In honor of Chef Todd Allison, Anthology’s new culinary rock star, elite members of the San Diego media scene came together on August 17 to celebrate on the club’s third floor lounge
The media movers and shakers not only enjoyed champagne and the music of the Anthology House Band, but a variety of Chef Todd’s specialties including Maine Lobster Corn Dogs, Dungeness Crab Beignets, Golden Beets & Goat Cheese, Braised Short Rib And Truffle Risotto, Mediterranean Meat Satay, White Chocolate Rice Pudding.
Each guest received a jar of Chef Todd’s homemade gourmet jams. Along with Heirloom tomato and saffron, the flavors included black mission fig and port preserve and yellow peach and clove preserve.
All the food was well-received (as was Chef Todd), but the braised short rib was singled out by at least one guest as the last thing he’d like to eat before he died.
Guess he liked it.
CLICK HERE to view the photos.
by Ryan Eisenacher | discoversd.com
San Diego foodies, drum roll please…..
Little Italy’s revered restaurant and music venue Anthology has added another kitchen superstar to their already stellar lineup. Award-winning Chef Todd Allison has joined the San Diego supper club to bring savory and innovative dishes to the San Diego scene.
But you’d be equally surprised to find out that this all-star didn’t start out his career wanting to be a chef.
“It was set in stone that I was going to go to a racing school,” Todd said. “That’s where my passions were, but a certain series of events landed me back in San Diego and, to earn money, I went back to what I was comfortable in and that was back in the kitchen.”
A native of Coronado, Allison began his culinary career working as a dish washer before moving his way up the ranks to be sous chef. Still, Allison never thought about cooking as a career until a good friend named Ken Irvine suggested he go to culinary school. Irvine introduced Allison to James Boyce, a top chef at Mary Elaine’s at the Phoenician Resort & Spa in Arizona, who became like a second father and the rest is chopping block history.
Over the years, Allison has acquired accolades including the Mobile 5-Star, Triple A 5-Diamond and the Grand Wine Spectator awards, as well as notable positions as Sous Chef at Aqua at the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point and Chef de Cuisine at Bollinger’s in Laguna Beach.
Now back in action in his hometown of San Diego, Allison’s deep rooted culinary passion has made him overwhelmingly excited about making the Anthology menu as noteworthy as its musical lineup. Music fans can expect nightly specials to offer tastes compatible with the musical guests.
“Music has a huge impact on food,” says Allison. “If you’re listening to some conga drums, you’re not going to want Mediterranean Sea Bass; you’re going to be thinking about drinking a pina colada and having some plantains. Music and food both have the ability to take you to an area, even if you’ve never been there.”
With plans to freshen and shake things up in the kitchen, Chef Allison will definitely wow diner with his signature Cranberry-Pistachio Pesto and unusual Harissa spice, a chili paste made from the North African Piri Piri pepper that delivers a pleasant heat on the end of dishes. He also plans to incorporate his favorite fish, Loup de Mer, which he says translates to ‘Wolf of the Sea.’
Make Chef Allison’s Fav Dish
Harissa Marinated Calendonia Skewers
What you’ll need: 5 smoked Roma tomatoes, 5 roughly chopped Roma tomatoes, 5 cloves of garlic chopped, 1 chopped Spanish onion, 2 ribs celery chopped, 1 fennel bulb chopped, 2 stalks leeks chopped, 2 cups white wine, 1 quart chicken stock, 1 sprig fresh thyme, 2 bay leaves, 1 handful fresh basil
Make it: In large sauce pot, sauté garlic, onion, celery, fennel and leeks for roughly five minutes, deglaze with wine and add saffron. Add tomatoes and chicken stock, bring to a simmer, add fresh herbs and cook for 40 minutes. Puree and strain through a fine sieve.
Combine 1 cup of olive oil and half-cup of harissa paste mix well. Next, marinate 4 to 5 prawns in the harissa marinade for 30 minutes then place them on a skewer with assorted vegetables (cipiollini onions, bell peppers, fennel). Preheat your grill and once it’s hot, cook skewers on both sides for 4 to 5 minutes.
