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Join us on Tuesday, May 13th, at the Dea Hurston New Village Arts Center for this month’s Village Voices meeting, a morning filled with networking, updates, and an inspiring guest speaker you won’t want to miss.

We’ll kick off at 8:00 AM with coffee and networking, giving you the perfect opportunity to meet fellow business owners, residents, and community leaders in a relaxed and engaging setting. Whether you’re a newcomer or a regular, you’ll have plenty of time to connect and expand your local network. Networking will continue until 8:45 AM.

At 8:45 AM, we’ll dive right into community updates, offering a brief overview of upcoming events, new developments, and initiatives in Carlsbad Village. We’ll also introduce our newest members and highlight the latest businesses joining our community.

GelatoLove.

Paola’s inspiring journey, from wildlife journalist and UN campaign coordinator to entrepreneur, has shaped her unique approach to business. After running Gaia Gelato in Carlsbad, she launched GelatoLove, a shop dedicated to serving high-quality, all-natural gelato made with passion and tradition. As GelatoLove celebrates its 10-year anniversary on May 22, Paola will share her experiences and insights into growing her business, fostering community engagement, the power of collaboration, and staying true to the values that have made GelatoLove a beloved part of Carlsbad.

To wrap up the morning, we’ll hold a door prize giveaway featuring Carlsbad Farmers Market Money and a Village-branded tote bag, perfect for your next visit to the market.

We can’t wait to see you on May 13th for a morning of inspiration, connection, and community. Village Voices is where Carlsbad Village comes together to connect, learn, and grow.

One of the best things about living in Los Angeles is that a great escape is just a short drive away: We have Palm Springs and the desert to the east, Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley up north and San Diego just a couple of hours south.

One quiet coastal city in San Diego’s North County, though, could be the next big Southern California getaway. In recent years, Carlsbad has transformed into one of the newest dining destinations for Angelenos, thanks in no small part to the partnership between proprietor John Resnick and chef Eric Bost.

To back up a bit: Carlsbad, which has a population of just over 113,000 people, has long been a resort city. The discovery of a mineral-rich spring akin to the spa waters of Europe in the late 1800s prompted the building of the luxe Carlsbad Hotel and turned the coastal area into a health and wellness destination. Hotels like the Mineral Springs and Royal Palms sprung up in ensuing decades.

These days, Carlsbad is a destination for its beautiful beaches, its proximity to Legoland, and the charming, walkable shopping and dining area known as Carlsbad Village. And just off the 5 Freeway, between a Costco and an In-N-Out, are the sprawling Flower Fields filled with rows and rows of colorful ranunculus as far as the eye can see.

But until more recently, acclaimed fine dining wasn’t necessarily on the docket.

John Resnick initially moved to San Diego in 2007 to help open the Hard Rock Hotel and later opened two restaurants in the city, Craft & Commerce and Ironside Fish & Oyster. After moving to North County with his wife in 2013, he saw an opportunity to elevate the dining options in Carlsbad Village. In the decade since, he has opened four restaurants along a single long block of State Street.

It all started with Campfire, the sweeping, rustic wood-fired California restaurant he opened in 2016.

“I was actually looking in Encinitas for Campfire. It was sort of by accident that I found Carlsbad, but I immediately fell in love with this place and Carlsbad Village,” Resnick tells SFGATE of finding the building the restaurant now occupies. “It really felt like this was an area that has an incredible lifestyle, with people who really enjoy getting together and hanging out. There was room for things that I like but hadn’t been here yet.”

A year later, a friend of Resnick’s was buying the building that now houses Jeune et Jolie, his gorgeous French-leaning restaurant.

“We started talking about what we felt the area needed, and that became Jeune et Jolie,” Resnick says. “I was excited about the concept, the team was excited, and we hoped our guests would be excited, too.”

Jeune et Jolie opened its doors in 2018, but, like all California restaurants, had to shutter only a year and a half later due to the pandemic.

