East County News Service

January 12, 2021 (Lemon Grove) – Lemon Grove residents can get free food during a drive-through food distribution Saturday, January 15 from 9 a.m. as long as supplies last at the Lemon Grove Recreation Center, 3131 School Lane in Lemon Grove.

Be sure your trunk is clear so food can be loaded; no walk-ups are allowed. 

By Miriam Raftery

January 29, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- If your New Year’s resolution includes eating healthier, you may want to visit some of the many healthy dining restaurants, cafes and take-out places right here in East County. 

There are many definitions of healthy dining, so we’ve included a variety of choices including vegan, vegetarian, heart-healthy, organic, natural, superfoods, salad and smoothie bars, farm-to-table and more.

(Photo -left of Split Bakehouse owner Vanessa Corrales and her cousin Roxy Corrales)

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

December 8, 2021 – La Mesa’s Grossmont Center offers even more vegan food choices since adding Mystical Blends to their food court. Mystical Blends joins Split Bakehouse, a vegan bakery, and other establishments at the mall.

Split Bakehouse is located near the food court, just steps outside their west doors. They are a 100% plant-based bakery. They have won best vegan bakery, reader’s pick, in a San Diego Magazine poll in 2021 and best vegan pastries in 2019.

“We’ve been here three years,” said Split Bakehouse owner Vanessa Corrales. She adapted to the covid19 pandemic by opening a window in their storefront that they sell their plant based baked goods from Wednesday to Sunday. A buzzer can be used to alert staff to a customer’s presence.

“We are 100% plant based,” she said. “We make our own eggs and butter. We are mostly known for our ‘laminated’ croissants.”

Celebrate “50 Days of Fiesta” with special menu and more now through Dec. 24  

East County News Service

November 27, 2021 (La Mesa) – Diane Powers’ Casa de Pico Mexican restaurant is celebrating 50 years of delicious and festive fun starting November 4 through December 24 in La Mesa’s Grossmont Center.  

Opened in 1971, Casa de Pico was Powers’ first restaurant and originally located within San Diego’s Old Town State Park. With the vision of recreating the beautiful Mexican bazaars she had long-admired, Powers leased the site of the rundown and boarded up Casa de Pico Motel from the state and began a legendary transformation of the space to create Bazaar del Mundo, a colorful shopping and dining experience, including Casa de Pico.

Update 5:15 p.m. -- Power has been restored to all customers, according to the SDG&E website.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Fran Materra, via Facebook: Thanksgiving by lanternlight in Potrero

November 26, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) – An estimated 2,520 SDG&E customers remain in the dark on Black Friday due to power-shut offs amid a red flag warning for high fire danger. About half the communities originally blacked out have power restored, but these areas remain without power:  Alpine, Boulevard, the Campo reservation, Descanso, Jamul, Potrero, the Viejas Reservation, and Warner Springs.

More than 50,000 customers remain at risk of outages yet to come.  View the list of communities at risk at https://www.sdge.com/psps-dashboard. SDG&E has set up community resource centers where residents without power can go to recharge devices, pickup ice, water, snacks and more. Find the closest CRC at SDG&E’s CRC look-up tool.

East County residents posted comments and complaints on social media regarding the outages. While some railed against SDG&E for cutting power on a holiday, others pre-cooked foods early, grateful for the warnings.  Others dined out at restaurants, brought in hot meals, or headed to relatives homes’ outside the blacked-out areas. Some also voiced thanks that no homes were lost to wildfires.

By Miriam Raftery

November 22, 2021 (San Diego) – With SDG&E warning over 28,000 customers in 38 communities of possible power outages Thursday through Saturday due to high fire danger, how can you salvage Thanksgiving dinner plans with your family?  Here are a few ideas:

1. Cook your turkey and side dishes on Wednesday. You can serve sliced turkey and sides cold, or cook or reheat on a covered  camp stove on your patio outdoors, but keep a water bucket handy if you cook on any open flame.