Serve: Place your skewers in a large bowl or deep plate and pour the tomato broth over and enjoy!
Eat Up! Head into Anthology this summer to discover how Chef Todd Allison has “relit the kitchen fire” with his creative menu full of marvelous flavor. We guarantee your taste buds will be hooked.
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Via discoversd.com
by LINDSAY HOOD | nbcsandiego.com
He is a feast for the eyes and he can prepare a feast for your tummy.
Todd Allison is a talented culinary artist and was once nominated for title of ‘most sexy’ chef. He is the executive chef at Anthology.
Allison likes to think of himself as a Mediterranean and French fusionist with a passion for California ingredients.
He has been working in the kitchen since he was a child, ever since he used to ask his mom, “What’s for Dinner?” and she would reply, “I don’t know, Todd. What is for dinner?”
Through trial and error, Allison became a master in the kitchen, but with his serious side comes his playful side and two of his recipes can help you bring the fun right into your own kitchen.
Dazzle your guests with a Cotton Candy Mojito. Stir up your favorite mojito mixture, sugar the rim, place a small amount of cotton candy in the glass, and pour your mixture right on top. Your guests can watch the cotton candy melt right into their glass.
If you are in the mood for fun, amaze your friends with Allison’s Lobster Corn Dogs.
Take some lobster and dip it in your basic corn dog batter and dip it in your fry daddy at home. If you don’t have one, put some oil in a pot wait until it reaches 300 degrees, which you can check by using a candy thermometer. Fry it for about 3 minutes and voila you have a lobster corn dog.
A native of Coronado, Allison began his career in the kitchen as a dishwasher, working his way up through the ranks.
As a child, he dreamed of attending racing school and becoming a NASCAR driver, but at the suggestion of a friend he entered culinary school.
“I wanted to be like Ricky Bobby, I wanted to go fast, but I ended up going fast in the kitchen,” Allison said.
Allison was introduced to top chef James Boyce, who became like a second father to him and guided him through his career.
“He changed my whole world view on what being a chef is all about,” Allison said.
Allison plans to take his passion for food and make Anthology’s menu as noteworthy as its musical lineup.
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Via nbcsandiego.com
by Keli Dailey | signonsandiego.com
Three weeks with a new chef at Anthology (they finally replaced Eric Bauer, who left in May), and already the supper club kitchen’s smoking.
Smoldering within: a hot acquisition from the Hilton Checkers in Los Angeles, chef Todd Allison, nominated L.A.’s sexiest chef not long before his departure (la.eater.com).
Know what that means?
Allison — a San Diego native who busted suds in Coronado restos as a teenage dishwasher; who worked the line beside renowned chefs James Boyce and Michael Mina; who has executive cheffed in three Cali culinary cities — could be Mr. August in our calendar of smoking hot San Diego chefs. (He surfs. We’re thinking a B&W Herb Ritts-esque beach shoot.)
Of course, some of you turn to our food notes for more than which pretty faces are on our gastro-groupie radar.
So we’ll tell you last night Anthology hosted a coming-out-media-party for Allison. We were treated to the chef’s handmade jams as gifts. (We’ll probably use his tomato saffron jam – made with overripe toms from Suzie’s Farm — on a chicken kabob with carmelized onion and cucumber tonight.)
We were also introduced to some of his new menu. We talked to the chef about his love of fresh and local. However, it felt like a real missed opportunity to not have Allison spoon feed the bite-sized samples to guests.
Musician Josh Damigo, who stopped by the Allison party with Rosie Bystrak of SDDialedIn before the Swell Season concert, had this to say on his Twitter.
“The Braised Short Rib w/ truffle risotto at @AnthologySD. May the record show, this is what I want for my last meal when I’m on death row.”
And then Damigo retrieved two spoonfuls of the baby soft short rib dish for us.
