S1: It's time for Midday Edition on KPBS. From the hottest movies to the hottest food. Today we're talking about arts and culture. I'm Jade Hindman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think. San Diego chef Tara monsoon talks about her recent accolades , her culinary creations , and how she runs the kitchen.
S2: It's a hard medium. Food is a hard medium because not only does it visually have to look good , it has to taste good also and satisfy a lot of senses. So it can be very challenging in that way.
S1: Then a breakdown of the box office hit centers , plus a look at what's happening in your weekend preview. That's ahead on Midday Edition. So for the second year in a row , San Diego's own chef , Tara mansour , has been named a finalist for Best Chef in California by the esteemed James Beard Awards for her work at local restaurants , anime and Le Coq. While she's known for the Filipino inspiration , she infuses into her dishes. She's a culinary genius with foods from all around the globe , leaving a memorable impression on the palate of many. Chef Tara joins us now to talk about her recent accolades. Welcome back to Midday Edition.
S2: Oh , thanks for having me again.
S1: So glad to have you on.
S2: One year.
S1: One year. One year. And so. So the news of you being named a finalist again this year happened on your birthday. Congratulations on everything.
S2: So , um , when I say it's a team win , it's like even more so this year because I've been not just at that anime. So the team really pulled through and they they really did a great job. Wow.
S1: Wow. That's great. You know , we last spoke about a year ago , and it was your first time as a finalist for the Beard Award. And you were headed to France , I believe. Yes , yes. Bring me up to speed.
S2: I ate everything I could. Um , you know , I try to immerse myself , you know , with what I could in two weeks. Immersing myself in the culture and the food scene , seeing what they're doing out there , you know , um , eating the classics , also sitting , eating the new stuff that's going on out there and just , you know , trying to have fun and kind of get a little inspiration for Le Coq and see which direction we're trying to go for the restaurant. Yeah.
S1:
S2: And and for any inspiration I can. I'm very intentional when I go out to eat or anything like that. So , um , yeah , I think it set me up pretty well for this year. And it it motivated me to really go hard on on the food and what we're doing in anime. And look how.
S1: Well this year's nomination comes from your work , not only at anime in downtown San Diego , but also at Le Coq in La Jolla. I hear that the traditional French kitchen is modeled after the military.
S2: A little old school , a little new school. Uh , when you come , when you talk about Militante , it's in Brigade. As far as like hierarchy of , you know , executive chef , chef , um , sous chef , all of the things , um , I guess you we recognize it in that way. But , um , as far as militant , there's yeah , there's yes chefs in there and there's , uh , Hurd's , um , but I'm not so I guess strict. I , I , I'm very inclusive as far as , you know , like collaborations. It's not just my way or the highway. Um , but if anything , my my kitchen's there's there's a lot of room for growth. There is a lot of discipline within the militant way , but just , you know , to have structure and all of that , but , you know , kitchens or kitchens.
S1: Are they yelling ? Yes , chef. Yes , chef. What is what's happening.
S3: They are they are they are yelling yes chefs.
S2: But they're not scared of me. I'm not trying to , you know , put them down or anything or , you know , all of the negative things that you associate with , uh , military. But , you know , there is a lot of respect. Um , I would hope so. I mean , no , I'm just kidding. But , you know , my my team works hard , and we all respect each other , and I , um. Yeah , it's there is. Yes. Chefs and , you know , plates and , uh , hurry up and like , all of this stuff like that. Yeah. If , if people ask me if it's like the bare all the time and I say it to a certain sense. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.
S1: Well , hey. It's earned. Okay.
S3: Okay.
S1: Yeah , it is earned. Um , you know , hearing you talk about your vision for Le Coq ? You really put a lot of thought in just the food , but also the approach to how you make it.
