Swells Sourdough Bakery, a 4-year-old, family-owned bakery specializing in naturally fermented sourdough breads, has expanded from local farmers markets to a permanent home in Little Italy.
The new location, which soft-opened last weekend and will hold its grand opening today, Oct. 1, was co-founded by Pamela and Erik Ramos Peraza.
They are now cooking and selling onsite their 36-hour to 2-days fermented breads made with organic ingredients, as well as cookies, bagels and more. They will continue to sell their goods at the Little Italy Mercato on Saturdays and La Jolla Open Aire Market on Sundays.
Erik and Pamela Ramos Peraza are the co-founders of Swells Sourdough Bakery, which hosts its grand opening Oct. 1 at 2254 India St. in San Diego. (Swells Sourdough Bakery)
“We started Swells because we wanted to create the kind of bread we felt good about bringing home to our own family — bread made with quality ingredients, thoughtfully sourced grains and plenty of time to ferment,” Pamela Ramos Peraza said in a statement.
Swells is at 2254 India St., San Diego.swellssourdough.com
Tom Ham’s marks 55 years: Tom Ham’s Lighthouse restaurant on San Diego’s Harbor Island will mark its 55th anniversary next week with a celebration. The lighthouse-inspired bayfront seafood restaurant was opened in January 1971 by restaurateur Tom Ham, who had previously saved the Bali Hai on Shelter Island from closure in the 1950s. Ham passed away in 1973. Today, Ham’s daughter Susie Baumann owns the restaurant and Tom’s grandson, Andy Baumann, is general manager. Tickets to the event are $80 and include fresh seafood and oyster stations, chefs preparing throwback and current dishes, live music, one complimentary drink, a champagne toast and a commemorative mug. 6-10 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7. 2150 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego. tomhamslighthouse.com
Christopher Hutchinson is the new executive chef at Ember & Rye restaurant in Carlsbad. (Park Hyatt Aviara)
New chef at Ember & Rye: There’s a new executive chef at the helm of Ember & Rye, the Park Hyatt Avaira Resort restaurant in Carlsbad led by restaurateur-chef Richard Blais. Christopher Hutchinson joins Ember & Rey following more than 10 years of experience in West Coast restaurants restaurants, including serving as executive chef at Lumi Rooftop by Akira Back and Huntress in downtown San Diego. He also worked under chef Michael Tusk at Michelin three-star restaurant Quince in San Francisco and at several restaurants in the Portland area. His skill-set includes expertise in live-fire cooking, whole-animal butchery and pasta-making. 7447 Batiquitos Drive, Carlsbad. parkhyattaviara.com
McDonald’s Monopoly game is back: McDonald’s will launch the second year of its Monopoly peel-and-win game at participating restaurants on Tuesday. Diners who order eligible menu items will get a card with a peel-off sticker that reveals a scannable QR code for a Monopoly game property piece or instant-win Chance card. Menu items include breakfast sandwiches and hash browns, large fries, drinks, McNuggets, the Quarter Pounder and McCrispy strips and more. This year’s top prizes include a $1 million cash prize and $50,000 college debt paydown. mcdonalds.com
Stir-fried beef with peppers at Chef Fei, a China-based Hunan restaurant chain that opened its first U.S. location last month at Westfield UTC mall in San Diego. (Chef Fei)
Chef Fei makes U.S. debut at UTC: Chef Fei, a Hunan-inspired restaurant chain with more than 200 locations in China, opened its first U.S. location last month at Westfield UTC shopping center. Founded by chef Lianghui Fei in 1997, the chain specializes in high-heat wok cooking with a focus on Hunan stir-fries. Every year, it sells more than 10 million of its signature dish, stir-fried beef with peppers. The restaurant is located next door to Din Tai Fung. 4545 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite E-25, San Diego. cheffei.com/