Shaking Up Hanukkah Tradition with a New Look at Latkes

While most of the country is busy buying and decorating Christmas trees, putting up lights and anticipating cookie exchanges and yule logs, the Jewish community — at least the Ashkenazi, or Eastern European part of it — will be pulling out their bubbe’srecipe for potato latkes, making applesauce and buying sour cream. But do we have to have the same latkes year after year? And the same accompaniments? Wouldn’t it be nice to add some new flavors and new colors, even new textures?

Tracy Borkum, the owner of the new restaurant Gold Finch Modern Delicatessen, thought so. For this year’s holiday, she brainstormed with chef and partner Tim Kolanko and executive chef Jeff Armstrong and the trio are serving not just the traditional potato pancakes with sour cream and house-made applesauce, but also beet latkes to be served with whipped feta and pistachio gremolata, and kabocha squash latkes with mango chutney and raita. You’ll want to make these versions at home, so read my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Food section to get the recipes! And kudos to photographer Eduardo Contreras for capturing just how beautiful they are. He’s so damned good!

Whimsical WaterSmart Garden Makeover in Carlsbad

Cathy and Mike Godfrey’s new front yard landscape project was not their first rodeo. The couple bought their Carlsbad house in August 1997 and are avid gardeners and DIYers. When the time came to refresh the yard again, the couple wanted to create a waterwise landscape to reduce maintenance yet still have an interesting curb appeal. But this time, the couple made the decision to hire professionals. The homework they did during that time, their collaboration with Claudia Kuepper of Gardenscapes by Claudia, and the heavy lifting by the crew of DB Landscape earned them the 2022 WaterSmart Landscape Contest award for the Olivenhain Municipal Water District, for which they received a $250 check. The garden’s theme is succulents and arid plants — the more Dr. Seusslike, the better. Read more about this award-winning garden and take a look at the gorgeous photos shot by photographer Eduardo Contreras in my new Home & Garden story for The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Creating New Holiday Traditions with Fall/Winter Vegetables

Every family has their established traditions for holiday foods: the ham, the mashed potatoes, the sweet potato pie, the latkes. On the other hand, every generation should have the opportunity to make their mark in some way, to create a fresh new dish for the table — one that, if it’s a hit, becomes a new tradition.

My new story for the San Diego Union-Tribune's food section features three very different concepts from Arlo chef Josh Muzakes around fall vegetables that should inspire a few new traditions.

1970s Split-Level Home Reconfigured for Modern Living

In this new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune real estate magazine Hot Property Estates, I featured the work of Julie Smith of Jula Cole Design, who who recently completed a remarkable makeover of a Del Cerro house that had had all the now cringy components of the 70’s, including orange shag carpeting and shiny floral wallpaper—not to mention warrens of dark, tiny rooms connected by mazes of hallways. For this young couple, both of whom are doctors, she created a sleek, yet warm home that’s been totally reconfigured to open up rooms and bring in light. The imagination and vision that both the couple and Smith had to recognize the potential of that house makes the results all the more inspirational.

2022 WaterSmart Winner Coverage Begins

I’m back to reporting on the winners of the various San Diego County water authorities’ 2022 WaterSmart Landscape Contests. I love that there are individuals across the county who are committed to turning water glugging lawns into creative, colorful, drought-tolerant gardens—and that they are recognized for their efforts and successes.

My first story in this series focuses on Denee and Bryan Felber of Chula Vista, who won the 2022 WaterSmart Landscape Contest for the Otay Water District. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out their beautiful front yard, which includes statice, lavender, two types of lantana, Myrtle leaf milkwort, and a very cool senna shrub. There’s a dry river rock bed that helps direct rain runoff to the plants instead of into the street. And they even had room for a small “lawn” of drought-tolerant dymondia by the front entrance. The garden is filled with reds, yellows, purple, and green, so if you think drought-tolerant plants mean monotony in the garden, you’re very wrong.

First Place Award in Architecture and Design Writing

Last night at the annual San Diego Press Club’s Excellence in Journalism Awards, I received a plaque for first place in Architecture and Design writing in the Online and Daily Newspaper category for my March 26, 2022 story, “Mid-century makeover: Couple preserves past, embraces future of La Jolla Shores duplex,” which appeared in The San Diego Union-Tribune’s real estate magazine, Hot Property Estates.

I also earned awards for my UT story on the late chef, Anthony Sinsay: “Beloved San Diego chef’s passion for heritage lives on,” and another UT story, “Clean eating recipes help sustain a life — and renew a passion for food,” on local cookbook writer Rachel Riggs.

Back in 2017, I had earned several first-place awards, including “Best in Show” for my food blog San Diego Foodstuff. With that award I figured I’d hit the pinnacle of local journalism awards and decided to take a hiatus. This was my return to the JAwards, mostly because I felt passionate about my piece about Anthony and wanted to honor his memory one more time. And, well, you can’t enter just one, right? So, I entered two more and won awards for all. It was nice to be back.