S2: Um , and I'm really intentional in how I build a plate and flavors and texture and color. It's a hard , medium food. It's a hard medium because not only does it visually have to look good , it has to taste good also and satisfy a lot of senses. So it can be very challenging in that way. But I gained inspiration from anywhere. It could be , uh , a hole in the wall to a fine dining experience that I had that has ten courses , you know , um , and I just take little bits of everything , and then I kind of combine it into a plate , um , where it meets our style and our dining. Because we're not a core style menu. We're , uh , we encourage more family style menus at both restaurants because it's funner to eat that way , you know , it's like. And you get to taste a lot more things versus just three things for three courses , because by the time that you're full and committing to a whole entree. So very true. Um , so yeah , I really we really encourage sharing and , you know , tasting and getting multiple things for each course.
S1:
S2: I think we as a group , um , especially me , we we stay true to who we are and our values and what I like to do , which is a lot of community work and collaborating with other chefs and just talking about food and really pushing Filipino food at anime and then just having a little more fun with French food being traditional , but also little not having some California influences in there. And um , being an Asian American kid growing up in California , whatever that comes out of me is it comes out on a plate.
S1:
S2: You know , I'll fit , like , maybe an Asian ingredient in there or , uh , fish sauce. Will you ? In a in a French dish that you wouldn't normally have it in there or , um , or in utilizing some California ingredients like we have ? Spring is upon us. Like , all these green vegetables are here , so it's like , it's it's just right to be able to use all of that currently. And then , um , and just kind of like the morale and the culture of the restaurant is really reflective of how I grew up , really family oriented , a lot of sharing , making sure you take care of each other. Like , you know how how I grew up , I guess , you.
S1: Know , I mean , let me say this like a number of Filipino American chefs , um , right now have gotten attention from the James Beard Awards in the last few years.
S2: I think we touched on it last time. Where it was , we were the wave is still happening and it's still growing. I think I have a lot of conversations with like those chefs around the country. I think we're all just kind of doing what we want to do versus jobs that we thought we had to do. I think generally , generationally , a lot of us are first American Asian Americans , and then almost we're in that age of second , you know , and they are growing up differently than we are. And so , um , that openness to do other career paths , like being a chef and , um , and those are the people who are dining at our restaurants , um , a lot of them are my age. Um , and then they end up bringing their parents in , and it's just a new generation that are a lot more open to seeing where our food can go. Wow.
S1: Wow. So , you know , you work at two award winning restaurants , um , which is pretty amazing.
S2: Um , sometimes I feel like that's my biggest challenge , you know ? Um , I wish I could split myself into two some days where my attention can be at both places at the same time. But , you know , we're we're doing pretty good. I have a wonderful staff. My sous chefs kill it every day. Um , without them , I wouldn't be able to do any of this. So , um. But , yeah , I think I would be lying if I said it wasn't challenging , but that's kind of what I signed up for , and I knew that's something I wanted to do. And , um , so far , it's it's going good.
S1: All right. Well , outside of the kitchen , uh , there are , like , distinct food experiences at each of your restaurants.
S2: Uh , Asian American , I like to call it. Um , so I say it's 80% Asian , 20% French technique or whatever. You know anybody who's gone to culinary school and like you said , the brigade system was made by the French and the military , inspired by the military. So , um , a lot of our cooking techniques are our French trained. And then but , um , my food is very much Asian , a little bit Korean , Chinese , whatever it may be. And then , um , you know , we have a wonderful dining room that's art deco theme. Um , anime is a play on words of , um , anime. Wong , who is one of the first actresses in Hollywood that was Asian. And so , uh , that's kind of how we got the name. So if you come into a big grand dining room , um , lots of velvet. Yeah. And really good music playing. It could be hip hop and R&B one night , you know , and I like it. Yeah. With , um , with really great food. And you could get yourself a really awesome cocktail and glass of wine , um , and just sit down with some friends and have a really good time , you know , um , it's been really going really well , especially with James Beard from last year. And then the coke is I would like to see the French version of anime. Um , it's a like 70 supper club theme. You got a little disco ball in the corner. We have , uh , vinyl playing on Fridays and Saturdays from a DJ. Um , and then you got like , uh , Burgundy velvet with a lot of , um , art that is inspired from , like , the 70s plexus books or magazines that are , you know , very sexy. Um , and then the , the food I like is the opposite of anime , where it's 80% French and then 20% a little bit Asian in there. So yeah , both both fun dining rooms , very grand , very big , sharing a lot of space. So there's no walls. There's just everybody sees everybody. Yeah.
