Food for Thought with Keith Langhorn

On this episode, we head to the Normal Heights area of San Diego, for a sneak peek at the soon to open Whiskers & Wine Bar, a cat lounge & wine bar. Nicole & Chris, owners of Whiskers & Wine Bar gave us a tour of their new venture.

They will be offering the opportunity to interact with adoptable cats, while enjoying a nibble from the food counter. Sit back & relax while having a cocktail, beer or glass of wine from their bar which has a full liquor license. Cats are kept separate from the food area. Allergic to cats? No problem. You can see the kitties, separated by a glass wall as you munch.

Head upstairs to the second floor, to meet the cats, who have their own stairs up plus a play wall. It is a bright & breezy space. The cats can enjoy a view of the outside from an enclosed area. The cats have their own den, where they can seclude themselves & rest from being around humans (we all need a little alone time!)

Nicole & Chris plan to offer yoga classes, art & poetry from local creatives, as well as beer & wine tastings and a venue for small special events.

Nicole & Chris have partnered with Saving One Life animal rescue. The cats will be adoptable after a thorough screening of their new servants. It will be agreed on that the cats will be indoor cats only.

Whiskers & Wine Bar is located at 2856 Adams Ave, San Diego CA 92116 in the Normal Heights area of San Diego

We stop in for a visit with our friend Michael Tomkins, a marriage and family therapist, yoga instructor, and spiritual guide, for a chat about mindfulness in eating and in life.

We chatted about choosing food, chewing our food, not getting too serious about rules, and how the idea of making conscious decisions about diet also translates to the rest of life.

This months guest is Avonte Hartsfield of Rollin Roots. Avonte tells us about starting his food industry career as a dishwasher then serving tables to becoming a restaurant manager.His passion for vegan food led him to starting out on his own. First at farmers markets, then after much hard work he had funds to open his own restaurant. Covid changed that plan. Not to be outdone, he started his food truck business called Rollin Roots, a vegan comfort food concept that was very successful. Sadly Avonte lost his food truck to the hands of an arsonist who burned it to the ground. A brick was thrown through the window of a new concept he is working on. A GoFundMe page, led to an outpouring of support, allowing him to work toward his goals again. Avonte is a testament to hard work, tenacity and a desire to help his fellow man, despite facing overwhelming challenges.

Rollin Roots is now open at 8665 Miralani Drive, Suite #100, San Diego CA 92126 Ph: 858-201-5033

This months podcast takes us to North Park to interview Anchi Mei who is Executive Director of MAKE Projects (Merging Agriculture Kitchens & Employment). We recorded our interview outside on their small farm.

MAKE Projects is a job training social enterprise that prepares refugees and immigrants to achieve their dreams.

Anchi tells us about programs that are offered by the team.

Chop Kitchen, helps prepare students for employment in the food industry and beyond.

Youth Farmworks helps young people explore digital media, publishing their magazine & farming their small lot.

Saturday Café Locally-sourced, globally-inspired food and beverages every Saturday 10am - 2pm

FOOD AND FARM FEST! September 18th: 1 AM til 3 PM

3745 30th Street, San Diego CA 92104

Please support the FALL FUNDRAISER while enjoying locally-sourced, globally-inspired:

Tasting Stations Beer and Wine Live Music Garden Crafts Silent Auction

Every dollar raised will be matched by the Parker Foundation up to $30,000!

Elly Brown is the executive director of the San Diego Food System Alliance, a network of more than 100 organizations working to make our current food system more equitable, healthy, and sustainable through collaboration, policy change, education, and community empowerment. We talk about the launch of The San Diego Food System Alliance Food Vision 2030 with the understanding that the time to reimagine and reconfigure our food system is now. There is no question that the current path of our food system is unsustainable and transformations must take root at the community level. Decisions made about food have a powerful ripple effect in all aspects of society. Changing the way we grow food, move food, share food, and think about food ultimately changes the way we treat the planet and each other. On October 22nd, Food Vision 2030 Annual Gathering will be held. Location to be determined.