It tasted like love.
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By Hadley Tomicki | losangeles.grubstreet.com
Chef Todd Allison has apparently bolted from Downtown’s Checker’s. The news arrives this morning from down south, with San Diego Gay and Lesbian News reporting that Allison is now manning the stoves at a Downtown San Diego restaurant and music venue named Anthology. Allison, a gifted veteran of Michael Mina’s empire, revitalized the menus at Checker’s, where ole man Keller himself once cooked, with gorgeous plates of seasonally influenced cuisine. Sadly, the restaurant and hotel bar were typically much more empty than his cooking deserved, likely overshadowed by the boom of trendy new Downtown food and drink projects. It’s hard to picture Checker’s bouncing back without a big name to follow Allison’s departure, so stay tuned for updates on its fate.
Anthology’s new executive chef Todd Allison shares recipe for prawn skewers [San Diego Gay and Lesbian News]
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Todd Allison didn’t start out wanting to be a chef. He actually wanted to be a race car driver and had his future road to success all laid out for him.
“It was set in stone that I was going to go to a racing school,” Allison said. “That’s where my passions were, but a certain series of events landed me back in San Diego and, to earn money, I went back to what I was comfortable in and that was back in the kitchen.” It’s a place he’s always been comfortable ever since he asked his mom, “What’s for dinner?” and she replied, “I don’t know, Todd. What’s for dinner?” and let him learn through trial and error.
From that fateful moment, Allison, a native of Coronado, moved on to professional restaurants, where he worked while in high school trying to earn money for surf trips with his friends. He started out as dish washer before working his way up through the ranks to be sous chef. Still, Allison never thought about cooking as a career until a good friend, Ken Irvine suggested he go to culinary school.
Irvine introduced Allison to James Boyce, a top chef at Mary Elaine’s at The Phoenician Resort and Spa, a highly regarded restaurant in Arizona, who became like a second father. “He changed my whole world view on what being a chef is all about,” Allison said. “It’s more than writing a menu. You have to mentor. You have to coach. You have to go out into the dining room and mingle. You have to make a connection with your customers or they’re not going to come back.
“Yeah, your food will speak for itself, but there’s more than that. You have to talk with your servers. It has to be more than, ‘What do you want?’ It’s, ‘Hey, have you tried the risotto?’ Tell the customers your favorite dishes. Tell them what’s in season. Tell them about that particular fish or vegetable and why it’s so much better in the summer than the winter.”
Allison has learned his lessons well. So well in fact that he has already earned such prestigious honors as the Mobile 5-Star, the AAA 5 Diamond and the Grand Wine Spectator Award.
But the road to Allison’s success has brought him back home to San Diego for the first time in 12 years as Anthology’s superstar chef. He is excited to see how his hometown has changed since he’s been gone. “San Diego definitely needed time to develop into more of a restaurant destination like New York, Chicago or San Francisco,” he said. “San Diego didn’t have that 12 years ago and that’s why I left. I wanted to see what this business really had to offer. I wanted to be challenged and yelled at by a big French chef, and be threatened, and learn what it was like to be in a serious professional kitchen.
“I think if I had stayed in San Diego, I would have stayed in my normal rut of surfing and hanging out with my friends and just going to work for a paycheck.” Now, Allison has the passion of a true believer and is excited about making the Anthology menu as noteworthy as its musical lineup. He will do this by introducing such signature dishes as Cranberry-Pistachio Pesto and through his unusual use of Harissa spice, a chili paste made from the North African Piri Piri pepper. Still, Allison - who plays piano, drums and guitar - wants to give himself plenty of room to improvise.
“My menu will change seasonally,” he promised. “Once I see a dish come through the pass more than 500 times, I don’t want to see it anymore. There’s just too much food to be stuck on one item.” Music fans can also expect the nightly specials to offer tastes compatible with the musical guests. “Music has a huge impact on food,” he said. “If you’re listening to some conga drums, you’re not going to want Mediterranean Sea bass; you’re going to be thinking about drinking a pina colada and having some plantains. It has a huge influence. Music and food both have the ability to take you to an area, even if you’ve never been there.”