S1: Quite the the ambience you created there. That's great. I'm wondering if you can talk a little bit about , uh , the chef community in San Diego.
S2: I mean , there's a lot of events that happen. Granted , most of us are working almost every day. You know , and then Mondays on our day off or doing payroll or whatever , catching up on life. Um , but the the when we do see each other , it's it's it's great. I think our community is growing and growing every year. Um , and , you know , it it is. It's big but small. You know , so when me , I actually did an event and anybody who was anybody was there , you know. And , um , it was nice to see all of us in one room. Uh , and Chef Roberto , like , sharing love for me. I , you know , I give him super props for making semi-finals because he's been working a lot and really representing for Oceanside as a whole. Mhm. Um , but yeah , it's we , you know , our group in particular , we love to do events and collaborate with other chefs who want to have fun. You know , um , whether we did a crazy event for the LA fires where we had 13 different kind of burgers from different , you know , different chefs. Yeah. And I've me being in San Diego's I have never seen that , you know , happen before. But we all , you know , gathered for a great cause and really did an awesome event and was hosted by our group. And , um , everybody was very quick to say yes. So it's like everybody wants to do things obviously within their time because we all running our own restaurants. But it's , it's , it's a , it's a awesome community to be part of. That's why I stayed. Some people thought , well , I thought it might go back to LA and continue my career out there. But , you know , I saw a lot of opportunity for growth out here and working with the people I have , a lot of them I worked with in the industry , and now we're all running our own restaurants. So yeah , it's it's kind of like a small family , I guess you would say a little bit.
S1: That's wonderful.
S2: I mean , I think pushing I think pushing against the grain when it comes to like , certain foods. Like I put a lot of Filipino food on that a lot of people didn't know. Like , everybody knows the 100 ones of like , lumpia and pancit. You know , we have a big Filipino community out here. And if you have a friend that's Filipino , there's at some point you've gotten Filipino food , like , but , you know , putting things that aren't so popular and being like , hey , this is really good. And giving , gaining the trust of those people to try those things. I think at first it was a challenge because , um , you know , compared to LA , there's much more diversity in LA as far as cuisine than there is here. Um , and I think people want it and I think they're waiting for it. It's just at first they're a little scared , but now they've gained their trust. It's like they'll , they'll eat whatever it's on the menu. So yeah , I think that in that sense , you know , we're growing in that sense. But like it's still a little more limited. It's finding diversity as far as different types of cuisine , you know , like there's so many Chinese. China's so big , you know , and there's so many , uh , different dishes from different regions. And finding those in certain areas of San Diego are a lot more difficult , let's say , compared to New York. So , um , but we're getting there , we're getting there. And I think if people like me and the people , my peers who are who I know are really trying to push it , I think it's going to we're going to get there soon and people are going to have a lot of fun in this city.
S1: That's great. And you mentioned just a Chinese food. I mean , even regionally here in the US it's different. Yes. Like Saint Louis Chinese food. Where I'm from is much different than Chinese food here. Exactly.
S2: Exactly. Yeah. And it's , you know , and people. And then if you put something different on , it's like , well , that's not Chinese food. I'm like , well , wait , wait a second. It is , but where I'm from. Yeah. Or where this region and you know , and you don't want to give people a history lesson , but you just want to be like , you know , not just sit down and enjoy it and give it a try. And I think more and more we're getting that community and a quote unquote foodies coming out and , you know , really wanting more and more of it. And I think we're just wanting those people to come into our restaurants and really enjoy themselves. Yeah.
S1: Well , the winners will be announced in June , and you'll be cooking at the after party for the awards.
