist Darren Romanelli (DRX) upcycles camo for oversized, sustainable comfort, friedmanbenda.com $25,000.

The post Redefining San Diego’s Cultural Palate appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Cozy living room designed by Larraine; the one-of-a-kind vintage coconut coffee table is from Klassik in Little Italy, klassikdesign.com contact for pricing.

After an impromptu pull of a Lucifer card from a nontraditional tarot deck, holistic interior designer Rachel Larraine says, “Every time I get that card I’m always like, ‘What am I going to get tempted to do?’”It’s a fitting question for someone whose life’s work is concerned with harnessing human desire. Larraine, who describes her style as “eclectic with a touch of seduction,” found her way to a conventional design career through unconventional practices. After all, it’s not like there’s a blueprint for building what she calls a “holistic” interior design business.Following the cancellation of a large-scale resort project she had been co-designing, she muses, “I had an opportunity to jump out on my own, so I did it.” 

Holistic interior designer Rachel Larraine

Credit: Studio Luniste

Doing things her way meant getting certified in Feng Shui and becoming a Reiki master. “I was sort of torn between these worlds of spirituality and interior design,” she says. Suddenly, the obvious became apparent: she’d do both.Spirituality has always been part of Larraine’s milieu. “I remember buying my first amethyst when I was 10 at the Oktoberfest in La Mesa,” she reminisces, adding that her spirituality started “coming even more alive” after her oldest son’s birth in 2010. Providing more than just aesthetics, Larraine offers a curated array of design services, which includes kitchen remodels and energy healing sessions—she’ll even lay a crystal grid in the foundation of your home.All of these practices blur the lines between the material, emotional, and metaphysical. Describing her design ethos, she says, “For me, it’s about creating a space with someone’s spirit and mind and body—all encompassing.” 

This spiked tea collab from SD makers Geoff Longnecker, of Seven Cave Spirits, and Paru Tea owner, Amy Truong, blends jasmine with white rum to create a soothing, local libation, the7caves.com $30.

Industrial gear juxtapose with organic elements, like colored blown glass, in this fun fixture, linseyadelman.com $9,500.

Abstract design and textural techniques coalesce in this Norwegian ex-pat’s “intuitive painting,” ellovaas.com $8,600.

Self-care in 37 cards, a deck created to realign our psyche with all things somatic, serpentfire.ca coming soon to Kickstarter.

Using felled trees, locals Jess and Dan use their mix of holistic training and a UCLA art degree to shape unique pieces from our regional wood, sdurbantimber.com. Contact for pricing.

Postmodern plush and midcentury structure align in this oversized Sandra Jordan Alpaca seater, atraform.com from $12,477.

This eco-friendly lip oil is encased in hand-blown glass from global artisans, kindredblack.com $98.

The post The Art of Holistic Design appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Designer, builder and DIY pro Mariah Hoffman outside her 156-square-foot home in Lemon Grove

Stacy Keck

OCCUPATION: Designer, Maker, Tiny House Coach

AGE: 31

NEIGHBORHOOD: Lemon Grove

Mariah Hoffman sees in blueprint. The self-taught designer, builder, and DIY pro has ever since she was a kid, when she sketched out the plans of her home on a whim after discovering a crack in the wall that let her see through to another room. It got her thinking small, about how every square inch of a structure matters, how the “big reveal” is actually thousands of tiny, crucial details.

It also explains where she’s living now: a house in Lemon Grove that she put the finishing touches on in late 2020. The average one-car garage is 200 square feet. Her home is 156.

“Without any actual blueprints,” Hoffman laughs. “Which I don’t recommend.”

She started back in 2016 after becoming fascinated with a tiny home she’d come across in Northern California. The owner had built it herself, and allowed Hoffman a look inside. Architecture had piqued Hoffman’s interest at that point, but she was stuck in a creative rut and unsure of her next steps. “That’s when it all clicked,” she says. “I wanted that tangible, hands-on experience to see how it all came together.”

Building her home—a grueling, emotional, five-year effort that landed her in Dwell—inspired her current work, coaching others interested in building their own tiny homes or small ADUs (accessory dwelling units). She teaches one-hour mini-sessions and six-week courses, walking aspiring microtects through the whys and hows of shaping inches until they become a functional place to live. She refers to it as a journey back to one’s self.