By Chad Deal | San Diego Reader
Anthology is a three-level restaurant and club just south of Little Italy on India. Inspired by CEO Howard Berkson’s roots in Chicago nightlife, the 13,000-square-foot establishment pairs New American fine dining with live music in a sophisticated environment of 30-foot high ceilings, a wall of drapes illuminated by soft blue lighting, natural wood finishes, and concrete interior walls. The club hosts jazz, blues, classic rock, R&B, world, and Latin music and has seen performances from Chick Corea, Earl Thomas, and the Count Basie Orchestra. Reservations are encouraged.
Haylie and I are seated a few tables back from the stage, where a Tina Turner video projects on the wall. Our server, Tabitha, brings us a wine list of 250+ selections and the Fresh Vibe Tuesday menu featuring appetizers and entrées for under $20. We order an appetizer of buttery Calamari al Ajillo ($7), which is garnished with Yukon gold potatoes and organic olives.
The house band opens with a jazz number sung by the sultry Rebecca Jade. Members of the well-versed group have performed with Stevie Wonder, Jason Mraz, and Stanley Turrentine. The digital sound quality is immaculate as the group covers a Grover Washington Jr. tune. Tabitha returns with an entrée of Red Snapper Veracruz ($17) and a plate of Roasted Spring Vegetable & Manchego Cheese Tamales ($14) served with sweet corn purée and a citrus-y tomatillo & avocado salsa.
The band goes on to play tunes from Louis Armstrong, Aretha Franklin, Christina Aguilera, and the Jobim classic “Corcovado” as patrons converse softly over the music. Jade sings an a cappella “Happy Birthday” to a woman in the audience, which, Haylie conjectures, secretly makes us all wish it were our birthdays.
The mezzanine, empty on this night, hosts dining and a chic bar/lounge with an aerial view of the stage. The second level offers informal dining with a view, a Taylor Guitars private dining room, a balcony over India Street, and a lounge with an 18-foot-long fireplace. The restrooms (the true measure, Haylie tells me) maintain the upscale ambiance with mouthwash, marble sinks, and automatic everything.
Attire: Upscale casual
Prices: $15-$45 (up to $100). Value and VIP tickets available.
Happy Hour: Tuesday-Friday, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Capacity: 300 seats
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday: 5:30-9:00 p.m., Friday & Saturday: 5:30pm-12:30 a.m.
Best deal: Fresh Vibe Tuesdays. $5 entry. No food/drink minimum ($15 per person most nights).
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Via San Diego Reader
This swanky Little Italy supper club is making your life easy this Mother’s Day by offering two ways to celebrate mom that will leave her singing your praises. A specialty brunch will be served from 11am – 2pm, and during brunch, the Anthology House Band will be performing a musical tribute to female R&B legends – featuring all the favorites from Billie to Aretha and Beyonce. Goodies on the brunch menu include Carpaccio of Hawaiian Pineapple with mango and strawberry crudo, honey infused yogurt and toasted coconut; Dungeness Crab Benedict with poached cage free organic eggs, crab salad, Crows Pass Farms bordeaux spinach, roasted rosemary potatoes schaner and Farms citrus hollandaise; and House Fried Chicken and Waffles with pure maple syrup, vanilla bean cream, rosemary and apple buerre blanc; among many more dining options. For dessert, make sure to save room for the Buttermilk Panna Cotta with strawberry and lemongrass coulis, dried fruits and toasted rosemary. If you can’t make it to brunch, then treat mom to Anthology’s dinner and show duo with a multi-media presentation by Luscious Noise starting at 7:30pm. Dining options are a la carte; brunch show tickets are $10 and dinner show tickets are $15. For details and reservations, please call or visit Anthology in Little Italy. Get more details here
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Via DiscoverSD.com
Anthology in Little Italy will host the Manny Cepeda Orchestra. Enjoy the Salsa/Merengue music of this invigorating group while indulging in the restaurant’s extensive wine list and inventive menu. Show begins at 7:30pm and the bar/lounge admission is just $14.