S2: Nervous about that ? Yeah. No , not at all. Not at all. You know , you have one bite to really show. And these people that you never know that you're going to meet again. You know , I think last year I remember walking to that space , I'm like , what am I doing here ? Like , I see these crazy chefs that I grew up watching , literally sitting in the front row behind me and then behind me and then walking up on stage like it's a it's a real experience. But and to be feeding those people that you're not only just feeding them , but I'm feeding them Filipino food , which to me is a proud moment , you know. And , um , I'm very excited about it and I hope they enjoy it. I hope I have that one chance to make an impression with a lot of these folks. But I you know , we do a great job at enemy and my team kills it. So I'm not scared. But you know , it's I'm if anything , I'm really , really excited. Yeah. Excellent.
S1: Excellent.
S2: We eat. We eat one pot meals. Um , because , you know , we after working a ten , 14 hour a day , you don't want to do dishes after you've been doing dishes all day. I eat a lot of shin ramen , uh , with an egg , a lot of blts , a lot of , um , you know , easy , easy meals that require not a lot of dishes that I can execute so that I can eat that quickly , take a shower and , you know , get whatever rest I can get. I don't I'm not I'm not like every chef. I'm sure some other chefs have time to cook. But when I , you know , during cook , uh , you know , when we during Covid and I had a break , I was cooking every day. I was cooking fast some days , whatever you felt like. Where I had the energy to do it in the time. Then yeah , I cooked anything under the sun. Whatever I felt inspired by. But on the day to day work , if I can grab a burrito , I will. Yeah.
S1: Well that's. Good.
S4: Good. Yeah. That's good. But on my weekends off , you know.
S2: I'll , you know , maybe make some , you know , simple meals that are like , kind of more nostalgic , like a lot of homey Filipino food , um , for me and my partner and , um , maybe just a simple , like , salad , steak dinner , you know , not nothing. Nothing. I'm not making a michelin dinner at home. Okay ? Because that requires a lot of dishes. And I don't want to do all this. Understood.
S1: Understood. Yeah , most of us are not , you know , holding it. Holding two ? Yeah. You know , restaurants down like you are. And , uh. Yeah , there are many days I don't feel like cooking at all. Exactly.
S2: Exactly. I don't blame you , you know ? You know , working hard , you know , and in and doing dishes and planning and cutting. And for me , it's like if I do maybe cutting an onion twice as fast as a normal person , but still feels very daunting when you're , um , when you're exhausted. So , yeah , I feel for you. I have no judgment. Yeah , we listen and we don't judge. This is true.
S5: This is true.
S1: So everybody stay off my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches , okay ? We do. I do what I can.
S5: I do what I can.
S1: I totally understand. It's been such a joy to talk to you again. And congratulations.
S2: I appreciate it , and it's always great to be here. So you're always great to talk to.
S1: So thank you. Thank you. I've been speaking with Chef Tara Mansard , the executive chef at Anime and Le Coq. Chef Tara , again thanks for joining us. Good luck this year.
S2: Thank you. Let's bring it home San Diego. I hope.
S5: I'll bring.
S1: It home. Coming up. It's the movie everyone's talking about. Sinners.
S6: Hey , there we are. A tale of a party.
S7:
S6:
S7:
S1: Our midday movie critics break it down when KPBS Midday Edition returns. This is KPBS midday edition. I'm Jade Hindman. Ryan Coogler has been dominating the box office the last two weeks , and one of the reasons is that people are not just wanting to see the movie , but also wanting to see it repeatedly. And that's because the film is not just an action packed vampire tale , but it is also a deeply personal film for Coogler , and it is packed with both history about his southern roots and with black culture. To unpack the film , we are gathering our midday movie's critics welcome once again to KPBS Cinema Junkie , Beth Accomando and movie Wallace podcaster Yazdi. Welcome to you both.
S8: Thank you so much.
S9: Thank you Jade.
