Yeah, I Did it Again...

Yep, I wrote a second story about the new Botanical Building, but this time for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Home & Garden section. For this piece I wanted locals to get a sense of the future and how designer Nan Sterman went about selecting plants and placing them. New gardens can feel, well, new. So you have to use your imagination when you view one to understand what it will look like as it’s maturing. But, even now it’s really cool and works so well with the rebuilt building. Be sure to be one of the people who take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a 100-year garden in year one!

Unusual Meats for Summer Grilling

Feel like you’re in a grilling rut as summer approaches? Chef Dante Romero of The Lion’s Share has an antidote for your beef/pork/chicken/fish ennui: game meats like elk and venison. The restaurant is known for its focus on out of the ordinary meats an in my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Food section. I have his recipes for bone-in elk chops in a gorgeous barbados marinade and delectable venison sliders with garlic aioli and butter onions on a brioche buns. You have to make these for 4th of July!

What it Takes to Revitalize a Legend

Sometimes, if you’re lucky and prepared, serendipity comes calling in a career. For San Diego horticulturist and landscape designer Nan Sterman, serendipity arrived in 2022 when she was asked to create a plant list for the first phase of the soon-to-be transformed Botanical Building in Balboa Park. Unlike projects for her residential clients, where a plant list is a part of a full design and installation, this plant list was the sum of the assignment. Until it wasn’t.

You can read about how Sterman became the project’s designer—truly the project of a career—and how she approached the project in my story in the new edition of Pacific Horticulture. It’s an amazing tale. And you can see photos of the transition into a magnificent Botanical Garden for our times.

Strawberries!!!

Strawberries! Strawberries! Strawberries! Is this your favorite fruit? It’s one of mine. Obviously, for the flavor, but also because it is so connected to spring and our transition from heavy winter foods. In San Diego County, Carlsbad is strawberry central and during peak strawberry season you owe it to yourself to do more than eat them by the handful or slice them into cereal. So, I met Russ Bruhn of Carlsbad Gourmet and the Strawberry Shack to learn some cool ways to feature strawberries in pies and sauces. The result is you’re getting recipes for a strawberry pie, strawberry-key lime pie, and his sweet and savory roasted strawberry chipotle sauce—which he served me with a pork loin. Check out my new story in The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Food section for the recipes—and gorgeous photos by photographer K.C. Alfred.

Hue-Phoria Triumphs Over Neutrality

Too many people shun glorious technicolor in their homes in favor of neutrals. Neutrals have their place, of course, but the world is filled with color so why wouldn’t you embrace it in your living space? World traveller William Beyer took the latter approach for his Encinitas home and brought in interior designer Carmen Coutts of Tracy Lynn Studio. She created a marvel of color, pattern and texture for the first floor of Beyer’s Spanish-Mediterranean style home, incorporating his many art pieces with their shared vision of eye-popping decor. It’s fun; it’s whimsical. It’s also a tribute to the art and countries he’s visited around the world. If you are keen on breaking free of neutrals, read my new story in The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Home and Garden section about the design features of Beyer’s home and Coutts’ tips for doing it yourself.

Featuring 2 Renovations from the 2025 ASID Kitchen and Bath Tour

It’s that time of the year again when we get to openly ogle other people’s kitchens and bathrooms — and take inspiration for reinventing our own. The San Diego chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers is holding its self-guided ASID Kitchen and Bath Tour 2025 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 3.

The tour will feature eight homes in San Diego. Two of them are 100-year-old Spanish-style homes in Kensington — and both feature the creative work of interior designer Sheryl Wohl Chaffee, who is also a Kensington resident. I featured her projects in my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Home and Garden section. Take a look and get your tickets for the Tour. Info is at the bottom of my story.