More than a menu: How Mabel's Gone Fishing became a San Diego gathering place

Mabel’s Gone Fishing is more than a seafood restaurant in North Park — it’s a Michelin Bib Gourmand honoree that quickly became part of the neighborhood’s cultural fabric. We meet owner Chelsea Coleman, whose family history includes longtime Padres announcer Jerry Coleman and a KPBS love story. Together with her team, she has built a space that blends local ingredients, Spanish and Portuguese flavors and community-driven art into an experience rooted in San Diego. From honoring family traditions of scratch cooking to curating the Fishbowl gallery next door, Mabel’s shows how food, art and neighborhood spirit can come together to create something remarkable.Guests:Chelsea Coleman, proprietress of Mabel's Gone Fishing, The Rose Wine Bar, Secret Sister Sourdough Bakery + Tea House and FishbowlAlejandra Frank, independent art curatorTanner Stanich, head chef of Mabel's Gone FishingMentioned in this episode:Jerry Coleman | Chelsea Coleman's dad, longtime Padres broadcaster and former managerTony Gwynn | Hall of Fame outfielder, "Mr. Padre" and one of the greatest hitters in baseball historyBrucy Bochy | Former Padres manager who went on to win three World Series championships with the San Francisco GiantsThe Linkery | A pioneering farm-to-table restaurant in North Park that closed in 2014Chaparral | A native Southern California plant community that shapes San Diego's landscape and ecology Bread & Salt | Contemporary art gallery in Logan Heights housed in a former bread factoryScott Grewe | Culinary Director at Mabel's Gone Fishing David Leon | Chef at Michelin-starred Lilo in CarlsbadFauna | Modern Baja cuisine restaurant in Valle de Guadalupe, named Best in Mexico by Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2023Shane Volberding | San Diego commercial fisherman, educator and advocate for local, sustainable seafoodSan Diego's Michelin-honored restaurants:Addison, Carmel Valley | Contemporary | 3 StarsAtelier Manna, Encinitas | Californian | Bib GourmandCallie, East Village | Mediterranean | Bib GourmandCesarina, Point Loma | Italian | Bib GourmandCiccia Osteria, Barrio Logan | Italian | Bib GourmandCucina Urbana, Bankers Hill | Italian | Bib GourmandDija Mara, Oceanside | Indonesian | Bib GourmandJeune et Jolie, Carlsbad | French | StarLilo, Carlsbad | Californian | StarLOLA 55, East Village | Mexican | Bib GourmandMabel's Gone Fishing, North Park | Seafood | Bib GourmandMorning Glory, Little Italy | American | Bib GourmandSoichi, University Heights | Japanese | StarValle, Oceanside | Mexican | StarSources: What is a Michelin Star? (Michelin Guide, 2022)What Is The MICHELIN Bib Gourmand Award? (Michelin Guide, 2022)1998 World Series recap (MLB.com, 2022)San Diego County Food Program (SanDiegoCounty.gov)From TV auctions to social media bidding: How the live shopping thrill lives on (Julia Dixon Evans and Anthony Wallace, The Finest, 2025)Selling Bluefin Tuna to Chefs (The Local Fish Project, 2023)CA Sea Grant informs new law to permit Fishermen’s Markets (Deborah Seiler, California Sea Grant, 2015)North Park's 'Mabel's Gone Painting' pairs local art with Michelin-recognized dining (Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS, 2025)