S1: So I have not seen this film yet. I'm super excited to see it , but I am looking forward to you all's insight. And also , what are you what are we wearing today ? What this studio has really been turned into ? Um , you know , a layer of sorts. Tell me.
S5: To maybe a catacomb.
S8: I don't know. Well , you know , sinners is a vampire film. Not your typical vampire film. However , I did a Dracula hunt , and I thought it might be appropriate to bring a few items in. And , you know , just in case we're attacked , we have steaks and a Bible and holy water don't work on Ryan Coogler's vampires , but the steaks work really well. And I do have an instruction manual about how to do that. Okay. And I'm blood splattered , too , but that's okay. Yep yep yep. I'm not sure I fit the dress code for KPBS today , but it is work related. Hey.
S1: Hey. Any vampires ? We're ready.
S9: All right , I'll be prepared. Yes.
S1: Yes. Well , let's begin with a little setup for the film. Michael B Jordan plays twin brothers who returned to 1932 Mississippi to open a juke joint. Here's the trailer.
S7: Throwing a big event tonight. Listen here. This ain't no house party.
S10: That.
S7: That. Ooh.
S10: Ooh.
S7: You keep dancing with the devil. One day he's going to follow you home.
S11:
S1:
S8: So the thing about Ryan Coogler is he's so good at making personal films that also work as Hollywood products. In this case , it's a vampire horror action film , but it's also this very deeply personal film about his own southern roots and about black culture , and about what it's like to live in Mississippi as a black person in 1932. The thing is , they're also calling this Ryan Coogler's first horror film or first foray into horror. But I would say that his first movie , Fruitvale Station , which is about the death of this young black man , a real story , a young black man who was killed by a Bart officer. That's horror. That's real world horror. And for half of sinners. I would say it's that real world horror where we're dealing with , you know , Michael B Jordan , as these two twin brothers comes back , he's facing these white people who do not seem wholly trustworthy at all. And then it makes a jump halfway through to supernatural and vampires , and then it becomes a different kind of horror. And , you know , somebody who's a fan of zombies. I'm used to zombies being a blank canvas for social commentary. I'm not as used to vampires being that way. And he just minds them for everything they're worth and delivers on so many levels.
S1: Wow , it sounds like this one does not fit neatly into any box.
S9: It's the reason we want to sit down in a in a cinema seat and just be wowed. And we watch so many movies every day , and we kind of are used to just going through a mediocre movie watching experience. And every once in a while , a movie comes along with just shakes you up. And this is that movie. Every movie that Ryan Coogler has made has taken on a particular genre and kind of refracted it through the black experience , be it Creed , which was a follow up for the Rocky movies , or Fruitvale Station or the Black Panther movies , which were superhero movies. And now this one centers. He takes the framework of the vampire movie to say so much about the state of racism then and now. Wow.
S1: Wow. Also , music plays a key role in the film. So let's talk about the big set piece in the middle of the film that plays out to the song I Lied to You.
S12: So I want to tell you for a long time. It might hurt you. Hope you don't lose your mind. Well , I was just a boy about eight years old. You threw me a Bible on that Mississippi road. See ? I love you , Papa. You did all you can do. They show the truth. Hurts. So I lied to you. Yes , I lied to you. I love you.
S8: This is another reason to see it in the theater is it's not just to see the visuals and see it in Imax. It's to hear it. Because this music , you hear that beat that's coming through. Like you start to feel that coming up through your feet and up through your body. And Sammy is the one playing this music. And we're told that he plays so well that he can pierce the veil between dimensions. So what's interesting in a film like this where there's a lot of action and other set pieces. I think most people coming out of the film will probably be talking about this big musical number , but I don't think it's a spoiler to say that this piece of music happens , and it does pierce the veil between dimensions. It conjures up an evil character. It also serves as this commentary on how music strings through black culture. And I speak with John Jennings about the film , and he's a comic book artist , and he also talks a lot about Afrofuturism and this notion that this music is almost a way to time travel , even though you may be in this one fixed place that you think you are , like , there's all these other time frames past , present , future that also exist at the same time. So I think it's really interesting for the music in this sequence to kind of do two things , which is the one play up this role in the horror. And then this other part , which is about how music is so key to black culture.
