A  column for East County wine and beer enthusiasts

16765 Bernardo Center Dr., San Diego CA 92128
(858) 673-7512; www.thebarrelroomsandiego.com

By J.J. Gold, guest columnist

April 7, 2009 (Rancho Bernardo)—Could a place that received both theWine Spectator 2009 award of excellence and the Wine Enthusiast 2008 award of distinction possibly live up to the hype? I headed off to the Barrel Room in Rancho Bernardo, determined to find out. Much to my delight, the wines that I sampled were both unusual and highly pleasing—and the food was equally delectable.

December 30, 2008 — (La Mesa) On December 29, a woman was arrested for charges stemming from a carjacking that occurred at Grossmont Center a week ago.   

San Diego County teachers recognized with thousands of "thank yous" from grateful parents, schoolchildren in contest sponsored by Mission Federal Credit Union, Junior Achievement, Cox Communications and Channel 4

December 18,2008 (San Diego, CA) Campaign organizers are proud to announce the winners of the first-ever "I'm Thankful For My Teacher" Contest, hosted by Mission Federal Credit Union, Junior Achievement of San Diego, and Cox Communications and Channel 4 San Diego. Throughout the month of November, thousands of students throughout San Diego County took the opportunity to thank a teacher for all of the special things they do in their mission to educate local students and future generations. More than 3,850 postcards were turned in to recognize hundreds of teachers at 136 schools throughout San Diego County.

By Miriam Raftery

Growing concerns over food safety, environmental issues, health and desire to support our local economy have given rise to a new trend: consumers seeking out locally-grown and produced foods.

Sales of locally grown foods increased 25% in 2007 from $4 billion to $5 billion – and could hit $7 billion by 2011, according to a HealthFocus TrendScan report.  According to Packaged Facts, 69% of consumers surveyed agreed that local food is better for their personal health than food that has traveled across the country.  Buzzwords such as “food miles” the “slow food movement” and “locavore” (New Oxford American Dictionary’s 2007 word of the year) have entered the lingo.