Michael James Rocha

1 week ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Michael James Rocha

San Diego chef Tara Monsod, who made it to the final round of this year’s prestigious James Beard competition, didn’t take home the title of best chef in California Monday night. Monsod, the popular executive chef at Le Coq and Michelin-recommended Animae, had been nominated in the Best Chef: California category for the second year in a row. That prize went to Jon Yao of the Michelin-starred restaurant Kato in Los Angeles.

1 week ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Michael James Rocha

In the Curator’s Words is an occasional series that takes a critical look at current exhibitions through the eyes of curators. For a new exhibit this spring, the Oceanside Museum of Art has partnered with The Art of Autism, a San Diego-based international non-profit whose mission is “to foster independence, self-esteem and artistic expression” within the autism community.

2 weeks ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Michael James Rocha |Jayne Yutig

It wasn’t a dare, but it sure felt like it: Eat as many fair foods as you can in one hour — go!That’s exactly what we did Friday morning as part of the third annual Fair-Tastic Foods Competition, where we joined 27 other judges who chose the best of this year’s culinary offerings at the San Diego County Fair, which opened Wednesday. Earlier judging winnowed down the list to 18 finalists, all of whom served their dishes to judges Friday.

2 weeks ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Michael James Rocha

On Wednesday night at the San Diego Civic Theatre, “The Book of Mormon,” years after its much-celebrated debut, still had me at “Hello!”“Hello!,” the musical comedy’s first number, kicked off an uproariously energetic evening, one doorbell at time. It was a night filled with an abundance of curse words, double entendres and, well, just good old-fashioned offensive language. Consider Exhibit A: “Hasa Diga Eebowai,” the musical’s fourth number.

1 month ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Michael James Rocha

Una avioneta se estrelló en un barrio de San Diego durante la niebla la madrugada del jueves, incendiando unas 15 casas y vehículos. Las autoridades han reportado varios muertos por el accidente. Hasta las 11:00 de esta mañana, esta es la zona que las autoridades han identificado como afectada por el accidente. Este mapa se actualiza a medida que se dispone de más información.