S1:
S9: The first part of the movie is set in Jim Crow South , about this group of people who just want to have a good time and enjoy their music. And then the second part of the movie is the vampire bit. And this scene is the one which connects part A and part two of the movie. And not to indulge in hyperbole , but I cannot think of a movie in recent times which is used music this effectively when this scene comes along. The movie has been going at a particular pace and it just takes off. And I had a transcendent experience when it when it happened. It's quite a remarkable achievement of how it's been shot , how the music is played. Coogler has used 65 millimeter film. He uses different aspect ratios. So we see a lot of mastery of the craft here to really give the audience an out-of-body experience.
S1: I think the first half of the film is about setting up the party , and Coogler is giving us a lot of detail about black life in the South in 1932. But when night falls and Sammy's music pierces the veil , things change and we get the character of Remick.
S6: Hey there , we heard tale of a party.
S7:
S6:
S7:
S6: You fellers must be the owners of this establishment.
S7: That's right.
S6: I'll show.
S7: You a bit. More.
S13: More. I didn't clean pick. Pour a bit clean.
S6: I'll pick his head. I picked his feet. I would.
S13: Have picked his body , but he wouldn't fit to. Eat.
S6: Eat. Let's go now.
S1: Hadn't seen the movie , but I already know it was a mistake letting them in. It was such a mistake. So let's talk about rhythmic and vampires. Beth , you want to start ? Sure.
S8: So he is a fascinating character because he is both kind of the layers they give him. He can be both victim and predator. He's terrifying , but he's also absolutely seductive.
S6: Well , in.
S14: The very month of May , for me , all my stars had left. The girls of June were nearly broken hearted , saluted father dear.
S8: He also uses music like Sammy and he's Irish in the film. And again , this brings up another layer because at one point he talks about the Irish being colonized by the British. And when the Irish first came over here to the US , you know , they were considered people of color also. So there's those layers to it. But then he talks like a preacher where he's come be part of our community , come be part of this family. And he's got this vibe like a preacher where he's pulling you in and kind of seducing you with something attractive. But he's also very scary. And he's key to the horror , the vampire horror in this film. But again , it's layered with the ideas of colonization , racism. There's so much to unpack through it and the music. The piece that Sami plays is key , but there's also a piece with Irish music that is as impactful. And again , you really feel the music like through your body in this film when you see it in the theater. And that's part of the experience. Yeah.
S1: Yeah.
S9: It can open up your fortunes , it can open up evil forces as well. And you can see that both with the protagonists as well as with the bad guys. So Remick and Has two other companions. They are exceptional musicians themselves , and they are using music to actually get away into this group of black citizens who are kind of trying to just have a good time at the juke joint in the middle of the night. And I just love that. Coogler fathoms racism and all of its cruel ways as simply vampires , you know , as a form of vampire ism which is out to suck the blood out of minority culture. So there's so many ways to kind of interpret it. And Jack O'Connell , who plays Remick , is exceptional. He's equal parts like shining , shimmering scales and potent venom. I mean , there's something very snakelike about him , but you're still you can understand why he's let in. You can you can see his charisma. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. This is so fascinating. I mean , this film is rich in meaning.
S9: One is A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night , which was an Iranian film which came out a few years ago , and it's a beautiful , stylish black and white film. I mean , you seldom see , you know , the vampire aspect in Iranian cinema , but this kind of movie takes a totally different view of vampires in that the central protagonist , she's a vampire , and she uses her skills to protect women in Iran against patriarchy , against the men who want to do harm. And so in this case , her being a vampire is seen as a in a positive light. And we seldom see that aspect of a vampire story. The other one I would also like to bring up was the movie , which was released on Christmas Day last year , which is Robert Eggers reimagining of Nosferatu , the original F.W. Murnau film. And he does a pretty faithful homage to the original film , but there are parts of it which are different enough that anybody who is a lover of cinema , who's a lover of horror , ought to ought to visit it. The central character of Ellen has been changed enough that she's no longer somebody to whom bad things happen. She's not just a receptacle for the vampire's desire. She is part of the desire. She summons him so her haunting is not just a haunting by the vampire , but there's also a sexual component to it. So I really like how that movie kind of opens up some of those themes , which probably could not be addressed in the original film. And also the movie is just amazing to look at visually. There's these wonderful shades of blacks that he plays with during the course of the movie. And definitely worth checking out.
