San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour

#378 In this episode of Happy Half Hour, hosts Jackie Bryant and Troy Johnson crack open the origin story of Juneshine with co-founder Forrest Dein, tracing its unlikely path from a backyard kombucha experiment to a nationwide phenomenon. Dein recounts Juneshine’s early days brewing in a cobwebbed garage, its cult-favorite Blood Orange Mint flavor, and the brand’s meteoric ascent—including opening the country’s first hard kombucha ...

#377 This week on Happy Half Hour, two of San Diego’s sharpest hospitality minds—Christian Siglin of Happy Medium and Eric Johnson of Lou’s Deli—join Troy and Jackie to talk about the strange, scrappy, and often hilarious life behind the bar. They get into it: they unpack their careers spent working at the city's most iconic bars and restaurants; the three paths a bartender’s life can take, whether Gen Z ...

#376 On this episode of Happy Half Hour, Troy gives us an inside take on what to order at Leu Leu, the new spot from celebrity chef Claudette Zepeda. And the dish you gotta try in central city is the house-cured, house-smoked, hand-cut pastrami from last year's SDM winner for Best Barbecue in San Diego—Grand Ole BBQ y Asado in North Park. In honor of this new pastrami destination (quality pastrami is a to...

#375 Nick Balsamo of Rosemarie’s joins Troy and Jackie to talk about how a food truck full of killer sliders turned into one of San Diego’s best new brick-and-mortars. The crew gets into Nick’s rise from catering gigs and farmers markets to opening his own family-friendly gastropub, his Arizona street food hustle, and what it’s like feeding crowds that range from dive bar regulars to wedding guests. Also:...

#374 On this episode of Happy Half Hour, Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant sit down with Cameron Ingle, executive chef of Marisi in La Jolla, to talk about his fine-dining approach to Italian food, from handmade pasta to sourcing top-tier ingredients. Ingle, who cut his teeth at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, shares what it’s like running a serious food spot in a neighborhood better known steakhouses. They also c...

#373 On this week’s Happy Half Hour, journalist Claire Trageser joins hosts Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant to talk about her latest piece: Is Ozempic Killing Restaurants? With more diners eating less and skipping drinks, could the blockbuster weight-loss drug be reshaping the industry? Claire breaks down what she found—spoiler alert: it’s complicated—while Troy and Jackie dig into shifting food culture, t...

#372 In this episode of Happy Half Hour, hosts Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant sit down with Charles Kaufman, the legendary mind behind Bread & Cie—San Diego’s iconic artisan bakery. Before he was crafting perfect baguettes, Kaufman was shocking audiences with cult horror films, including Mother’s Day, a slasher classic. From writing jokes for Bob Hope to sneaking out of Cannes Film Festival screenings to ...

#370 If you think debating sports gets heated, try pitting two seasoned food writers against each other in a fantasy taco draft. In this episode of Happy Half Hour, San Diego Magazine’s Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant take their taco opinions to battle, drafting their top picks from San Diego’s legendary mom-and-pop taco shops. From the OG Roberto’s to the smoky magic of Ed Fernandez Birrieria, they break ...

#370 This week on Happy Half Hour, Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant get deep-fried in nostalgia with Ryan Ostrom, CMO of Jack in the Box, the fast-food giant that made San Diego its home. They talk about Jack’s weird, wonderful marketing legacy (yes, they did blow up their own mascot), the late-night taco cult, and why the brand has no business making a burger this good. Ostrom dishes on his move from GNC t...

#369 On this episode of Happy Half Hour, Troy and Jackie pull up a chair with Jacquee Renna Downing, the industry veteran behind the just-opened Communion, a rooftop oasis in Mission Hills, and its charming downstairs café, Paradis. Downing’s got serious culinary cred—from running the legendary Pacifica Del Mar to making bold moves in the desert restaurant scene before bringing her vision back to San Dieg...

#368 OB People’s Food Co-Op has been San Diego’s go-to for organic, vegetarian, and locally sourced groceries for over 50 years, and in this episode of Happy Half Hour, Troy and Jackie sit down with General Manager Sarela Bonilla and Marketing Director Nina Gordon to talk about why this neighborhood institution still matters. From its humble beginnings in a garage to becoming a cornerstone of Ocean Beach, People’s is more than just...

#367 Oceanside, you greedy, lucky bastards. As if you needed another game-changer, here comes 24 Suns, a boundary-pushing Chinese restaurant from two former Addison chefs, Nic Webber and Jacob Jordan. These guys have the kind of résumés that make food nerds weak in the knees (Benu, Frasca, Michelin stars, etc.), and they’re bringing that precision and obsession to Chinese cuisine—think regionally focused,...

#366 San Diego’s seafood revolution didn’t happen overnight, and it sure as hell didn’t happen without Peter Halmay. The 83-year-old uni diver and OG of sustainable fishing joins Happy Half Hour to talk about the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, the bureaucratic battle that made it happen, and why buying seafood straight off the boat is the best way to eat. Every Saturday morning, local fishermen unload fresh...

#365 Not everything can be “tapas.” Maybe we should stop using review sites as rage therapy. Jackie’s a little overstimulated by experience restaurants. In this episode of Happy Half Hour, hosts Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant air their pet peeves, small and large and farcical. There’s some real info here (the cost of eggs is insane), they suggest a policy for “no interruption dining,” and Troy lays out th...

#364 This week, Troy and Jackie talk to the crew behind the groundbreaking Sessions by the Bay, California’s first legal Amsterdam-style cannabis café opening in February in National City. Owners Alex Ayon, Pearl Ayon have created a 5,000-square-foot lounge featuring lush Moroccan-inspired interiors, immersive art installations, and indulgent food from chef Jorge Bendesky’s nearby Kimball Coastal Eatery. ...

#363 To kick off 2025, Troy and Jackie sit down with Aaron and Lauren Crossland—Oceanside local and food anthropologist duo behind north county’s newest arrival, Merenda Wine Bar & Retail Shop. Lauren talks about what she’s learned getting her phD in studying the cultural pathways of food, and Aaron gives his take on how O’Side has evolved. Designed by Bells & Whistles (Starlite, Jeune et Jolie), their wi...

#362 To round out the final HHH of the year, Troy and Jackie sit down with SDM’s award-winning food-news writer, Beth Demmon, to wrap up the year's biggest moments in San Diego's restaurant, food, and drink culture. They give praise to their favorite dishes and most notable openings, while talking through some challenges for San Diego’s culinary scene—from star Mexican chef Drew Deckman’s arrival in North...

#361 This week on Happy Half Hour, we’re diving fork-first into the 87-year legacy of San Diego’s beloved Chicken Pie Shop. Owners Bob and Lisa Townsend join us to dish on how they’ve kept the comfort food institution alive—whole chickens and turkeys, scratch-made everything, and fried chicken so good it took six months to perfect. They share tales of Pi Day chaos during COVID, balancing tradition with mo...

This week on Happy Half Hour, Troy and Jackie sit down with Shane Hardin, the third-generation co-owner of Hodad’s, Ocean Beach’s iconic, nationally famous burger spot. From the early days when his grandparents ran a small beachside stand to national fame on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, Hodad’s has been a constant in San Diego’s food scene for over 55 years. Shane reflects on his family’s legacy, his bel...