WHAT: Manny Cepeda Orchestra
WHEN: Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 - 7:30pm
TICKETS: $10 - $14 BUY TICKETS
MORE INFO: Artist Profile
By Robin Dohrn -Simpson | sandiegowoman.com
Marsha Berkson is everywoman’s woman. Like all other modern women, she struggles with juggling home, kids, activities, community service and a full time job. Unlike most women Marsha (along with her husband) owns the hot new concert venue and restaurant in Little Italy, Anthology.
Marsha was busy raising her two sons, while her husband pursued a career as an attorney and real estate developer. But her husband, Howard, always had a dream of opening a music venue where the sound was perfect and where musicians loved to play.
“My husband did his due diligence. He would go to clubs everywhere when we were on vacations, for hours, and he’d learn a ton of what to do and how to put them together,” Marsha explains. He sought out the best sound people in the country to figure out what to do.
Finally one day he said “I’m going to build my music venue that I always wanted.” And then he did it. He converted a 1 story garage into a 3-story state-of-the-art music venue, with nooks and crannies throughout. But most importantly with perfect sound. He didn’t want to get into the restaurant or night club business, all he wanted was to have a place with great sound, and bring great music to San Diego. His desire was a place that people would enjoy being a part of; artists would enjoy playing and guests would enjoy listening to the artists.
The original philosophy of great music morphed into bringing back “that old supper club feel” but with a contemporary spin on it. Today you can enjoy fine dining with a value added spin on it when you go to listen to an artist.
“It was built in the most efficient and effective way to build. The room is built for sound. It is acoustically perfect.” Marsha said. “All of the materials are here for a reason. How they absorb sound. How sound travels.” She explained that the ceiling was even made with waves in it to make the sound travel evenly. “You can sit in any spot in the room and have the same perfect sound at the same time as the person 2 stories up hears it.”
Artists love performing here due to the perfect sound. “There isn’t an artist from Ramsey Lewis to Pat Metheney to Chick Corea that doesn’t walk off the stage and say ‘Wow, this sound is amazing’. So when you hear that from their perspective you know you got it right. And they want to come back and perform.” Marsha said.
Jazz isn’t the only genre of music that you’ll hear here. Today you can hear music for everybody. Some of the singer/songwriters are younger and bring a younger crowd. Some classic rock groups bring a more mature crowd. Whatever it is, you’ll find somebody on their calendar.
The food parallels the sound. Anthology’s chef, Eric Bauer, has created a tasty menu with foods with the simplicity of flavors. His goal is to create a menu with the freshest ingredients that San Diego has to offer. Most Saturdays you can find him at the Farmers Mercado in Little Italy searching out seasonal produce.
The Berkson’s love the neighborhood feel of Little Italy. It reminds them of their native Chicago. They have taken that feeling into their creation. Tuesday is Fresh Vibe night where guests can walk around the area and pop in after work, enjoy a drink and Chef Eric’s appetizers and meals and listen to the house band.
Anthology is located at 1337 India Street. Check out their calendar at www.anthologysd.com to find when your favorite artist is playing.
Community Service
Marsha’s true passion is community service and social action. When her kids were younger, she helped with social programs at their school and felt that kids needed to learn how to give back to their community. “I wanted to create a program where kids participated, or ran the charity.” Berkson said. One day she approached the administrators of Jewish Family Service (JFS) with her idea to start a food pantry, which was run totally by the kids. The kids would plan, take in inventory, pack food for distribution and distribute food; handle the whole process. JFS liked the idea and “Hand Up” was born.
