After 8 amazing years we lost our lease. If you are a fan of our restaurant, contact us to see what we are up to!

All good things must come to an end…

Posted Aug 15,2022 0 comments

Hello friends, family, customers, industry friends, and everyone else I’ve had the pleasure of meeting during my 8 years owning & operating Garden Kitchen.

I write today with the difficult news that Garden Kitchen’s last day of service will be December 31st, 2022, marking just short of eight years at 4204 Rolando Blvd. This decision was not one that came by choice or necessity as Garden Kitchen has flourished since the beginning and continues to flourish to this day. Rather, our landlord has decided not to renew our lease and we have been told “we don’t know what’s going to happen yet, we will be bringing an architect as time nears and we will be doing some major plumbing upgrades”. Other than that we don’t know what’s in store for our location after our departure.

This sudden news broke my heart, made me sad, angry and a whole other load of feelings. I worry about the hole Rolando will have. I worry about the support my farmers & winemakers won’t receive. I worry about not getting to see so many wonderful faces that have become such a large part of Garden Kitchen and everything it embodies. In spite of all this, I have since made peace with this change and am excited that the universe has other plans for me, and I look forward to being able to slow my life down. I have chosen not to relocate Garden Kitchen at this time, but I have exciting plans for how Garden Kitchen will continue to give my followers the food, wine, service and hospitality they expect from me as I move into Spring 2023.

While this is heavy news, I look to the coming 4 months as celebration, not sadness. Please help celebrate by continuing to support us until our last day of 2022. Thursdays are already busier than we can handle, so the best way to support us is through our weekend 7 course Tasting Menu, which is reservation only, with reservations here. These Tasting Menu nights are more controllable for our small staff, more intimate for guests, and we get more time to interact and chat with each of you, as well as give our best service.

I suppose in 2015 I knew exactly what I wanted in opening a restaurant, but I never could have imagined that it would have led me where I am today. I have learned so much personally, emotionally, physically and financially. I am so proud of the path I took, and could not have done it without the amazing support of my husband. I taught myself to cook, operate and own a restaurant, how to manage employees and create relationships with local farmers, wine makers and purveyors. I believe I made an impact on how San Diego supports local!
Special thanks to the amazing farms I have worked with over the years, and some I still support today.

Not to mention the countless San Diego and Baja wineries I have worked with, helping give them exposure has become my biggest passion next to hosting and cooking. I hope you will continue to support and follow me, my farmers, winemakers and purveyors as my sole purpose was to teach San Diego how important it is to eat & drink what grows in our backyard.

You can continue to follow my journey via Instagram, Facebook and our newsletter for upcoming events, as well as my 2023 Spring project which is already in motion… We will be keeping our social media channels active, so be sure to keep in touch!

I thank each and every one of you who has continued to support me and my staff for the past 8 years, as well as the many who have followed me since 2006 well before Garden Kitchen.

I look forward to a new year of more free time, rest, relaxation, travel and time with friends, family and followers.