Around the same time up in Los Angeles, Bost, a fine dining vet who had worked with legendary French chef and multiple-Michelin-star-recipient Guy Savoy for years, was thinking about his next steps. He had opened his critically acclaimed tasting menu restaurant Auburn in March 2019 but shuttered it in May 2020 because of complications from the pandemic. A mutual friend introduced Resnick and Bost, who started talking about working together.

“I was looking for like-minded people who were trying to create interesting identities and holistic dining experiences,” Bost says. “I had lived in San Diego with my wife, Elodie, in the early 2000s, so I already knew the area had incredible products to work with.”

The opportunity to put his stamp on Jeune et Jolie was also appealing to Bost.

“The restaurant was already doing amazing things,” Bost says. “It strikes a balance between being a neighborhood restaurant and a celebratory restaurant. Plus, it was seeing French food through the lens of Southern California. It played to my strengths in so many different aspects.”

Bost moved down to San Diego in September of 2020 to work with Resnick. Together, they refined the focus of Jeune et Jolie, turning it into a set menu restaurant (with a la carte options at the bar) focusing on elegant dishes like a croque madame topped with caviar. In 2021, Bost and the team bagged a Michelin star for their work, an honor the restaurant still holds today.

“In a strange way, that year, with the pandemic and Eric joining us, helped the restaurant find its core identity and become what it was supposed to be,” Resnick says.

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The pair was just getting started. In April of 2021, the duo started working on Wildland, an airy, industrial, 8,000-square-foot all-day restaurant and bakery that serves breakfast dishes like shakshuka and exceptional pastries (like an out-of-this-world almond croissant) in the morning, and approachable but dialed-in pasta, pizza and wood-fired vegetables at lunch and dinner. Bost and Resnick had actually toured the space, across the street from Jeune et Jolie, in their first month of working together; Wildland opened its doors this past December.

“We knew we wanted a place that’s open all day long, that could welcome a community in a big space with delicious food with breakfast, lunch and dinner,” Resnick says.

Just this past week, Resnick and Bost added a new project: Lilo, an intimate, 22-seat tasting menu restaurant serving coastal-inspired fare in the back of the Wildland building (which used to be a boogie board factory). Outfitted with a small garden where guests start their meal, interior counter seating and only two tables that look into the substantial open kitchen, it might be their most ambitious project yet.

“The counter here was really a way to do something immersive for the guests, and to get them as close as possible to the people making the food,” Bost says. “It’s a three-hour experience, so they’re giving us a lot of their time. We want to make sure they’re engaged.”

Having several restaurants in one town is no small feat, but Resnick and Bost have done it strategically and thoughtfully.

“When you have four restaurants on one street, they really need to each be independent, individual expressions of who we are. But we all felt like they could fill a different need,” Resnick says.

He adds, “They’re all different expressions of the same thing: California restaurants with people who really care about what they’re doing and are working with the terroir of this place where we live. They all feel like they belong here.”

SanSan Diego’s foray into the national and international fine dining scene reaches a new level with the opening of Lilo on April 17. The ambitious tasting menu counter from chef Eric Bost and John Resnick, tucked behind their bustling all-day Carlsbad restaurant Wildland, serves 12-plus beautifully adorned courses in an intimate dining room with 22 counter seats. The experience echoes that of other high-end restaurants that offer a communal dining arrangement, like Somni in Los Angeles, Jont in D.C., and Atomix in New York City. Given Bost’s background with Alain Ducasse and Guy Savoy, plus his tenure at Republique in Los Angeles, Lilo (pronounced lie-low) is well-positioned to attain that coveted two-Michelin-star ground that creates a true dining destination in Carlsbad. It will join the chorus of aspirational restaurants like Valle and Addison to further cement San Diego as a player in North America’s fine dining scene.