“It’s a really liberating, transformative process, uncovering the significance of ‘home’ and a person’s relationship to their space,” she says.

Safety, agency, intentional minimalism—they’re the grounding forces behind Hoffman’s approach to design. Within the tiny house movement, these principles speak to a bigger conversation about representation and accessibility that Hoffman hopes to expand on in her own work, through other builders of color, and makers in general.

Mariah Hoffman – at work

Julie Blair

“Creatively, I want to continue to push the boundaries of how we think about housing and sustainability and accessibility,” she says. “It starts with understanding those worlds and these materials and how they come together.”

Hoffman extends that perspective to the rest of her creative work—making mod-inspired jewelry from acrylic waste, dabbling in watercolor, and building functional furniture. In February, she relaunched her Cubica table, a modular wooden piece that can be used as a portable coffee table at home, for picnics, or on a weekend camping trip.

Back home, the work is never truly finished. She has mental blueprints for a rooftop deck, and wants to build out the front porch beyond the nuts-and-bolts foundation she currently has in place. For now, she’s content to explore the unique nooks that have naturally formed in her space, like the multipurpose desk beside her bed where she can read, work, and soak up the mindful solitude in a home made by hand.

@micro.modula

The post How Mariah Hoffman Built Her Dream Tiny Home by Hand in Lemon Grove appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Samantha Welker

Merrill Melideo

AGE: 33

NEIGHBORHOOD: La Mesa

Business manager for the lifestyle blog Glitter Guide, and host of Pretty Okay Podcast

Just because Welker holds an MBA from Harvard Business School doesn’t mean you should typecast her as preppy. She rebels against anything trendy. “It’s probably the little punk kid deep inside of me,” she says, clarifying that her style skews more “crustpunk Marie Antoinette. I have two very furry dogs and one very messy child, so I embrace color and texture wholeheartedly.” And like many of us nowadays, Welker also works from home—but she never sacrifices rituals that make her feel good inside and out. “I get dressed every single day, no matter if I’m leaving the house. I put on an outfit that makes me feel comfortable, yet ready for the day, and I never skip my morning skin care routine.” These are a few of her favorite things to color you inspired!

The post 8 Items that Glitter Guide’s Samantha Welker Can’t Live Without appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

There’s love, and then there’s I-trust-you-so-much-let’s-open-a-business-together love. Juerie and Paul Masters understand this all too well; their love for wine is unmatched except by their love for each other. Clos, their University Heights business, was our pick for San Diego’s Best Natural Wine Shop last year. Both of them honed their palates in New York City—Juerie as a wine distributor, Paul as a bartender turned beverage program manager—and he says “it all just flowed from there.”

He jests that he and Juerie are much like a pét-nat: “old-fashioned, but fun.” They don’t take themselves too seriously. In their own home, they prefer “minimal clutter, minimal fuss” to let their artwork sing instead. Here, the aficionados share a few of their favorite (and local!) things to inspire your Valentine’s Day gifting.

Tastemaker The Masters / Fornasetti Metafisica candle

Fornasetti Metafisica candle

“How beautiful are these Fornasetti candles? The quality of both the artwork and the scents is outstanding. It’s a candle whose container is a piece of artwork you can keep forever. We have one in the shop and one at home.” $215, Love & Aesthetics, Little Italy

Tastemaker The Masters / Negroni tumbler glass

Negroni tumbler glass

“The folks at Collins & Coupe have a brilliant selection of glassware and everything else you need for drinks at home as well as professional bartending. These understated and timeless Negroni glasses are a favorite.” $6, Collins & Coupe, North Park

Tastemaker The Masters / The Tinned Fish Cookbook

The Tinned Fish Cookbook by Bart van Olphen

“Bart is a Dutch fish guru who worked in Michelin-starred kitchens in Paris and left to follow his passion for all things fish. After realizing a lot of the fish that we consume aren’t from small fishery communities but from ‘factories on the water,’ he made it his goal to look for fisheries that obtain the best fish while taking care of nature and the environment at the same time.” $17, Clos Wine Shop, University Heights