S1: All right. Those are those are two on the list for sure.
S8: John Hess is a really interesting movie from 1973. Spike Lee remade it more recently , but it's it's sort of on the edge of blaxploitation , but it's a little more arthouse , and it deals with someone who is pierced with a sword from Africa that has , like , infected blood on it , and it turns him into a kind of vampiric creature. But again , it has this feeling of spanning different time frames through this , and this plays up more a religious aspect also. But there's also music , which is similar to Ryan Coogler's film , but it's a really interesting film to see a very underappreciated. And then on the more exploitation end , there's Blacula , which I know a lot of people laugh at because of the name , but it actually is kind of serious in its social messaging because Dracula turns this African prince into a vampire , and it's , again , this twist on colonialism , and it has a bit of a , you know , a ring and a sting to it.
S5: All right.
S1: Well , that wraps up another edition of KPBS Midday Movies. And remember , on Friday , you can watch the full Cinema Junkie video podcast of the show with an additional discussion of sinners with authors John Jennings and David F Walker. Beth , do you want to tease to that ? Sure.
S8: Well , John Jennings and David F Walker are two of my favorite Cinema junkie guests that I've had on before. They're both creators of comic books. John Jennings has adapted Octavia Butler novels for comics , and he teaches about Afrofuturism. And David Walker is the author of a comic series called Bitter Root , which has some themes that overlap with sinners. So it was a really great discussion and I hope you will watch and listen. Wonderful.
S1: Wonderful. Well , this discussion , at least right here , has made me definitely want to go see the Movie Center. So yeah , I want to thank KPBS , Cinema Junkie , Beth Accomando and movie Wallace podcaster Yazdi. Thank you both.
S5: Thank you , thank you.
S1: Still to come your weekend preview with Julia Dickson Evans when KPBS Midday Edition returns. Welcome back. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman for our weekend arts preview. We have design , a traditional Chinese instrument and a children's book about houseplants. Joining me with all the details is KPBS arts reporter and host of our new podcast , The Finest. Julia Dixon Evans. Welcome , Julia.
S15: Hey , Jade. Thanks for having. Me.
S1: Me. Always a pleasure. So first up is a big festival of art and design across the border. Tell us about Tijuana Design Week.
S15: Yes , it's a three day festival all about design. And it's kind of a sister event to the one that happens here San Diego Design Week every fall. There's exhibitions , there's panels , workshops , performances and then activations. All sorts of stuff scattered across galleries , studios , businesses in Tijuana and KPBS. Podcasts. Port of entry and the finest. We're going to present a panel discussion on audio , storytelling and narrative and podcasts that will be 2 p.m. on Friday at the Free School of Architecture.
S1: Very nice.
S15: And there's a couple of other things I would want to point out. There's a panel with independent publisher additions. That's noon on Saturday. There's a workshop using bio industrial byproducts like from beer that's at Telefonica Gastro Park at 11 on Saturday. And then a series of exhibitions throughout the weekend at Vortex and Pop Gallery and a bunch more. It's all free. It runs Friday through Sunday across Tijuana , and some of the events do require a reservation and some of them are already at capacity , so check before you go. You can go to Tijuana and find all the programs divided by day and type.
S1: All right. In San Diego , we happen to have a world acclaimed expert on the traditional Chinese string instrument , the pipa. And this weekend there's a concert where you can check it out. Yeah.