Almost exactly six years ago, Eric Bost had just opened Auburn in Los Angeles, a sleek, beautifully arranged sanctuary of California cuisine with a modestly priced, seasonal tasting menu. The COVID-19 pandemic forced Auburn to close in April 2020 (where it was replaced by Meteora), and Bost moved south to San Diego County to partner with Resnick. Here, he took over the reins of Jeune et Jolie, where it earned a Michelin star for its polished French Californian tasting menu served at an attainable price point. Bost and Resnick opened Wildland (modeled a bit after Republique and Venice’s Gjusta but with a more laidback vibe and soaring high-ceilinged industrial space) in December 2024 with the intention of opening Lilo behind it a short while later.

“This is basically the fourth restaurant we have on the same street, and with the back entrance, we’re super excited to do something that we feel does not exist in this neighborhood,” says Bost, who thinks Carlsbad and greater North County could use a celebratory dinner spot like Lilo. “We like the idea of fine dining that feels like a real human connection with authenticity, vibrant energy, and something youthful,” says Resnick. “We think it’s going to be something unique and special to Carlsbad and Southern California.” The name refers to rekindled friendships (those that have been “lying low”) with cuisine themed around coastal flavors and ingredients.

Like a lot of upscale tasting menu restaurants, Lilo begins with a welcoming scene set on a lush wood-lined garden patio with a campfire and lounge seating area that looks into the dining room. A tree commands the center, the neighboring homes and buildings fading away into the near cloudless sky — a true urban retreat.

Diners are then seated around the open kitchen, where cooks will bring out starters of littleneck clam with Buddha’s hand and tomatillo granita. Dry-aged Japanese kinmedai comes with a tangy, almost floral yuzu gelee. A Kaluga caviar tartellette gets the earthy notes of grilled spring peas with rich straciatella and egg yolk jam. Arranged in like modern art, alternating matchsticks of charred and clean white asparagus are suspended over a filet of dry-aged wild Brittany turbot and a sabayon of Pineau des Charentes. Later in the meal, 40-day-aged rib-eye comes with braised kombu and gurumelo mushrooms, while desserts come in five expressions, like hoja santa with fingerlime and sweet cream gelato or a stroopwaffle with rhubarb, vanilla, and toasted milk crémeux. The flavors are influenced by Japanese cuisine and presented like French fine dining, but ultimately rooted in California seasonality and transparency on the plate.

Wine director Savannah Riedler (previously of Saison in San Francisco) and beverage director Andrew Cordero (who manages the other three Bost-Resnick restaurants) serve California wine from lesser-known regions like Santa Cruz. Cocktails lean on vintage spirits like a reposado tequila and umeboshi caramel Old Fashioned.

Bells + Whistles, the firm that designed Animae, Jeune et Jolie, Los Angeles’s now-closed Broken Spanish, and the newly remodeled Providence, is also behind Lilo. The interior of the restaurant features oak and stone surfaces, a wave-like ceiling coupled with contrasting dark and swirled quartzite countertops. The wave pattern is echoed along the walls, giving the entire space the feel of a seaside cave. A vintage reel-to-reel tape machine and record player complete the sonic experience. Two four-tops reside closer to the cooking areas as an alternative to the low-slung counters, but basically everyone is in the party together: cooks, servers, sommeliers, diners, and chefs. It’s a sumptuous theater with tactile and understated luxury that feels apt for San Diego.

With many upper-tier fine dining restaurants, issues arise with the amount of work required to execute the level of food, as well as with pay inequity between roles. Bost says that with the kitchen team essentially serving food and explaining dishes, they’ve been able to reformulate their approach to fine-dining service. A staff of eight people still run the front of house, but most of the team will be involved in the chain of service. “There’s a big back of house so the focus is on making sure we’re excited about the time and effort to make these experiences possible,” he says. With the service model, tips are distributed among all hourly staff so that pay is equitable. “We have high standards and demand a lot. We built the model so that people are taken care of, but also the business can be sustainable,” says Bost.

Although Bost hopes that awards organizations like the Michelin Guide and North America 50 Best Restaurants recognize Lilo, he’s more focused on what he can control right now. “Accolades don’t factor into our day-to-day,” he says. “If we hold ourselves up to the standards we want to be operating in, pushing with a relentless need to refine, and our guests are having a good time, then we’ll feel like we’re doing something well.”