“This charity is not a hand out, it is a hand up.” Marsha explains. “There’s a huge difference between the two.” Everyone needs help at different times in their lives. Hand Up Youth Food Pantry is all about providing help for people get back on their feet.
“We’re teaching the kids the full cycle; they can see how important it is that everything and everyone work together. Seeing the food recipients makes a huge difference.” The Hand up grocery store is open one Sunday a month at Camp Pendleton and once a month at Murphy Canyon military housing. There are various other locations throughout the county, go to www.handupfoodpantry.com.
Marsha also wanted to teach the kids leadership skills and public speaking. “If they’re going to be able to go and talk to somebody at their school, or business, or church or synagogue, they need to know how to speak in public.” She wanted them to learn how to conduct a meeting, run an agenda, motivate people and even how to write grants. The fruits of her year and a half labor now extend to 12 high schools in San Diego. “Where other charity’s food pantries have bare, empty shelves around the country right now, our food pantries are full. Stocked to the brim. And it’s really wonderful. The kids feel the passion and they understand the importance of hunger.”
“The ownership that the kids have in the program is rewarding.” Marsha said.
All of her efforts paid off when she was presented with a Mitzvah (meaning a good deed in Hebrew) by Jewish Family Service. Last year she was recognized nationally by JFS with the prestigious Goodman Award, a new program honor. Although very thankful for this award, Marsha is more thrilled when kids stop her and thank her for starting Hand Up and for letting them be a part of it.
To donate to Hand Up or to conduct a food drive in your school, business, group or congregation, call . If you would like to volunteer contact them at handup@jfssd.org.
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By Lee Schoenbart | Carmel Valley News
Most music aficionados know that an anthology is a collection of their favorite recording artist’s music – not all of them chart-toppers, yet very special to the collector. Aboxed set, however, is the ultimate collection.
For Carmel Valley residents Howard and Marsha Berkson, Anthology – the name of their supper club – was a better fit, although it has boxed-set appeal.
The Berksons cultivated a knack for pairing marvelous menus with amazing talents from across the spectrum of musical genres.
At this paper’s press time, jazz fusion artist Al Di Meola was wrapping up a two-evening set. He’s being followed by rocker Dave Mason for two nights, then Acoustic Alchemy, the smooth jazz quintet. Next month, talents as varied as Anthology’s menu will grace the stage including Diane Schuur, Jon Secada and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
As for dining, guests at Anthology can choose from dinner, lounge and happy hour menus along with wine and bar lists.
Anthology is the vision of San Diego-based real estate developer Howard Berkson who opened the venue during the summer of 2007. Marsha Berkson, philanthropist and volunteer with Jewish Family Services, has handled the day to day operation of Anthology since 2008. In preparation for Anthology, the Berksons, avid travelers, spent 20 years visiting music clubs worldwide.
“I grew up in Chicago where going out for a great meal paired with live music was part of the cultural experience,” said Howard, a string bass player and guitarist in a buddy band with perhaps some closet musical aspirations of this own.
Responding with great laughter after being referred to as “Lady Madam Impresario,” Marsha said, “It was really my husband’s dream to build this venue; I had no idea what I was getting into!”
Then, about her responsibilities, she added, “It’s so big, there are so many moving parts to it – the restaurant, the music, all the different genres we bring in. There was so much to be involved in. It’s not just running a restaurant, it’s not just running a music venue and how you have to work the two together.”
But Marsha’s weathered the last couple of years of a terrible economy and Anthology continues to be one of the brightest nighttime destinations in downtown San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood.
“There’s so many great perks about it, said Marsha about all the fascinating components to running Anthology. “It’s exciting having this very unique entrepreneurial place where people feel they get such a great experience when they come to it. They sit down, have great food and listen to a terrific artist.
“And I love when people come up to me at the end of the evening saying, ‘Oh my gosh, that was so much fun, we had such a great time, thank you so much, it was such a really special evening.’ There’s something special about being in that realm,” Marsha said.
