NORTH Magazine
"Delicias" - dining review
April 2004

Deep in the rich recesses of Rancho Santa Fe hides a delicious secret. For 14 years, Delicias has purposefully kept a low, yet revered profile. Most patrons are residents of the prestigious community, and the restaurant is little-known outside the area. The ambiance is an eclectic milieu of hand-painted French tiles framing the exposition kitchen, medieval tapestries and Caribbean-esque furniture, in a building of Southwest architecture with Sinatra playing overhead. There is also patio dining out front, and more in a shaded courtyard with a large fireplace.

If the interior is eclectic, the menu is even more so. Executive Chef Barry Layne has been in the business for almost twenty of his thirty-four years, including time at Escondido's 150 Grand Cafe. He uses organic ingredients and a lot of imagination to revamp the menu monthly, keeping with current food trends, seasonal ingredients and in his own words, "to keep from getting bored." He must be having a lot of fun, because he treated us to an array of items that bedazzled our eyes and palates.

I had never tried foie gras before this visit, but after Chef Layne's version, I am evangelical about it. He pan sears the enriched goose liver to leave a crispy outside and smooth, semi-liquid inside, and towers it with pears and a waffle. The truly astounding part of the dish is a scoop of peach sorbet. The result is a world of harmonizing contrasts. The ice crystals accent the melted foie gras interior as the sorbet and pears' sweetness plays against a savory caramelized balsamic zinfandel reduction. Dick, the maitre 'd, paired an incredible sauterne dessert wine with the appetizer for us. I understand now why it is such a classic combination.

We also tried crawfish and cream cheese croquettes, with a panko-like crispy, flaked exterior. The house-made sweet-and-sour plum sauce was a wonderful side treatment. Layne also combined mascarpone cheese, shitake mushrooms and dried cherries in one of the most unique, rich egg rolls ever to grace a menu.

Delicias' roasted sea bass was a great mix of aromas. Morel mushrooms seasoned the jus sauce base, and the wood-oven roasted Roma tomatoes took up the essences of the fish, wood smoke and other ingredients. The dish's full-bodied flavor proved that merlot can go quite well with fish, under the right circumstances. Our other entrée was a tender rack of lamb. Mint and chili oils drizzled around the plate added a touch of color and are illustrations of the kitchen's artful presentation. The lamb's flavor stood on its own, but was strengthened by accompanying candied dates and apricots.

NORTH Magazine
"In Full Swing"
- Synergy Built Region's Golf Industry
June 2004

On a sunny Easter afternoon last April pro golfer Phil Mickelson leaped with joy over his first career victory in a major tournament, the prestigious Masters at Augusta National. Even as Mickelson was reeling from the win, thousands of miles away in his hometown of San Diego, his sponsor and North County local Titleist Golf proudly cheered him. Just as their name is tied to Mickelson's achievements, North County is benefiting from the success of the many golf companies that call the region home.

Titleist and sister golf product manufacturers Cobra and FootJoy are all owned by Acushnet, which is based in Massachusetts but placed all three companies' western US headquarters in Carlsbad. The city is a hotbed of golf manufacturing, with some of the industry's leading names in club manufacturing, including Callaway and TaylorMade. Additionally, spanning the county are many smaller companies that specialize in everything from gloves and balls to custom club shafts.

Glen Brodowsky, Ph.D., professor of marketing at Cal State San Marcos, attributes North County's attractiveness to the golf companies to similar reasons for the local tech boom in recent years. He cites the educated base of local employees, proximity to both San Diego and Los Angeles, and regional attractiveness to potential employees from other parts of the country. Good weather also allows year round product testing as opposed to Northeast-based companies, who have to move testing to Florida.

All told, North County based golf manufacturers brought in over $1.3 billion in revenue in 2003, not counting Titleist's $1.1 billion in revenue, which is split up among other facilities worldwide, and employed around 4000 people. These figures are spread among companies like TaylorMade-adidas Golf, which produces an array of equipment and apparel, and single product companies like Carbite, which only makes putters.

The synergy of the north county manufacturers becomes increasingly stronger as close proximity makes the logistics of component manufacturing easier, hence cost effective. Aldila's graphite shafts are available for customized clubs made by other companies like TaylorMade and Cobra. Ashworth, Inc., an apparel manufacturer, partnered with Callaway, whose 2003 annual report states that 21 percent of Ashworth's $31 million revenue was from Callaway brand apparel. According to TaylorMade spokesman John Steinbach, having component manufacturers close-by is advantageous for R & D on new clubs.

Like many markets, golf is seeing a sluggish period due to national and international factors. The game's ruling body, the U.S. Golf Association (USGA), has imposed moratoriums on escalating club and ball technology in the interest of preserving the nuances and tradition of the game. This has weakened the innovation so necessary in business. The National Golf Association's published their highly watched annual report of numbers of rounds of golf played throughout the nation, which saw a drop of 1.5 percent due to economic factors and unusually strong weather conditions. The numbers affect revenue of the manufacturers, golf courses, golf schools and retailers.

Though the last three years have seen decreased revenue from many of the companies, 2003 saw a slowing of the rate of decrease, which means that an upswing could be right around the corner. In fact, first quarter reports for 2004 have been promising. As both the golf industry and North County continue to grow together, their partnership is a major win for both.