S15: Yeah. So this is with the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus , and it honors this year's winner of the Steven Schick Prize for Acts of Musical Imagination , which is a great title for a prize , I think. So this year the winner is woman. She's a local composer and pipa player. She is incredibly talented and just really incredible to watch play the pipa. It's this almost like a lute , like a guitar instrument that can be strummed or plucked. And the concert includes this performance of Lei Lang's Five Seasons for pipa and string orchestra performed by Wu Man and their two shows 730 on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday at Mandeville Auditorium at UCSD.
S1: It's such an interesting sound. I love that instrument. All right. City Ballet of San Diego is back on stage with a couple of beloved ballets.
S15: And they'll perform Elizabeth Westbrook's choreography for the music by composer Bizet. And Westbrook first set this to ballet in 1989. It's been eight years since they've performed it in San Diego , so it'll be great to hear it again. And they're also doing Balanchine's 1956 ballet Divertimento Number 15 , which is set to music by Mozart. and I'll have two shows at California Center for the Arts , Escondido , 8:00 on Saturday and 2:00 on Sunday afternoon.
S1: And local author Mara Altman is doing an event this weekend at Warwick's on Sunday. Tell us about her book. Yeah.
S15: Yeah. So Myra Altman is going to be celebrating her new children's picture book. It's called A Little Shelf Love. It just came out last month , and this book is about houseplants inspired by her own childhood growing up in her parents nursery. And it's also about remembering to love yourself.
S16: It's about a pothos plant , which is a green , leafy vine , and she joins a new shelf of plants. And so she kind of sees how what all the other plants are doing and tries to be like them. And then until she realizes that she has bad ass green vines and it's just inherently her.
S15: That was Mara Altman talking about her book to KPBS recently , and she's going to sign and discuss books on Sunday at one. It's part of Warwick's Weekends with local series in La Jolla.
S1: Yeah , and I believe I did that interview and I have to say , my daughter absolutely loved her book. She couldn't wait to see what was on the next page.
S15: It's so cute.
S1: It is. It's adorable. All right. There's a free performance by the Leonard Patent Trio. And I just spoke to Leonard last week on Midday Edition , and he even sang for us. Take a listen. Softly.
S7: Softly.
S17: And then the morning sunrise , the lie of love comes stealing into a newborn baby. Flaming with all the glow of sunrise , a burning kisses sealing the vow that all betrays you. But do do do do do do do.
S15: And in addition to being an incredible performer , Leonard Patton runs the Jazz Lounge and also performs all around town. And he's such a fixture in the local jazz scene and also just kind of exemplifies the scene.
S17: I mean , I think in San Diego. The jazz culture. Everybody who's running venues or doing programs , everybody's together. Collectively , are creating the culture. It's not one person , one place.
S15: So Leonard's playing a free show at the La Jolla music society with his trio at 430 on Friday. So if you can cut out a work a little early. This is a really great way to start your weekend. He is such a dynamic , such an engaging performer.
S1: Indeed he is. All right. The beginning of May also marks the big exchange from the San Diego Museum Council.
S15: And some of the museums included are the new Children's Museum , the Japanese Friendship Garden , mCAD , Living Coast Discovery Center , Comic-Con Museum , and the Birch Aquarium , and some of the venues have limitations , like with the Birch Aquarium , you have to book a spot in advance online , and these generally don't include special events or films , and you don't get any other membership perks like discounts. But it is a great way to , like , have one membership and use it in a bunch of places. This runs from May 1st through May 18th.
S1:
S15: As always. So Sunday night , British indie rock band King Hanna is coming to the soda bar and Local Moon Daddy is opening. This is the project of singer songwriter producer Kara Parker , and we're listening to one of her latest singles , Water Bearer. Oh.
S18: Oh. From your heart. For.
S1: You can find details on these in more arts events , or sign up for Julia's weekly newsletter at our website , KPBS. I've been speaking with KPBS arts reporter and host of the finest podcast , Julia Dixon Evans. Julia. Thanks.
S15: Thank you. Jade.
S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
