Valle de Guadalupe Hosting Star-Studded Food Festival

Don’t miss an epic weekend of food and wine in the Valle

Tickets are going quick for the Valle Food & Wine Festival, the second annual edition of the event held in heart of the Valle de Guadalupe from October 5 to 7. The main festival, scheduled from 4 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, October 6, is taking place at chef Javier Plascencia’s stunning outdoor restaurant Finca Altozano and will feature 30 celebrity chef food stations, 25 Baja wineries, local craft breweries, live bands, and much more. The chef lineup is a who’s who of culinary luminaries, ranging from Baja stars Benito Molina and Solange Muris (Manzanilla), Drew Deckman (Deckman’s en el Mogor), Miguel Ángel Guerrero (La Querencia, La Esperanza Baja Med), and Ruffo Ibarra (Oryx Capital, Pancracia) to top chefs from around the U.S., including Rick Bayless (Topolobampo, Leña Brava), Nancy Silverton (Mozza Restaurant Group), Dominique Crenn (Atelier Crenn), Jonathan Waxman (Barbuto, Adele’s), Ori Menashe (Bestia, Bavel), Walter Manzke (République, Petty Cash), Nancy Oakes (Boulevard), and San Diego’s own Brian Malarkey (Herb & Wood), Trey Foshee (George’s California Modern, Galaxy Taco), Jason McLeod (Ironside Fish & Oyster, Born & Raised), Jason Knibb (Nine-Ten Restaurant and Bar), Flor Franco (Franco on Fifth) and Claudia Sandoval (Claudia’s Cocina).

Next generation Dunkin’ Donuts opening in El Cajon

A Dunkin’ Donuts’ store of the future is launching this Saturday, August 25 in El Cajon at 350 Fletcher Parkway, with the first 100 customers scoring free coffee for a year. This will be the first location in San Diego to feature the company’s new look, design, and name; called simply Dunkin’, the shop will have a tap system stocked with beverages ranging from cold brew coffee on nitro to ice tea and other coffee drinks.

Open air food market launches in downtown San Diego

Debuting this Sunday, August 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is a new weekly market held on the San Diego bayfront at Lane Field Park (1009 N. Harbor Drive). The free, family-friendly market will feature picnic areas and lawn games and all kinds of food and drink available for purchase from a growing list of local vendors. This Sunday’s roster includes Doggos Gus with gourmet hot dogs, The Cravory with cookies and ice cream sandwiches, dumplings from House of Bao, sweet and savory pies from Betty’s Pie Whole, and Snoice with shave ice desserts.

Convoy beer crawl takes flight this Sunday

This Sunday, August 26 from noon to 9 p.m. will see Convoy Street compatriots Common Theory, Crab Hut, O’Brien’s Pub, and Shanghai Saloon are hosting Convoy Flight, a progressive pub crawl featuring a special collaboration beer made by Pure Project Brewing. Using cascade and nugget hops from Ramona’s Star B Ranch, the wet-hopped Desert Convoy is a murky IPA coming in at 7% ABV. A portion of the event’s profits will be donated to the Special Olympics of Southern California.

Sustainable seafood steps into the spotlight

On Wednesday, August 29 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego is presenting The Sustainability of Local Seafood event at the Robert Paine Scripps Forum for Science, Society and the Environment. Featuring a panel discussion with Scripps researchers and local fisherman and chefs on the future and sustainability of local seafood, the evening will include tastings from Wrench and Rodent Seabasstropub, Saiko Sake & Sushi Bar, The Land and Water Company, Lionfish Modern Coastal Cuisine featuring local box crab, sea urchin, swordfish, tuna, and more.