2. Barbecue the bird!  If you have a rotisserie or smoker, you can cook the whole turkey outdoors. Or carve it into slices and cook the [pieces on your gas-powered or charcoal-fired barbecue.

3.. Plan a picnic outside with side dishes that can be served cold. How about a yam potato salad instead of baked yams?  Or a balsamic green bean salad instead of green bean casserole?  Opt for smoked turkey slices with pre-chilled cranberry-orange sauce or other embellishments.

4. Consider ditching traditional turkey for smoked salmon or a gourmet charcuterie board instead.

By Henri Migala, East County Eater

October 26, 2021 (El Cajon) -- East County is quickly becoming the new mecca in San Diego for sumptuous culinary adventures with an array of international cuisine, thanks to our region’s many immigrants and refugees. Adding to East County’s already rich diversity of restaurants is Kabul Kabob House in El Cajon, specializing in delicious and authentic food from Afghanistan.

Owned and operated by Ajrudin Nabizada, an Afghan immigrant, Kabul Kabob House offers probably the tastiest and most genuine Afghan food in San Diego County. The portions are generous and the prices affordable.

Nabizada came to the U.S. with his wife and two children in December 2014 on a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) after serving as a translator for US Special Forces in Afghanistan. He came to San Diego because his wife’s cousin was living here. Since arriving, his family has enjoyed the birth of their third child.

East County News Service

October 26, 2021 (Pala) -- Pala Casino Spa Resort will host its next “Meet, Eat, and Greet” Culinary Career Fair  on November 2 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to promote employment opportunities with the Food & Beverage team. The culinary career fair will feature a unique mixer-style atmosphere with music, food, and more.

The event will include the opportunity to get to know the Food & Beverage management team and on-the-spot interviews.

Job opportunities include:

October 21, 2021 (El Cajon) -- Visitors to El Cajon's first-ever Foodie Fest on October 9 had an opportunity to savor flavors from an array of restaurants and caterers, featuring cuisines from around the world.

East County Magazine intern Cristina Lombardo visited Foodie Fest and created a video to document the experience. She spoke with local restarurant owners and an event organizer of the successful event.

Among the offerings were Iraqi, Afghan, Mexican, Italian, Hawaiian foods and more.  Offerings ranged from spicy entrees to healthy smoothies to rich desserts.

East County News Service

October 13, 2021 (Ramona) - The 9^th annual Ramona Art & Wine Festival will feature nine wineries participating in the three-day progressive event on Friday to Sunday, November 5, 6 and 7, 2021.

East County News Service

October 7, 2021 (Lemon Grove) – Are you hungry in Lemon Grove? No need to suffer in silence. Community members are invited to come to a drive-through food drive on October 16th at the Lemon Grove Recreation Center (3131 School Drive) starting at 9 a.m. while supplies last to get food, fruits, and veggies to help your family during these challenging times. Two hundred pairs of new children's shoes, hand sanitizers, and more will be given away during the food distribution.

East County News Service

September 30, 2021 (Alpine) – The beautiful gardens at Summers Past Farms (15602 Olde Highway 80 in Flinn Springs) is the setting for the 30^th annual Vintage Alpine: A Wine Experience in the Country. The event takes place on Sunday, November 21 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Story and photos by Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

Photo left: adjusting the water bath canning pot

September 29, 2021 (San Diego's East County) - Home canning is a great way to preserve the treasured taste of summer fruits and vegetables to savor during a winter meal.  It’s also a helpful way for vegans to stock up on special homemade sauces.

Vegans may choose (or learn) to can their special sauces or organic, homegrown vegetables. It saves money and offers a chance to revisit those fruit and vegetable summer-time treasured tastes for months.

East County News Service

Image Credit: Shutterstock 

September 15, 2021 (San Diego) -- The County Board of Supervisors voted today to move forward with plans to legalize microenterprise home kitchen operations, or MEHKOs. MEHKOs are defined by California law as a small retail food facility, operated from a private home.