Interview with a local culinary stalwart, One Paseo, and mail-order meal kits

This week, we chatted with Mary Kay Waters, owner of Waters Fine Foods & Catering, which has been in business in San Diego for almost 30 years. Waters describes herself as a food perfectionist with very high standards who refuses to accept anything less than the best. She also has a café that sells "fine foods to go" on Morena Boulevard that you can visit (Troy likes the Coconut Magic Bar). Waters also just released a cookbook, which you can pick up at the café or on their website. Her pick for two people, $50 was DaoFu. In Hot Plates, we've got some North County news! My Yard Live is opening in San Marcos in the old Hometown Buffet space, and will have a restaurant, brewery and a patio with a dedicated kids' play space all under one roof. The place will be huge — over 17,000 square feet — and is opening in June. Stone Brewing Co. is back in the pantry aisle at Whole Foods — they teamed up with Homegrown Meats to create two new beef jerkies that are marinated in Tangerine Express IPA and Arrogant Bastard Ale. One Paseo has officially opened! The mixed-use development project in Carmel Valley has been steadily building buzz over the past year, and curated a mix of local and national eateries: we can expect Michael Mina's International Smoke, The Butchery, Ways & Means Oyster House, and the first San Diego location for Blue Bottle Coffee to open here. Juniper & Ivy is having its five-year anniversary this month and is celebrating by bringing back some classic dishes from the original menu, like the squid ink linguine and clams, beef cheek dumplings and grape toast. In news elsewhere, we talked about La Plaza Cocina, a museum devoted to Mexican food and culture that is set to open in downtown L.A. this spring. The Mexican food mecca will not only have exhibitions and lectures, but interactive programs and events. Are mail-order meal kits doomed? This is a Hot Topic in the food world right now, and headlines in a variety of news outlets recently asked this question. Companies like Blue Apron were all the rage when the concept first launched in 2012, but it seems the novelty has worn off. If you haven't signed up yet for San Diego Magazine's Insiders program, do it now for the chance to dine with food critic Troy Johnson and Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins, chef of El Jardin. Aside from exclusive events like this, our Insiders also get the benefits of a monthly hosted happy hour, free tickets to shows, and ongoing discounts at restaurants and bars around town.