While fresh, locally caught seafood is plentiful in San Diego, not everyone has the same access to it. As chef and owner of Craft Catering and a native South Bay resident, Marcus Twilegar knows this better than most.

“If you live in a low-income area, you can’t afford fish at $19 a pound,” he explains. That’s one reason he started Fish to Families with founder Peter Halmay, president of the San Diego Fishermen’s Working Group.

When the pandemic disrupted lives and food supply chains, Halmay saw an opportunity to put the fish no longer sold in restaurants directly into the hands of people suffering from food insecurity. After securing funding through grants and donations, Fish to Families was founded.

Feeding San Diego estimates that more than 350,000 people in San Diego are food insecure, but Fish to Families isn’t the only issue that addresses this. Initially, the goal was to provide nutritious meals to families and keep fishermen in business during pandemic-related closures, but the program has since expanded to include a chef training program.

“(Fish to Families) really brought the fishermen and chefs together and gave them tools, time and money so the chefs could learn how to cut up each type of fish, cook it and turn it into a meal,” he says. “It further strengthened the relationships between fishermen and chefs, so that was a cool part of it.”

Twilegar estimates they’ve prepared about 19,000 pounds of fish. But after four years, the program is suffering from what he calls donor fatigue. “After the pandemic subsided, it was tough,” he admits. A recent grant from the Parker Foundation will keep them going for now, but there’s also a GoFundMe page anyone can donate to. Twilegar hopes they can keep going if more people support the program.

“The goal is to make it (financially) sustainable,” he explains. “It has a positive impact on everyone, not just one organization… we all help each other.”

Restaurant news and culinary events in San Diego

Shabu-Works opens a second location in September

Mira Mesa-based shabu-shabu shop Shabu-Works is expanding to San Marcos this September. The all-you-can-eat concept from brothers Peter Yang and Mike Wu allows guests to customize their hot pot experience with different broths like tonkatsu pork bone, spicy curry, and a variety of other meat-focused, vegetarian, and vegan options. Proteins include beef belly, US wagyu bottom sirloin, New Zealand lamb shoulder, and more. If you haven’t tried AYCE shabu-shabu, I highly recommend it. Come hungry and without shame.

Japanese fast-casual restaurant Pepper Lunch opens in North County

There are already more than 500 Pepper Lunch locations in 15 countries, but San Diego will (finally) get some of its own. “Since our first openings in Southern California, we always knew it would be a natural fit to expand to San Diego County,” says Troy Hooper, CEO of Pepper Lunch. He says they hope to open five locations in North County by early 2025, but haven’t settled on specific cities yet. Their “20 minutes for under $20” concept is already extremely popular in Los Angeles and Orange County, so here’s hoping they open a few more throughout San Diego.

Beth’s Bites

• The hot chicken craze continues with the grand opening of Houston TX Hot Chicken on Saturday, August 24th at 238 Fifth Avenue. From noon to 3 p.m., the opening San Diego location will offer specialty sandwiches and condiment challenges for any brave souls who dare. Go from “Houston, we have a problem” to taking a big step in chicken.
• Food critic Troy Johnson want brunch, but he can’t help it. When he told me that Sea & Sky at the Hotel La Jolla used to be “THE place for jazz on the coast,” and then revealed that they recently revived their Sunday Jazz Brunch every week from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., I felt Sothrilled! As long as there are pimento cheese eclairs, I’m in.
• If you thought there was only one kind of pad thai, you’re wrong. The Pad Thai Stand specializes in regional versions of the Thai favorite and just opened its second Pacific Beach location at 1136 Garnet Avenue. Can’t make it to Pacific Beach or the Kearny Mesa location? Grab a pad thai set at the La Mesa Farmers Market on Fridays from 3-7 p.m.
• Trivia nights are a dime a dozen, but I can count the number of mead and cider breweries in San Diego on one hand. Twisted Horn Mead & Cider in Vista hosts trivia night every Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. So if you want to learn about pop culture, And a new drink for you, try it!

Do you have breaking news, exciting updates or great stories about new restaurants in San Diego or the city’s dining scene? Send your suggestions to (email protected).