Tastemaker The Masters / Campestremag

Campestremag

“Campestremag is a twice-yearly indie publication that focuses on wine in San Diego and Baja. They love the same wines we do—wines made by small producers using evidentially sustainable farming practices, no additives, quirky grapes, native yeast, and spontaneous fermentation. These wines are better to drink and better for the environment.” $15, Home Ec, Little Italy

Tastemaker The Masters / Quadrum boxed wine

Quadrum red blend boxed wine

“There was a time when only bad wine came in boxes, but those days are thankfully gone. We have boxes and pouches that are ideal for outdoor life or just to keep at home in the fridge—they can last up to two weeks.” $27, Clos Wine Shop, University Heights

Tastemaker The Masters / Isosteel bottle

Isosteel bottle

“This is a must for living in San Diego! We have an Isosteel one-liter vacuum bottle. Each end detaches to become a cup and it keeps wine cold for hours while we’re lolling around in the park. In fact, this prompted us to sell them at the shop for all our friends that buy wine on the way to Trolley Barn Park!” $48, amazon.com

Tastemaker The Masters

The post Local Tastemakers Put Together Your Go-To Valentine’s Day Gift Guide appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Make it bold, but be a minimalist about it. That’s the personal and professional modus operandi of Jessica Ballerstein. “I have always been into fine art, and the way something can be so simple yet make such a statement. That’s how I’ve approached my photography: minimal to noise in the background while having the emotion, person, prop be the bold statement; humbled by the constant reminder of what really matters in life.” She grew up in Queens, New York, and attended college in Boston before heading to San Diego. Here she’s grown her passion into a profession, with a sustainability-first fashion philosophy and a lifestyle grounded in serenity. These are a few of the things that bring her tranquility.

Tastemaker Jessica Ballerstein / Canon EOS 6D

Canon EOS 6D

“For those looking to turn their photography hobby into a profession, I highly recommend this camera for its great full frame. Get it with a 30 millimeter lens.”

$1,399

Tastemaker Jessica Ballerstein / Lakshmi Fragrance Oil

Lakshmi Fragrance Oil

“The Goddess Line has the best essential oil fragrances. The scents are heavenly and they stay on. Plus, they’re roll-ons, which makes them easy to carry around.”

$35

Tastemaker Jessica Ballerstein / Solange Earrings

Solange Earrings

“Thread Spun is a go-to for all of my sustainable lifestyle needs. They have the dopest home goods, earthy outfits, and accessories. Consider these earrings I recently picked up.”

$32, Thread Spun (Encinitas)

Tastemaker Jessica Ballerstein / Passion Planner

Passion Planner

“Despite an eventful 2020, I was still able to crush goals I had for the year with my passion planner from Pigment.”

$30, Pigment (Liberty Station, North Park, One Paseo)

Tastemaker Jessica Ballerstein / The Alchemist

The Alchemist

“Verbatim has the best used book collection I’ve ever encountered. It’s my favorite bookshop in San Diego. Take a look for yourself and, if it’s on hand, purchase The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It’s so inspiring.”

Price upon request, Verbatim (North Park)

Tastemaker Jessica Ballerstein / Palo Santo

Palo Santo

“I have a little meditation space with all of my favorite things—plants, sage, palo santo, oracle cards. I love palo santo, and I get them at Sommeil Boutique, located in Sleep Bedder. They have a lot of natural products, as well as oils, smudge sticks, and stones.”

$3 per stick, Sommeil Boutique (North Park)

Tastemaker Jessica Ballerstein / Theragun

Theragun

“This has been a huge help in my workout recovery. I have lots of muscle tension, so Therabody’s Theragun Elite helps me continue being active.”

$399

Tastemaker Jessica Ballerstein / Lume Deodorant

Lume Deodorant

“I’ve used natural deodorant before and none of them are as effective as Lume. It’s also baking soda free for those with sensitive skin.”

$14

Tastemaker Jessica Ballerstein / Feature

The post Shop Like a Tastemaker With Local Photographer Jessica Ballerstein appeared first on San Diego Magazine.