San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour

Troy Johnson, Jackie Bryant

clairej@sdmag.com

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Booking Overview

A weekly food-and-drink interview show focused on San Diego’s restaurant, bar, and culinary scene, typically featuring local chefs, restaurant owners, beverage executives, farmers, brewers, and makers. Strong pitch candidates include distinctive culinary entrepreneurs and hospitality professionals with notable training, new concepts, compelling origin stories, or expertise in local food and beverage trends; booking difficulty is medium.

Metrics

Episodes: 300

Frequency: Weekly

Rating: 4.8/5.0

Estimated listeners: 1k-10k

Gender skew: Neutral

Location: USA

Instagram: 321.0k followers

Contact Information

clairej@sdmag.com

For verified host and producer emails, sign up to view.

Host

Troy Johnson - Award-winning food writer and Food Network host covering restaurants, chefs, and the San Diego culinary scene.

Jackie Bryant - San Diego Magazine culture journalist focused on the people, places, and experiences shaping San Diego.

Booking Intelligence

Booking Requirements

medium
Typical Credentials:  
San Diego chefs, restaurant owners, pastry chefs, bar and beverage executives, farmers, brewers, distillers, and food makers with an established local operation or distinctive culinary expertise.
Required Achievements:  
Michelin-starred or celebrated restaurant training, Founding or operating a notable restaurant, bar, pop-up, or food brand, Executive leadership in the beverage industry, Development of distinctive culinary products or concepts

Recent Guest Discussions

Mario Cassineri - Building Ciccia Osteria In Barrio Logan, Handmade Pasta, Hospitality Versus Accolades, And The Economics Of Running An Independent Restaurant.

Gemma Matsuyama Yamada - Seasonal Fruit Mochi, Japanese Food Traditions, Ingredient Sourcing, Craftsmanship, Family Influences, And San Diego’s Evolving Dining Landscape.

Preston Caffrey - Agave Spirits, San Diego’s Hidden Cocktail Destinations, And The Local Bar And Hospitality Scene.

Recent Topics

Restaurants, Chefs, Cocktails, Hospitality, San Diego

Episodes

Here's the recent few episodes on
San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
:

How Ciccia Osteria Became a Barrio Logan Staple

July 09, 2026

Sometimes the best restaurant is the one everyone tells you not to open. This week on Happy Half Hour, Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant sit down with chef Mario Cassineri, who left Michelin-starred kitchens behind to make handmade pasta in Barrio Logan. Raised in Milan, he trained under Italy's first three-Michelin-star chef before trading fine dining for a burned-out building everyone else overlooked and building Ciccia Osteria from the ground up. Mario talks about why he chose Barrio Logan, w...

From Michelin Kitchens to San Diego's Best Mochi

July 06, 2026

Fresh fruit, pillowy mochi, and a philosophy rooted in slowing down. This week on Happy Half Hour, Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant sit down with Gemma Matsuyama Yamada, the pastry chef behind Kimochi, whose seasonal fruit mochi has quietly become one of San Diego's most sought-after pop-ups. After honing her craft at some of the country's most celebrated restaurants—including Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Michelin-starred n/naka—Gemma traded fine dining for a more personal mission: creating han...

North County Finally Has Its Hidden Cocktail Den — and We're Not Supposed to Tell You About It

June 25, 2026

Encinitas just got its first-ever speakeasy — or rather, its first hidden cocktail den — and the Happy Half Hour crew couldn't even find the front door. In this week's episode, hosts Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant broadcast live from inside Anigma, the stunning new bar tucked behind the legendary Roxy on First Street, joined by Bebemos tequila CEO Preston Caffrey to sip on some of San Diego's best agave and name their favorite hidden gems across the city. Built by the same team behind the Rox...

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