“Then,” she explained, “when you go back stage, and you thank the artist, ‘Thank you so much, it was a great show,’ and they look at you and say, ‘There’s no place like this, this is the most wonderful place, I hope to come back here and I’m going to tell everybody about it.’ So, it’s a great experience from the front of the house to the back of the stage.” Anthology is at 1337 India St. For reservations and show information, call (619) 595-0300. To learn more, visit www.anthologysd.com.
Before she became the cofounder of trendy Anthology, Carmel Valley’s Marsha Berkson(front row, center) formed Hand Up Youth Food Pantry as a way to involve high school students across San Diego in the plight of the perpetually hungry.
Food, it would seem, is a recurring theme as the vocation and avocation of Carmel Valley’s Marsha Berkson.
Before she became cofounder of trendy Anthology, which pairs fine cuisine with just the right genre of live musical performances, Berkson formed Hand Up Youth Food Pantry as a way to involve high school students across San Diego in the plight of the perpetually hungry.
In 2006, Berkson presented Jewish Family Services with a plan where high school students would staff and manage a food bank distributing groceries in a manner that would respect the recipients’ dignity while teaching these young people invaluable life lessons - all involved would benefit.
“I have always been passionate about instilling community service and values in our teenagers,” Berkson said. “When I was a volunteer mom, I would head-up our social action programs at the San Diego Jewish Academy and every month I would take the kids and they would do something. We’d go pick oranges for the homeless, play with underprivileged preschool kids, pack Thanksgiving baskets and distribute them.”
Berkson’s plan for Hand-Up offered a business and social roadmap to beginning adulthood for San Diego’s high school students who got involved. She said: “They would form committees at their schools and learn how to put together food drives, learn how to motivate each other in committee meetings, learn how to speak in front of people, learn how to call the principal of a school and organize a food drive or talk to a corporation and organize a food drive.”
In Carmel Valley, Hand Up has committees at San Diego Jewish Academy, Torrey Pines High School, Canyon Crest Academy and Cathedral Catholic. Throughout San Diego, it has 39 student executive committee members with 560 annual volunteers.
Berkson has two sons in Carmel Valley schools who walk the talk. Fourteen-year-old Brandon attends Canyon Crest and is on the Hand Up executive committee. Although Jake is only 11 and a fifth grader at the San Diego Jewish Academy, he still goes to distributions to help out when Berkson attends.
About the experience for the students, Berkson said, “It’s really two-fold. First of all, it is doing something that is for the good of the community - teaching kids how to give back, understanding hunger and seeing the face of hunger. The other thing it does is gives them some really great leadership skills.
“Of course,” Berkson said, “making sure they see what the face of hunger looks like is really important because you can collect the food, run a committee meeting, but in order to hand out food and see that ‘Wow, I’m really making a difference’ and ‘I’ve made people feel good today’ is an important component.”
Nowhere is that more evident than assisting the families on base at Camp Pendleton. Hand Up’s monthly event on the base operates more like a free version of Food 4 Less where military families go through a shopping line to choose what they really need as opposed to standing in a food line for a generic bag of whatever.
“We don’t want people to feel like they’re getting a hand out; we want them to feel like they’re getting a hand up,” she said. “It’s hard enough that they probably have a loved one overseas, so when they come in and get food from us, we want to put it together almost like a super market. They’re not handed a bag, they’re going through a line that has all different items they can choose from. We’re good to their dignity.”
The pantry delivers food to 12 locations throughout the county: once a week at St. Paul’s Cathedral downtown, once a month at Camp Pendleton and Murphy Canyon Military Housing, and as needed to its clients at Chabad Downtown, Alef Center, Julian Pathways, College Avenue Older Adult Center, Foodmobile, Foothills High School, Turk Family Center, JFS North County Coastal office and JFS North County Inland office.
For volunteer opportunities at Hand Up, call (858) 637-3088 or e-mail jfsonline@jfssd.org.
To learn more about the youth food panty, visit the Jewish Family Services Web site.
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