Lilo is located at 2571 Roosevelt Street, Carlsbad, CA, 92008. Meals cost $265 plus tax, drink pairings, and gratuity per person, with two seatings with times staggered throughout the evening. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

If you’re traveling this summer, one delicious foodie destination worth considering is sunny Carlsbad, California, near San Diego. It has emerged as a major foodie hangout. Check out this list of the best Carlsbad restaurants—with something for every appetite and price point. Their memorable menus will make for an unforgettable trip!

Why Carlsbad is a hidden gem for food lovers

Health and vitality are in the roots of this coastal California town. A hot spring containing health-promoting alkaline mineral water was discovered here in 1882. And soon after, the area became a resort destination. Today, people come for the healing water, strawberry farms and flower fields in addition to the thriving foodie scene. And talk about active bodies and minds: Carlsbad is also home to Jazzercise, Legoland and world-class golf at the Omni La Costa Resort. Keep reading to learn where to stop to fuel up when visiting.

7 best food stops in Carlsbad, California

Browse this list of dining options—everything from casual to fancy—located around Carlsbad that will leave your taste buds wanting to stay in this ocean oasis a little longer. (PS: I was fortunate enough to try these spots firsthand during a recent work trip to Carlsbad and they did not disappoint.)

For a relaxed breakfast or coffee: Cafe Topes

Stroll into this family-owned spot and grab a Lavender mocha at the coffee bar. The menu is also full of healthy, comfort food options. What trip to California would be complete without avocado toast? So reach for the chorizo Benedict with chipotle hollandaise, pork and avocado.

For a sweet snack: THE Goods

Early morning surfers and beach strollers enjoy popping into this artisan donut shop for some quick sustenance. Opt for their brown butter and sea salt donut, routinely named the best donut in the region. Or try an exotic flavor from their ever-changing, often selling-out menu. Flavors like Vermont maple bacon and roasted sweet corn honeycomb with caramel.

For a tasty lunch: Señor Grubby’s

Enjoy some authentic Mexican street food in the back patio of this taco shop. A favorite from this perfect sunshiny hangout spot: The spicy surf and turf with shrimp and sirloin. And plant-based eaters can enjoy the Nopales burrito made from cactus and mushrooms. No wonder this is a popular stop on foodie tours in Carlsbad Village.

For an afternoon treat: Strawberry Shack

This is just a walk-up window on a downtown sidewalk in the village of Carlsbad, but it features the best locally grown California strawberries. The owner is a bit of a perfectionist and food chemist, who has mastered the magic ratio of sugary berries, homemade whipped cream and heavenly angel food cake for strawberry shortcake. This is an ideal snack break while getting your steps in, shopping and sightseeing around town. And pop next door for a glass of local wine at Witch Creek Winery.

For a dinner with friends: Campfire

This place has an elevated, camp-chic vibe. As for memorable food, from the very start, try the out-of-this-world cornbread with chili butter. And you do not want to miss the charred-tipped broccoli with Moroccan spices. You’ve never had veggies like this. End any meal with tabletop gourmet s’mores. As for cocktails, consider the Machete, made with tequila, toasted sesame and cocoa nibs. Or for a mocktail, sip the Firesquad with a blend of orange, grapefruit and pomegranate.

For a date night: Wildland

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This gorgeous space will satisfy hearty appetites. Consider the rotisserie chicken with roasted dates or the rigatoni with oxtail ragu. And celebrate with great international wines and the show-stopping pistachio tiramisu.

Best balcony bites: Beach Terrace

As an honorable mention, this boutique hotel offers a stunningly curated petite complimentary breakfast bar. So much care is put into crafting little waffle kabobs and yogurt parfaits or filling organza draw-string pouches with grapes so you can start your day off right. Grab some fare and eat it on your room’s balcony overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean with dolphins bobbing in the water just paces away.

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Here’s an up-to-date list of all NFL Players from La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, California.

The list includes only those players who have played in an NFL game.

See where it ranks among other schools in the state here.

NFL Players from La Costa Canyon HS